Table of contents | |
Introduction | |
Selfing | |
Emasculation | |
Methods of Emasculation | |
Bagging | |
Pollination | |
Tagging |
Selfing and crossing are the essential procedures in crop improvement process. The exact procedures used to ensure self or cross-pollination of specific plants will depend on the floral structure and normal manner of pollination. Generally effecting cross-pollination in a strictly self-pollinating species is more difficult than vice-versa because for instance preventing self-pollination occurring inside the unopened flowers is cumbersome.
Removal of stamens or anthers or killing the pollen of a flower without the female reproductive organ is known as emasculation. In bisexual flowers, emasculation is essential to prevent of self-pollination. In monoecious plants, male flowers are removed. (castor, coconut) or male inflorescence is removed (maize). In species with large flowers e.g. (cotton, pulses) hand emasculation is accurate and it is adequate.
Immediately after emasculation the flower or inflorescence enclosed with suitable bags of appropriate size to prevent random cross-pollination.
The pollen grains collected from a desired male parent should be transferred to the emasculated flower. This is normally done in the morning hours during anthesis. The flowers are bagged immediately after artificial crossing.
The flowers are tagged just after bagging. They are attached to the inflorescence or to the flower with the help of a thread.
The following may be recorded on the tag with pencil:
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