govind_raj
New Member
Hi, i am growing tomatoes in green house. i have problems in pollination. anybody have any ideas and suggestions? i would like to have bumble bees. is there anyone who supplies bumble bees in India? please help me.
tomato pollination
- Thread starter govind_raj
- Start date
manojsinghchandel
Well-Known Member
Pollination
As with most other vegetables and fruits, tomato flowers must have pollination before fruit will set. Any activity or inactivity that prevents thorough pollination causes a reduction in the number of fruit per plant. Poor pollination can also result in misshapen fruit, which occurs when seeds do not develop uniformly throughout the fruit, or smaller fruit, which occurs when locules do not fill out with seed and gel. Pollination can be prevented by various stresses, such as cold or hot temperatures, drought, high humidity, nutrient deficiencies, nutrient toxicities and lack of pollen transfer.
The optimum temperature for pollination is within the range of 70-82º F. Optimum relative humidity is 70 percent. Above 80 percent relative humidity, pollen grains stick together and are not dispersed well. With extended periods of relative humidity less than 60 percent, the stigma may dry out so that pollen grains will not stick to it. Under ideal conditions, fertilization occurs 48 hours after pollination.
Most smaller growers use an electric pollinator to hand-pollinate flowers. This is simply a small, hand-held device with a vibrating wand. Pollinators can be purchased from any greenhouse supplier.
How much time does it take to pollinate? Each cluster (not each blossom) should be vibrated for about half of a second. Touch the wand to the topside of the pedicel (flower stem). Do not touch individual blossoms, as this will damage them, causing damaged fruit; it may even knock the flowers off, reducing yield. One acre (about 10,000 plants) is estimated to take 5-6 hours to pollinate. For a 24- x 96-foot greenhouse, pollinating should take about 20 minutes. Á
It is important for serious greenhouse tomato growers to use an electric pollinator to ensure that they get good fruit set. What is a "serious" grower? One who grows tomatoes for a profit. In a hobby greenhouse, the expense of a pollinator is probably not necessary.
Electric pollinators can be powered either from a disposable alkaline battery or with a rechargeable 6-volt battery. Purchasing a rechargeable battery may be less expensive than continually buying alkaline batteries. Also, you will never get caught short of power, as long as you remember to charge the batteries after each use.
Pollination should be done every other day or three times per week. Pollinating less often risks reducing fruit set. Pollinating more often is very likely a waste of time. The best time of day for pollinating is when relative humidity is between 60-70 percent. Since this is difficult to control, find when the relative humidity is at its daily low point. If the amount of moisture in the air stays constant, the relative humidity decreases as the temperature increases. This is because warm air can hold more moisture than cool air. The warmest time of day is usually mid-day. This is why the best time to pollinate is generally between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
You can see pollen dispersal actually taking place. If the air is relatively dry and the light is good, you can see a small cloud of yellow powder around the flower immediately after pollinating. These are the pollen grains. This is your insurance that conditions are excellent for pollination.
In cloudy weather, the relative humidity is high. In such conditions, pollination is not as effective because pollen tends to stick together in clumps rather then dispersing as individual grains. However, it is still important to hold to the schedule of every other day because if the cloudy days turn into a cloudy week, fruit set and quality will certainly be decreased without pollination.
As mentioned above, pollination in very wet conditions is not as effective as in dry weather. One solution is to dry the air before pollinating. Turn on the heating system for 30-60 minutes before pollinating. Ventilate to maintain the temperature requirements. This will dry the flowers and the air, improving pollen transfer.
How to Pollinate
With many types of vegetables, such as watermelon, cucumbers and squash, bees and other insects are relied upon to transfer pollen from male flowers to female flowers. They do their job so well that we usually do not have to think about it, as long as there are enough bees visiting our field. However, not all vegetables are insect-pollinated.
Field tomatoes rely primarily on the wind for pollination, although bees assist to some degree. Tomato flowers have both male and female parts within every flower. Botanically, these are termed "perfect" flowers. Most of the pollen from a flower fertilizes the ovary within the same flower, although some pollinates surrounding flowers. Wind normally shakes the flower enough so that pollen leaves the anther and travels to the stigma.
In the greenhouse, wind is not adequate to ensure that flowers are sufficiently shaken and pollen is transferred. It is true that as we ventilate the greenhouse with fans, there is some wind. But, on cooler days when the fans are not operating, the air is relatively motionless.
If you want to maximize your yield, you really need to use either an electric pollinator or bumblebees. If you would be happy with a lower yield, then it is not so important. Bumblebees have been shown to be very effective pollinators and are recommended for all growers with over 10,000 square feet under one roof, and some growers with 5,000-10,000 square feet if labor is either too expensive or unavailable.
For Bumble Bees supply Check with Tiwana Bee Farm (Tiwana Beekeeping Equipment & Honey Products ) also you can check with your nearest Khadi and Village Industries office.
Regds
As with most other vegetables and fruits, tomato flowers must have pollination before fruit will set. Any activity or inactivity that prevents thorough pollination causes a reduction in the number of fruit per plant. Poor pollination can also result in misshapen fruit, which occurs when seeds do not develop uniformly throughout the fruit, or smaller fruit, which occurs when locules do not fill out with seed and gel. Pollination can be prevented by various stresses, such as cold or hot temperatures, drought, high humidity, nutrient deficiencies, nutrient toxicities and lack of pollen transfer.
The optimum temperature for pollination is within the range of 70-82º F. Optimum relative humidity is 70 percent. Above 80 percent relative humidity, pollen grains stick together and are not dispersed well. With extended periods of relative humidity less than 60 percent, the stigma may dry out so that pollen grains will not stick to it. Under ideal conditions, fertilization occurs 48 hours after pollination.
Most smaller growers use an electric pollinator to hand-pollinate flowers. This is simply a small, hand-held device with a vibrating wand. Pollinators can be purchased from any greenhouse supplier.
How much time does it take to pollinate? Each cluster (not each blossom) should be vibrated for about half of a second. Touch the wand to the topside of the pedicel (flower stem). Do not touch individual blossoms, as this will damage them, causing damaged fruit; it may even knock the flowers off, reducing yield. One acre (about 10,000 plants) is estimated to take 5-6 hours to pollinate. For a 24- x 96-foot greenhouse, pollinating should take about 20 minutes. Á
It is important for serious greenhouse tomato growers to use an electric pollinator to ensure that they get good fruit set. What is a "serious" grower? One who grows tomatoes for a profit. In a hobby greenhouse, the expense of a pollinator is probably not necessary.
Electric pollinators can be powered either from a disposable alkaline battery or with a rechargeable 6-volt battery. Purchasing a rechargeable battery may be less expensive than continually buying alkaline batteries. Also, you will never get caught short of power, as long as you remember to charge the batteries after each use.
Pollination should be done every other day or three times per week. Pollinating less often risks reducing fruit set. Pollinating more often is very likely a waste of time. The best time of day for pollinating is when relative humidity is between 60-70 percent. Since this is difficult to control, find when the relative humidity is at its daily low point. If the amount of moisture in the air stays constant, the relative humidity decreases as the temperature increases. This is because warm air can hold more moisture than cool air. The warmest time of day is usually mid-day. This is why the best time to pollinate is generally between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
You can see pollen dispersal actually taking place. If the air is relatively dry and the light is good, you can see a small cloud of yellow powder around the flower immediately after pollinating. These are the pollen grains. This is your insurance that conditions are excellent for pollination.
In cloudy weather, the relative humidity is high. In such conditions, pollination is not as effective because pollen tends to stick together in clumps rather then dispersing as individual grains. However, it is still important to hold to the schedule of every other day because if the cloudy days turn into a cloudy week, fruit set and quality will certainly be decreased without pollination.
As mentioned above, pollination in very wet conditions is not as effective as in dry weather. One solution is to dry the air before pollinating. Turn on the heating system for 30-60 minutes before pollinating. Ventilate to maintain the temperature requirements. This will dry the flowers and the air, improving pollen transfer.
How to Pollinate
With many types of vegetables, such as watermelon, cucumbers and squash, bees and other insects are relied upon to transfer pollen from male flowers to female flowers. They do their job so well that we usually do not have to think about it, as long as there are enough bees visiting our field. However, not all vegetables are insect-pollinated.
Field tomatoes rely primarily on the wind for pollination, although bees assist to some degree. Tomato flowers have both male and female parts within every flower. Botanically, these are termed "perfect" flowers. Most of the pollen from a flower fertilizes the ovary within the same flower, although some pollinates surrounding flowers. Wind normally shakes the flower enough so that pollen leaves the anther and travels to the stigma.
In the greenhouse, wind is not adequate to ensure that flowers are sufficiently shaken and pollen is transferred. It is true that as we ventilate the greenhouse with fans, there is some wind. But, on cooler days when the fans are not operating, the air is relatively motionless.
If you want to maximize your yield, you really need to use either an electric pollinator or bumblebees. If you would be happy with a lower yield, then it is not so important. Bumblebees have been shown to be very effective pollinators and are recommended for all growers with over 10,000 square feet under one roof, and some growers with 5,000-10,000 square feet if labor is either too expensive or unavailable.
For Bumble Bees supply Check with Tiwana Bee Farm (Tiwana Beekeeping Equipment & Honey Products ) also you can check with your nearest Khadi and Village Industries office.
Regds
pollination in Tomato
Mr. M.S Chandel has given you the correct and detailed information for the pollination of crops. You can follow those instructions and I am sure that you will succeed
All the best
Dr JS Kanwar
Former Professor and Head, Deptt.of Vegetables Crops,
Punjab Agricultural university, Ludhiana
Mr. M.S Chandel has given you the correct and detailed information for the pollination of crops. You can follow those instructions and I am sure that you will succeed
All the best
Dr JS Kanwar
Former Professor and Head, Deptt.of Vegetables Crops,
Punjab Agricultural university, Ludhiana