Field testing a modified duster for supplemental mass pollination in Douglas-fir seed orchards
1995
An agricultural Solex duster (Model 100) was modified for supplemental mass pollination (SMP) of Douglas-fir--Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco--seed orchard trees. In performance trials, isolated megastrobili (female cone-flowers) were exposed briefly to the outside environment while the tractor-mounted duster blew pollen on the 7.6- to 10.7-m-tall clones. Average filled seed efficiency (FSE) obtained was 34 and 48% after 1 and 2 SMP's, respectively. This FSE difference was significant at alpha = 0.02. The numbers of filled seeds per cone, from cones averaging 57 round seeds, were 19 and 27 after 1 and 2 SMP's, respectively. When 2 SMP's were done, FSE values were generally similar from the ground to 8.5 m, which indicated that the duster uniformly distributed the pollen throughout the crown.
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