Breeding and Seed Production of Ornamental Crops (2+1)

Exercise - 5

Aim: Determination of stigma receptivity.
Objective:

1. To find out actual time and duration for which pollination is effective
2. To work out cross compatibility/incompatibility reaction between two parents.

Materials required:
Notched scissors, forceps, camel’s hair brush, eye lash brush, labels, (jewel tags), magnifying lens, crochet thread, glass rod, butter paper bags, muslin cloth bags.
Simple test:
Visually observe through naked eye or with the help of a magnifying lens, several stigmas at random. Presence of exudates (water fluid) on stigmatic surface would indicate that stigma is receptive.
Seed set test:
However, more reliable rest for determination of stigma receptivity is by making controlled pollination at different stages of flower development i.e.

• Two days before anthesis
• One day before anthesis
• Day of anthesis
• One day after anthesis
• Two days after anthesis

At each of the described stages, emasculate 40-50 randomly selected flowers and pollinate immediately. Count the number of flowers with successful seed set after 4-6 weeks in each. On the basis of percentage of seed set, work out the initiation and duration for which stigma remains receptive.