Black Majesty Plum Tree Pollination and Fruit Quality
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing plum tree varieties face challenges in pollination, consistency of production, and sweetness of fruit, particularly in self-unfruitful cultivars like 'Angeleno', which are difficult to pollinate and have inconsistent yields and less sweet flavor.
Innovation Solution
The 'Black Majesty' plum tree variety, developed through cross-pollination techniques using a screen house and bee pollination, is self-unfruitful but easier to pollinate, more consistent in production, and produces fruit that is sweeter and juicier, requiring cross-pollination with a mid-season blooming plum like 'September YUMMY' for successful pollination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If self-unfruitful plum varieties like 'Angeleno' are used, then fruit production requires cross-pollination, but pollination difficulty increases and production consistency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by selecting and breeding plum varieties with specific floral characteristics - particularly increased blossom abundance and enhanced pollen production. The 'Black Majesty' variety was selected from seedlings to have superior pollination attributes, transforming the pollination parameter from difficult to easier through deliberate selection of genetic parameters.
2Quantity of substance
If conventional plum varieties are used, then fruit production is maintained, but sweetness and juice content of fruit are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action through extended selective breeding and selection processes. The inventor has been hybridizing and selecting plum seedlings for multiple generations, performing preliminary genetic selection for sweetness and juice content traits before the variety is commercially released. The 'Black Majesty' variety resulted from this preliminary multi-year selection process, establishing superior flavor parameters before deployment.
3Productivity
If vigorous growth is selected, then tree productivity increases, but fruit sweetness and quality may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making different parts of the breeding selection process serve different functions. The tree vigor and fruit quality traits were selected independently in different generations - vigorous growth characteristics were selected in early generations for tree establishment, while sweetness and juice content were prioritized in later selection stages. The final 'Black Majesty' variety integrates both local qualities of vigorous growth and superior fruit sweetness.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The 'Black Majesty' plum tree is a vigorous, productive, and hardy variety that ensures consistent fruit production with enhanced sweetness and juice content, facilitating easier pollination and maintaining fruit quality for extended periods, making it suitable for commercial orchards and long-distance shipping.
Implementation Method 1
A hive of bees is placed inside each such house, and bouquets to provide pollen from different plum, apricot, and intersspecific plum-apricot hybrid trees are placed in buckets near the trees approximately every two days for the duration of the bloom
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to an plum tree and more particularly to a new and distinct variety broadly characterized by a medium size, vigorous, hardy, and very productive tree. Being self-unfruitful, the present variety requires cross pollination from a plum that blooms during the mid season. The present variety's abundance of blossoms and pollen entices strong bee activity to facilitate pollination. The fruit matures under the ecological conditions described during early September, with first picking on Sep. 2, 2007, and will hang on the tree for about fifteen more days. The fruit is uniformly medium in size, nearly black in skin color, clingstone in type, globose with a small point at the apex shape, orange yellow in flesh color, firm in texture, and very sweet in flavor.