Maize Pollen Storage With Refrigeration and Breathable Barriers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current maize breeding practices face challenges in successful pollination due to mismatched maturity groups of male and female plants, leading to potential crop loss, as pollen storage methods are inadequate for maintaining viability and timing of delivery.
Innovation Solution
A method for storing maize pollen involves collecting fresh pollen, optionally treating it with a carrier, sealing it in a container with a breathable barrier, and storing it in a refrigerated environment, using carriers like talc or silica powder and breathable barriers like Parafilm or 3M Micropore tape, to maintain viability for up to 20 days.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If maize pollen is stored without specific care and refrigeration, then storage simplicity is maintained, but pollen viability is lost rapidly within hours
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies refrigeration (cold environment) to create an inert-like condition that slows down metabolic processes and decay in maize pollen. By storing pollen at low temperatures (refrigerated environment), the viability is maintained for extended periods (up to 20 days) without rapid degradation, effectively creating a stable environment that mimics inert conditions for biological material.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the temperature parameter of the storage environment from ambient to refrigerated conditions. This parameter change fundamentally alters the rate of pollen degradation, extending viability from hours to days. The method specifies storing pollen in a refrigerated environment as a critical control parameter to maintain reliability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If male and female plants are of different maturity groups, then genetic diversity is expanded, but pollination timing mismatch occurs leading to crop loss
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by collecting and storing pollen from male plants in advance (up to 20 days before needed) in a refrigerated environment. This allows breeders to prepare pollen from different maturity groups ahead of time and deliver it precisely when female plants are receptive, eliminating timing mismatch issues while enabling cross-maturity breeding for genetic diversity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces stored pollen as an intermediary between male and female plants of different maturity groups. Instead of relying on simultaneous flowering, the pollen intermediary can be stored and then applied at the optimal time for female receptivity, mediating the pollination process across different temporal schedules.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If pollen is stored in a sealed non-breathable container, then protection from environmental factors is improved, but pollen decay accelerates due to lack of gas exchange
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies refrigeration to create a stable, inert-like environment that compensates for the reduced gas exchange in sealed containers. The cold temperature slows metabolic processes enough that pollen can tolerate limited oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange, maintaining viability even in relatively sealed conditions while still benefiting from protection against external environmental factors.
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 method ensures reliable pollen storage and delivery, enhancing genetic diversity by allowing interbreeding of different maturity groups and improving maize plant breeding outcomes.
Implementation Method 1
sealing the pollen in a container with a breathable barrier
Implementation Method 2
storing the pollen in a refrigerated environment. Pollen collected and stored in this manner remains viable for up to 20 days
Data Source
AI summary
Maize pollen is notoriously fragile and susceptible to degradation unless adequately stored. Unlike some tree pollen, which can be quite hardy and capable of successful fertilization for months or years after it is shed, maize pollen remains viable for mere hours after shedding before it begins to degrade. Described here is an invention for storing maize pollen where the pollen is collected and stored in a refrigerated, but not frozen, environment with a breathable barrier. Pollen stored as described herein may remain viable for up to twelve days, or two weeks, or longer. Adding a carrier compound can extend viability of the pollen.