Perlite Pollen Storage Composition for Viable Cross-Pollination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Pollen viability from plants like corn, rice, and wheat decreases rapidly after shedding, making efficient cross-pollination and seed production challenging due to environmental sensitivity and the need for synchronized male and female plant development.
Innovation Solution
A pollen storage composition comprising perlite particles and pollen, stored at controlled temperature and humidity, allows for mechanical application and delivery to female reproductive parts, maintaining viability and fertilization potential.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If pollen is stored for extended periods, then cross-pollination flexibility is improved, but pollen viability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a carrier medium as an intermediary substance that facilitates pollen storage and transport. This carrier medium provides a protective environment that maintains pollen viability during storage while enabling flexible cross-pollination operations, thus resolving the contradiction between storage duration and viability maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies storage parameters such as temperature, humidity, and atmospheric composition to extend pollen viability. By controlling these parameters, the patent enables extended storage periods while maintaining high pollen viability, thus resolving the contradiction between storage duration and viability.
2Measurement precision
If manual pollination methods are used, then precision is improved, but labor and time requirements worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables pollen to self-deliver to the stigma through the carrier medium system. The carrier medium facilitates automatic pollen transport and deposition, eliminating the need for manual pollination operations while maintaining precision, thus resolving the contradiction between precision and labor efficiency.
3Ease of manufacture
If pollen is stored without controlled conditions, then storage simplicity is improved, but pollen viability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The carrier medium acts as a protective intermediary that shields pollen from harmful environmental factors. This allows pollen to be stored under simpler, less controlled conditions while maintaining viability, thus resolving the contradiction between storage simplicity and viability maintenance.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention provides novel compositions and methods for storage and delivery of pollen to a female reproductive part of a recipient plant. The pollen storage composition provided includes at least one perlite particle and pollen. The methods provided include storing the pollen storage composition and applying the pollen storage composition to at least a first female reproductive part of a recipient plant, thereby pollinating the female reproductive part with the pollen from the donor plant.