Concerning Sugar Apple Hand Pollination

[JoeP450]

I have noticed recently that my sugar apple is flushing leaves and awakening from its winter dormancy. Along with those leaves are some small flowers. Last year I had many flowers but none were pollinated and I had no fruit set. Upon further research I found that there are two different stages of flowers and that they require certain pollinators (which my yard must be lacking) and that these are factors to low fruit yield in sugar apples....then I read that a tedious approach to hand pollination can circumvent these issues.

Does anyone currently hand pollinate their annonas? If so could you please share a working method for future use by myself and other forum members? In particular materials used in the process, pollen storage, and identifying the two different flower types.

Any direction is much appreciated.

_JoeP450

[JoeP450]

Here is a how to article on hand pollination of atemoya and sugar apple. I'll probably just get a small paintbrush from a craft store to help with this.
http://www.sarasotafruitandnutsociety.org/information/TropicalFruit/atemoyapollination.htm

_JoeP450

[TropicalFruitHunters]

Joe...the process is really easy.  It's the timing that sucks!  There is an old post out on GardenWeb by Eggo concerning cherimoya pollination...which is the same for sugar apple.  He clipped one of the three petals to show that he had pollinated that particular flower.  I later read in some publication for sugar apple, that it was better to completely remove the petals and then apply the pollen via paint brush.  This has worked very well for me so far and you certainly have no problem identifying a flower you've already serviced!!   

If you get lots of flowers at the same time, chances are you can collect the pollen at the same time as distributing it to some female flowers.  It should keep in the fridge for at least 24 hrs.  Good luck.

[FloridaGreenMan]

Annona pollination is incredibly easy. I can pollinate 30 or 40 flowers in 15 minutes, taking my time. Once you figure it out you will say..."wow that's all there is to it? The CRFG also published a step by step article with diagrams for Cherimoya pollination that was excellent! It works identical for Atemoya, Cherimoya, Sugar Apple, Ilama and Custard Apple. Rollinias and Soursops are Guanabanus spp so those are very different flowers.         

[Guanabanus]

Fancy pollen storage techniques are to accommodate manual labor schedules within business hours. 

When you are doing your own trees, use your pollen fresh during the hour that it naturally ripens within the flowers.  So pollinate atemoya flowers in the evening, not per that chart which specifies morning.  If the female-stage flowers are just barely cracking open, go ahead and spread the petals wide enough to insert the brush.  It is unnecessary to remove petals;  in fact removing petals can be a disadvantage in dry weather.  If you wish to mark which flowers are already pollinated, just break off a petal tip.

Choose which flowers to pollinate.  Think ahead.  How much weight can this branch bear?  How many fruits can reach full size in this one spot?  How many leaves will be in the sun further out on this branch to fill the fruit(s) with glucose from photosynthesis?  Will this branch wip around in the wind and sling off fruits too far out on the branch?

I use old-fashioned plastic film jars to gather pollen into.  Presciption pill bottles or bottle caps will work.

Remember that the stigma is a mass of 60-120 female parts--- if you pollinate only one side of the stigma, that side of the fruit will grow large and the other side will be scrunched up.  Before trying to get pollen to stick to the brush, touch the brush to a receptive stigma to pick up some "stickum", then when you lightly touch the brush into your pollen container pollen grains will readily attach to the brush.  Insert into female-stage flower, move around just a little, retract, get more pollen, and repeat one more time.

[Tim]

Great advice.  Thank you, Har