Author Topic: Looking for Citrus Pollen  (Read 1682 times)

willpollinateforfood

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Looking for Citrus Pollen
« on: May 01, 2019, 02:25:06 AM »
Does anyone know of a source of disease-free citrus pollen?
I would like to experiment and create my own citrus hybrids with my calamondin tree. Ultimately, I want to get a hardy orange, Poncirus trifoliata, and hybridize it with either Yuzu or the harder to find Citrus ichangensis to make a hardy but better tasting orange that can exist in USDA zone 6 here in Connecticut.

P.S. I learned pollen transmits certain citrus diseases so I do not want to damage my little tree.
Thanks,
- Kelly F.
« Last Edit: May 01, 2019, 09:22:13 PM by willpollinateforfood »

Walt

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Re: Looking for Citrus Pollen
« Reply #1 on: November 08, 2019, 03:59:39 PM »
Do you have a reference for citrus pollen transmitting disease?  I'm also interested in getting pollen without waiting for my trees to grow enough to bloom.
I'm also trying to breed citrus for zone 6, as is kumin.  I think Mikkel in Germany is also in what we would call zone 6.  Ilya11 is a bit further south, I think.  They are ahead of us.  But that's OK.  As long as someone succeeds.

caladri

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Re: Looking for Citrus Pollen
« Reply #2 on: November 08, 2019, 08:50:16 PM »
Just chiming in with an interest for this as well, to speed breeding experiments; would love to have Minneola and Dekopon pollen in quantity.

lebmung

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Re: Looking for Citrus Pollen
« Reply #3 on: November 10, 2019, 04:00:19 PM »
I have key lime and Tahiti lime pollen right now. They produce flowers every month.

ZAP

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Re: Looking for Citrus Pollen
« Reply #4 on: November 13, 2019, 10:34:10 PM »
Do any of you know of references that prove or disprove? the transmission of disease through pollen?

Also consider that unless you are very lucky to find; the male parent blooming days before the female/ova parent; you will have timing issues.
If you want to introduce Fall ripening to a spring ripening Var, you may need to store your pollen for many weeks. 

Ideally you should be prepared to store for a year.  That would give you two shots per lot of pollen.
 (and if you are lucky enough to work at a lab - perhaps you could get long term storage, in Liq Nitrogen)

My apologies, you would have to join; www.researchgate.net to download this paper: 

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/317052288_Influence_of_Storage_Duration_and_Storage_Temperature_on_In-Vitro_Pollen_Germination_of_Citrus_Species

At 48 weeks these scientists were getting 23% viability.  Using a Freezer at -20 deg C.

Orange  pollen /  48 week storage  =  28.0 %
Mandarin  pollen  / 48 week storage  = 32.4 %
Grape fruit pollen  / 48 week storage  =  23.0 %

These results could be replicated at home or on the farm.
Best wishes,
ZAP

« Last Edit: November 14, 2019, 12:01:59 AM by ZAP »

lebmung

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Re: Looking for Citrus Pollen
« Reply #5 on: November 16, 2019, 07:35:39 PM »
Fresh pollen from Citrus tachibana Macf. was oven-dried (37C), freeze-dried, or placed into anhydrous acetone, and stored at -20C over silica gel. Pollen freeze-dried or stored in anhydrous acetone did not germinate 24 hours after treatment; oven-dried pollen germinated in 1 hour and was comparable to fresh pollen. Pollen that was oven-dried for 12 hours and stored for 1 year was used to pollinate a monoembryonic hybrid of `Temple' (origin unknown) × `Orlando' (C. paradisi Macf. `Duncan' ×C. reticulata Blanco `Dancy'). Glutamate-oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT) isozyme profiles verified progeny hybridity.