RU2222941C2 - Plant flower pollination apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: agriculture. SUBSTANCE: apparatus has device for collecting pollen from flowers and applying collected pollen onto flower to be pollinated. Said device is made in the form of pad fixed on holder by means of plastoelastic member equipped in its mid portion with tie-rod. Ring commensurable with diameter of operator's finger is fixed on free end of tie-rod. Plastoelastic member may be made in the form of spring or rubber tube. EFFECT: reduced damage to plant, increased percentage of pollinated flowers and increased efficiency of operator's work. 1 dwg

Description

 The need and methods of pollination of flowers of various plants, in particular garden, for example cucumber are described in many articles on agricultural topics / 1 /.

 For this purpose, a brush with a handle (holder) is used, at the end of which a pile is attached.

 Other devices are also known, for example, a pneumatic device according to the patent RU 2061371 C 1 "BEE" / 2 /.

 This device has common features with the claimed and is accepted as an analogue.

 Common signs of the claimed device and analogue is the presence of both holders and pollen collection elements. Moreover, the analog holder is made in the form of a vessel 1 (see patent), which the operator holds in his hand during operation.

 The pollen collection element of the analogue is the adsorber-distributor / 3 / - a pollen swab or brush collects pollen from the inventive device.

It seems that when using an analogue, the following disadvantages may appear:
- The impossibility of pollination of flowers of plants, for example, in greenhouses, cucumbers in the second row of trellis if the flower corollas are turned away from the operator.

 - Quick fatigue of the operator’s hand, as he is forced to compress repeatedly (to deform the vessel / 1 /, which, in order to ensure a sufficient speed of the air flow, must be very elastic during suction and blowing).

 The proposed device for this application is free from the above disadvantages.

 Description of the design of the proposed device.

 A device for pollinating plant flowers consists of a holder / 1 /. See the drawing of the rod, in shape and size similar to a lecture pointer or a fishing rod for winter fishing. The length of the holder is 400-500 mm.

 A flexible-elastic element / 2 / in the form of a rubber tube or spring with a diameter of up to 5.0 mm from a wire with a diameter of about 0.5 mm is fixed at the thin end of the holder. The total length of the flexible-elastic element / 2 / is on average 45 mm.

 A densely rolled up tampon, such as a cotton swab or a brush with a soft pile / 5 /, is inserted into the end of a flexible-elastic element.

 To the middle part of the flexible-elastic element / 2 / a rod / 3 is fixed (thin thread or fishing line) along the length slightly shorter than the holder / 1 /.

 A ring / 4 / is attached to the free end of the rod with a diameter commensurate with the thickness of the finger of the operator.

The device is used as follows:
The operator takes the holder / 1 / of the device in one hand for the thickened end and at the same time puts on the finger of the same hand a ring / 4 / rod / 3 /. To check the operation of the device, the operator pulls the rod / 3 / with his finger, which bends the flexible-elastic element 2 at the required angle.

The bending angle of the flexible elastic element / 2 / depends on the force that the operator applies to the rod / 3 / and ranges from 0 to 170 ^o .

 The operator, manipulating the holder / 1 /, sequentially touches the swabs / 5 / to the stamens and pistils of male and female flowers, producing pollination.

 If the flower is removed and turned with a whisk from the operator, the operator needs to advance the end of the holder / 1 / by the flower, and then pull the rod / 3 /, bending the flexible-elastic element / 2 / by an acute angle with respect to the holder / 1 /, and, moving the holder / 1 / on itself, touch the flower with a swab / 5 / and pollinate it.

The advantages of the claimed device include:
- eliminating the possibility of damage to plants, because when working with the operator, only one hand is occupied, while the other can be used to deflect interfering leaves and lashes of plants;
- an increase in the percentage of pollinated flowers due to the possibility of pollination of remote and inaccessible flowers and, as a result, increased productivity;
- an increase in operator productivity compared to the manual pollination method, in which the operator picks a male flower, cuts off the petals and pollinates 4-5 female flowers, after which the male flower needs to be replaced.

Literature
1. Handbook of amateur vegetable growers, M., publishing house KOLOS, 1995, p.230, 274, 276.

 2. Patent of the Russian Federation R 2061371 C1.

Claims (4)

1. A device for pollinating plant flowers, containing a device for collecting pollen from a flower and its subsequent application to a pollinated flower, mounted on a holder, characterized in that the device for collecting and applying pollen is made in the form of a tampon mounted on a holder by means of a flexible elastic element having in the middle of traction. 2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the flexible-elastic element is made in the form of a spring. 3. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the flexible-elastic element is made in the form of a rubber tube. 4. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that a ring commensurate with the diameter of the finger of the operator is fixed at the free end of the rod.