In May, the kiwifruit orchards in Zunyi, Guizhou, are already teeming with life. The fruit on the branches has just grown to the size of an egg, still several months away from ripening. Meanwhile, another special "crop" crucial to kiwifruit yield—the male flowers—has quietly entered its peak harvest season.
▲Red heart kiwifruit orchard in Sichuan Province, China
As is well known, the development of every kiwifruit depends on pollination by male flowers; without high-quality pollination, there is no high-quality fruit. As one of the main kiwifruit producing areas in Guizhou, Zunyi, relying on the mature pollen production system in the surrounding areas and leveraging Guizhou's industrial advantages, has formed a complete pollen supply chain. It is reported that as the largest kiwifruit pollen production base in Guizhou, the annual pollen output can reach 400 kilograms, providing a solid guarantee for the kiwifruit industry in Zunyi and the entire Guizhou province.
▲這種獼猴桃公花生產的花粉活性最高
The fruit set rate and fruit quality of kiwifruit female flowers depend primarily on the activity of the male pollen. After years of practical exploration, China has gradually established a standardized male pollen production technology covering all aspects, including variety selection, harvesting timing, production and processing, and purification and detoxification, injecting momentum into the high-quality development of Guizhou's kiwifruit industry.
▲剛完成授粉的紅心獼猴桃幼果
At the Bohong Kiwifruit Company's planting base, the high-quality male flower variety "tomuri," which has been widely promoted in Guizhou in recent years, is planted. To retain the optimal activity of the pollen, workers start harvesting promptly at 4:00 AM every day—this is the golden time for harvesting, as the male flower buds are about to open, the pollen is full, and its activity is at its highest. Once it reaches 9:00 or 10:00 AM, the male flowers will fully bloom, and the pollen will begin to fall off, gradually decreasing its activity. More importantly, the harvested male flowers must complete all processing procedures within 24 hours to maximize the preservation of pollen activity.
▲A picture of pollinating kiwi fruit
Bohong Fruit Industry has built a complete male pollen production line with a daily output of up to 20 kilograms. In the production workshop, after being dried, the male flowers are first fed into a crusher to break down the petals and separate the anthers. The anthers are then sent to a specialized drying oven for further drying. After drying, the anthers enter an anther separator to completely separate the anthers from the pollen. Finally, the pollen undergoes a detoxification process, undergoing rigorous treatment to ensure its quality meets standards. "Through this standardized production process, the quality of our male pollen far exceeds the industry's top-tier standards," explained Lang Dong, head of Bohong Company.
▲Golden kiwifruit after artificial pollination
The promotion and application of commercial pollen has long been a consensus for the high-quality development of the kiwifruit industry, and it is of particular significance to the Guizhou kiwifruit industry. For many years, most kiwifruit growers in Guizhou have been accustomed to using the traditional "flower-to-flower" pollination method. Pollen mostly comes from their own orchards or scattered nearby orchards, resulting in inconsistent pollination effectiveness and a hidden risk of disease transmission.
▲helping growers achieve their ultimate pollination
"Previously, kiwifruit canker severely impacted some production areas in Sichuan, and pollen of unknown origin was a major route of canker transmission in traditional pollination methods," an industry insider stated. Standardized commercial pollen completely eliminates this risk—its male flowers come from dedicated, disease-free male plantations cultivated in a centralized manner. After professional laboratory testing confirms they do not carry canker pathogens, they are sold only, reducing the risk of disease transmission at the source.
▲Kiwi electric pollination machine using lithium batteries
In addition, the large-scale production and application of commercial pollen can effectively optimize planting layout: reducing the proportion of male plants in the orchard and implementing separate management of male and female plants can save approximately 20% of land for female plant cultivation, significantly increasing yield per unit area and indirectly boosting farmers' income.
▲kiwifruit pollen price
Lang Dong introduced that Bohong Company currently has 500 mu (approximately 33 hectares) of kiwifruit male plantations in Sichuan, Guizhou, and Yunnan. This year, it is expected to produce 500 kg of male pollen, which can meet the needs of various production areas in Guizhou Province and also be sold outside the province. "We plan to add and improve about 1,000 mu of male flower planting base within two years, and increase the annual pollen production to more than 1 ton, further helping to improve the quality and efficiency of Guizhou kiwifruit industry."
▲Kiwi young fruit
▲kiwi pollen for sale
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