This invention describes a new method of grain production wherein designated male plant pollen may be selected at anytime before pollination of a designated female plant. In the method, a designated female plant having both female and male components is grown. Furthermore, designated male pollen is selected for use in cross-pollinating the designated female plant. Cross-pollination may occur on one more days, is intentional, and occurs at a time when male components are not shedding pollen. The criteria used for selecting designated male pollen may include, but is not limited to, market information and commodity price information. Moreover, the designated male plant pollen may have a different maturity period compared to the designated female, selection may occur after the female has germinated, and/or result in a higher harvested crop value than other available pollen. Accordingly, the process involves the intentional delivery of designated male plant pollen at will, as available either in a preserved pollen bank or real-time collection from male plants as they become available, in a growth chamber for example. The delivered designated male plant pollen is in such amounts and fortuitously timed that it preferentially cross-pollinates the designated female plant. The invention also permits real-time agronomic decision making to influence grain content and constituents to maximize grain value.

A pollen collection device for collecting pollen from crop plants grown in rows includes a housing assembly configured to be mounted on a base for being transported through a row of crop plants. The housing assembly receives at least a portion of the plants as the housing assembly is transported through the row of crop plants. An agitation assembly is attached to the housing assembly for agitating the plants as the housing assembly is transported through the row of crop plants to displace pollen from the plants. A pollen collection assembly is attached to the housing assembly for collecting the pollen displaced from the plants as the housing assembly is transported through the row of crop plants.

Disclosed herein is a pollination cage for the field pollination of a ridge planted crop, the pollination cage comprising: a plurality of frames; and one more nets supported by the plurality of frames; wherein: the frames and one or more nets define at least one enclosed region for containing pollinating insects; and each frame comprises a notched structure for placing on ridged ground.

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to apparatus and methods for mechanized pollination. Grow towers vertically disposed on a grow line are moved into a pollination chamber and mechanized pollination is performed utilizing pneumatic, acoustic, or mechanical methods to pollinate plants growing in the grow towers. In one embodiment, a plurality of rotatable brush towers are disposed on opposite sides of the grow line and bristles from the brush towers are rotated over the plants to facilitate pollination as the grow towers traverse along the grow line. In another embodiment, a plurality of conduits internal to the grow towers are coupled to one or more nozzles on a face of the grow towers. Pollen is delivered through the nozzles toward the plants utilizing pressurized gas.

A system including means for encapsulating a plant in a closed environment; means for injecting pollen into said closed environment; means for expanding a space covered by said closed environment; means for filtering contaminants from entering said closed environment; means for attaching said closed environment to a plant appendage or plant container; means for holding or diffusing pollen inside said closed environment; and means for maximizing an amount light penetrating within said closed environment.

The invention provides novel systems and methods for drying and storing pollen. The invention further provides novel methods for delivering pollen to a recipient plant. The systems provided herein include a chamber configured to permit a drying gas to contact pollen, a source for the drying gas, and an instrument configured to measure the humidity of the drying gas or a sensor configured to measure the moisture content of the pollen. The methods provided herein include methods of drying pollen to a desired moisture content, methods of storing dried pollen, and methods of applying the dried or stored pollen to at least a recipient plant, thereby pollinating the recipient plant with the dried or stored pollen from the donor plant.

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.

A method of weed control is provided. The method comprising: (a) determining development of flowers of at least one weed species of interest; and (b) artificially pollinating at flowering the flowers of the at least one weed species of interest with pollen that reduces fitness of the at least one weed species of interest. Also provided are systems for executing the method.

Provided are methods for both pollinating and simulating pollination of a crop plant having one or more stigmas that are receptive to pollen and that produces at least one seed, grain, or fruit of interest. Methods of the present invention include ingesting input data, such as reproductive maturity data, for a population of the crop plant, sufficient to determine one or more days on which the crop plant will be receptive to pollen. The input data is modeled to generate the amount of receptive stigmas in the population, the effect of intentionally applying pollen during each time step to transform the number of receptive stigmas to a modeled output of seed, grain, or fruit of interest, and generating one or more time steps during which intentional pollination is modeled to provide a greater harvest of the seed, grain, or fruit of interest than other of said time steps. The crop may be intentionally pollinated during at least one of said time steps during which intentional pollination is modeled to provide a greater harvest of the seed, grain, or fruit of interest.

A device and method for applying pollen to crop plants.