"Helping Artificial Pollination for Orchard Farmers" ... Sangju City Opens 'Pollen Bank'

Operation for about 60 days from Pollen Vitality Test to Long-term Storage

The pollen bank at Sangju City Agricultural Technology Center.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Dong-wook] Sangju City announced on the 9th that the Agricultural Technology Center (Director Son Sang-don) will open a pollen bank on the 10th to help stabilize fruit set for orchard farmers in preparation for abnormal spring weather.

The pollen bank, which operates until May 7, assists orchard farmers in collecting pollen needed for artificial pollination. First, farmers collect swollen flower buds of the pollen-bearing trees just before blooming and bring them to the pollen bank, where the pollen sacs inside the buds are cultured into pollen and distributed to farmers.

Farmers then use a pollen collector to select the distributed pollen sacs for artificial pollination. The center also provides a long-term storage service so that leftover pollen from farmers can be used the following year.

During the spring when flowers begin to bloom in earnest, frequent weather changes such as low temperatures and rainfall can reduce the activity of pollen-carrying insects. Especially due to last year's low temperatures and monsoon rains, poor flower bud formation is expected, so active artificial pollination is necessary, explained the Agricultural Technology Center.

Kim Yong-taek, head of Sangju Agricultural Technology Center, said, "The foundation of producing high-quality fruit lies in stable fruit set, so please do your best in fruit set management," and added, "We will continue to strive to enhance the competitiveness of the fruit industry."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.