TECHNICAL PAPER
Development and Performance Evaluation of Handheld Electrostatic Pollen Duster for Artificial Pollination of Orchard
2023 Volume 85 Issue 4 Pages 234-241
Details
2023 Volume 85 Issue 4 Pages 234-241
In this study, we developed a handheld electrostatic pollen duster intended to decrease pollen consumption and save labor during artificial pollination of orchards.
The structure of the developed prototype was based on an existing pollen duster. We added a needle-shaped corona charge electrode near the nozzle, and connected variable high-voltage DC power supply.
The results showed that the charge to mass ratio of pollen and the number of charged pollen particles adhered to the artificial target increased linearly with the increase in electrode voltage. The number of charged pollen particles adhered to a pistil of ‘Sumomoume’ （Prunus salicina Lindl. × P. mume Sieb. et Zucc.） at an electrode voltage of −15 kV was eight times larger than that of non-charged.
