Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Purple Pea Flowers: Cross Pollinating With Purple Peas

CLICK PICTURES TO ENLARGE AND ENJOY



It's getting dangerously close to the end of my second apprenticeship here at Stone Barns Center.  I have seen and worked on incredible projects from my first days with Matt as a green volunteer, still believing that carrots grew in the back of a supermarket, to the Captain handing me the keys to the greenhouse back in December.  Relationships with the space, the plants, myself and others. Exploring internally, emotionally pushing myself through false walls and expanding into a capacity I never realized I had both physically and mentally.  This journey has been one of unlearning and learning, hiding from demons and slaying them face to face.  I hold each one of these experiences close to my heart.  Experimenting with these beautiful pea varieties has definitely been one of the more all-encompassing learning experiences on the farm.  I propagated them, built the trellis, transplanted them and have watched them grow.  Over the last few weeks, they finally began to flower and that means it's time for us to cross pollinate the two purple varieties (Caruthers pea and Sugar Magnolia pea) with the green Oregon Giant snow pea. In this process, we select a host or female flower, which will remain attached to the plant we would like to produce a seed pod.  The male flower will be plucked off of another plant and used solely for its pollen.  Peas have what is known as a "perfect flower" which means it has...



both male (stamen) and female (pistil) parts.  A perfect flower will pollinate itself if left unattended, which will produce a seed pod, so timing is a major part of the pea breeding process.  This makes cross pollinating even more interesting because we end up developing an eye for finding ripe male flowers and immature female flowers that have yet to produce pollen.  Below are some good examples of mature flowers that can be selected to play the role of male.  We are looking for something ripe with pollen, but not too old that it has already opened and pollinated itself.   As for the female,



we are looking for an immature flower that hasn't created pollen yet. The line is extremely thin, but after a few trials it's amazing how clear it becomes.

Here is a flower to play the role of female as it's still immature.



As a reference, this one below is a little too mature to be the female.  When we open this flower, we find that the pollen has already matured and pollinated the stamen.  A good trick is to check the outer leaf petals, if they are overextended, as they are below, than it has most likely already been pollinated.  



This young purple flower where the outer petals haven't opened is ideal.


We then peel back each layer and pinch off this tiny outer casing that covers the pistil (female) and the stamen (male).


Unlocking this case we see that the pollen is not mature, which is the right time to pinch off the yellow stamens so that there is no chance of any pollination.  



Once the female is exposed and ready for pollen, the semi-mature male flower is selected and pinched directly off of the plant since it will not be needed after pollination.


In the same way the purple flower was opened, we reveal the dusty, golden pollen from this white Oregon Giant flower.




Then we put the pair together.

Warning: The following image may be inappropriate for children under the age of 18

And there it is...


Once the pistil is fully coated with pollen from the chosen male flower, feel free to eat the male.  Pea flowers are delicious by the way.


Because we are running this experiment in the greenhouse where there are very few pollinating insects i.e. bees or butterflies, at this time of year, we don't need to cover the pistil after we are done.  If this was done out in the field, it may be a good idea to use a gel capsule or other cover to prevent any further cross pollination that can occur from insects, wind or other external factors that may be out of our control.


Finally, we label the plant to make it easy for us to identify the correct pea seed pods.  Interestingly enough, the visual representation of the pea pods wil be unaffected by this procedure.  Purple flowers will produce purple pods and green will produce green, but within the pods, the seeds will contain a variety of genetic permutations from the two different parents.



Now we wait.  Eventually, we will select the most visually appealing varieties from there and continue on three or four more times until we can identify and stabilize the variety we are hoping to find, a sweet, tender, purple, snow pea similar to the taste and texture of the Oregon Giant, but with the deep purple color of either Caruthers or Sugar Magnolia.


Follow the story of the Stone Barns Center purple pea project here:


30 comments:

  1. Interesting, Jason!! Very interesting!
    By the way, I like the blog!!!
    Smiles from Rio de Janeiro! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! It's great to hear from you. Hope all is well in Brazil!

      Delete
  2. I really appreciate the time you took to share this. The dialogue and pictures are great! Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for the comment, please come back and join us. If you have any questions about sustainable ag, farming, food or anything else that may be of interest, let us know.

      Delete
    2. Jason,
      Great pictures of the pollination process, well done! I've been working on several lines of coloured snows and snaps, you might like to check out my progress at http://templetonsmedelania.blogspot.com.au/. One problem we've been discussing at homegrowngoodness is getting a good flavoured snow from a purple parent - the flavour genes are a bit harder to work with than the colours!
      cheers, and best of luck with your progress.
      T

      Delete
  3. They do very good work, are very conscientious check this, and want to develop the best product they can for their customers.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Through this post, I know that your good knowledge in playing with all the pieces was very helpful. I notify that this is the first place where I find issues I've been searching for. You have a clever yet attractive way of writing. https://juicewrldmerch.net/juice-wrld-x-xo-x-vlone-joker-black-hoodie/

    ReplyDelete
  5. Flowers come in pink, rose, purple, yellow, cream, orange, and white and are spotted or streaked with differentiating colors. At my nearby ranchers market these flowers are found in the three dollar can. Dried Flowers Bouquets

    ReplyDelete
  6. Flowers come in pink, rose, purple, yellow, cream, orange, and white and are spotted or streaked with differentiating colors. Rose bear

    ReplyDelete
  7. One of the most beautiful of all the creatures that live in the oceans is the rare and very seldom seen venus flower basket. To the Japanese this is a symbol of eternal love and being happily married forever. A Venus flower basket is sometimes given as a wedding present in Japan because of this beautiful symbolism. Livrari flori cluj

    ReplyDelete
  8. Aster is a cherished nursery plant. It have exceptional flower heads and the assortment blossoms, arriving in a wealth of tones. floral backdrop

    ReplyDelete
  9. Its a great pleasure reading your post.Its full of information I am looking for and I love to post a comment that "The content of your post is awesome" Great work. check this link

    ReplyDelete
  10. Until I can across 'summer flowers'. Flowers that flourish in the hotter late spring months. Aster is a cherished nursery plant. It have remarkable flower heads and the assortment sprouts, arriving in a plenitude of shadings. rose bear

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thank you for the sensible critique. Me & my neighbour were preparing to do some research about that. We got a good book on that matter from our local library and most books where not as influensive as your information
    cbd hemp flower

    ReplyDelete
  12. I visit some sites and sites everyday to read articles, however this website offers feature based posts. If you need a visa to enter Turkey, you may apply for a Turkish visa and fill the visa application form Turkey. It is way easy and quick to get a Turkish e-Visa by following three simple steps.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Attractive component of the material. I just stumbled across your web site and accession capital to say that I really enjoyed your site. Fill the form with accurate and complete information about the traveler's data, passport details, date of travel and the type of visa they wish to obtain. Kenya evisa cost required to cover the expenses involved in the processing of the visa application.

    ReplyDelete
  14. The assortment of potential choices are impressive and incorporates natural frameworks (lighting, warming, environment control and so on), theater setups, individual apparatuses, and home security frameworks. new condos in pasadena ca

    ReplyDelete
  15. I was just browsing through the internet looking for some information and came across your blog. I am impressed by the information that you have on this blog. It shows how well you understand this subject. Bookmarked this page, will come back for more. florisis cluj

    ReplyDelete
  16. Excellet post.. Thank you.. After the applying for application and uploading documents for Azerbaijan visa, you have to make payment for Azerbaijan visa fee online with the payment card.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I really love your blog. Thank you...For that, you have to fill the online application form with your personal information as per the requirement, submit it and pay the India evisa cost accordingly. Indian evisa cost depends on your nationality and your visa type.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Florist in Singapore Thanks for taking the time to discuss this, I feel strongly about it and love learning more on this topic. If possible, as you gain expertise, would you mind updating your blog with extra information? It is extremely helpful for me.

    ReplyDelete
  19. As you plan your event, consider the colors that will be found in your flowers, linens and accessories. https://www.pinksbypost.co.uk/

    ReplyDelete
  20. With this idea page, you will see the ideal info, you must sit back and watch throughout which will advanced in point. florarie online cluj

    ReplyDelete
  21. This component gives the light wherein we can watch the truth. I love to perusing an article that can cause someone to accept. Much appreciated for sharing a bit of awesome data which I am searching for a more extended timeframe. Florisis cluj

    ReplyDelete
  22. Not positive that you understand it but even "gardening and not using a plan" could use a plan. Ooops, wow! These types of gardening doesn't require a ship-size plan but requires somewhat pre-thinking or pre-planning. Flower Gardens

    ReplyDelete
  23. Discover the power of flowers. From edible to medicinal to just plain beautiful, this informative article covers it all. https://www.pinksbypost.co.uk/

    ReplyDelete
  24. Wonderful! Thanks for sharing this article... The Indian government started issuing Indian tourist evisa in 2022 long-term visas to those who want to stay longer in India for any kind of purpose. Find out the changes done by the Indian government.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Hey thanks for the article post. Really thank you! Want more.
    get well soon flowers

    ReplyDelete
  26. Major thanks for the blog. Much thanks again. Great.
    best floral bouquets

    ReplyDelete