what part of the system does a hand pollinator replace
Hand - pollination - wikipedia Hand - pollination Jump to : navigation , search Hand - pollination of two gourd blossoms Hand pollination , also known as mechanical pollination is a technique that can be used to pollinate plants when natural or open pollination is either undesirable or insufficient . This method of pollination is done by manually transferring pollen from the stamen of one plant to the pistil of another . This is often done with a cotton swab or small brush , but can also be done by removing the petals from a male flower and brushing it against the stigmas of female flowers , but can also be done by simply shaking flowers in the case of bisexual flowers , such as tomatoes . Common reasons for choosing this method include the lack of pollinators , keeping control of cross-pollination between varieties grown together , and creating specific hybrids . Examples of this are vanilla plants , which are transported to areas where its natural pollinator does n't exist , or plants grown in greenhouses , urban areas , or with a cover to control pests , where natural pollinators can not reach them . Pollinator decline and the concentrated pollination needs of monoculture can also be a factor . However , these are not the only reasons , and variable techniques for hand - pollination have arisen for many specialty crops . For instance , hand - pollination is used with date palms to avoid wasting space and energy growing sufficient male plants for adequate natural pollination . Because of the level of labor involved , hand - pollination is only an option on a small scale , used chiefly by small market gardeners and owners of individual plants . On large - scale operations , such as field crops , orchards , or commercial seed production , honeybees or other pollinators are a more efficient approach to pollination management . Despite this , hand - pollination is a fairly widespread practice . Pears grown in Hanyuan County , China have been hand - pollinated since the 1980s , because they ca n't be pollinated with other varieties that have different flowering times ; also , lice infestation requires the use of many insecticide sprays , which causes local beekeepers to refuse to lend beehives . See also ( edit ) RoboBee Materially Engineered Artificial Pollinators References ( edit ) Jump up ^ McLaughlin , Chris ( 2010 ) . `` 5 . Pure Pollination '' . The Complete Idiot 's Guide to Heirloom Vegetables . Penguin . p. 56 . ISBN 978 - 1 - 61564 - 052 - 2 . Retrieved July 5 , 2011 . Jump up ^ Rai , Nagendra ; Rai , Mathura ( 2006 ) . Heterosis breeding in vegetable crops . New India Publishing . ISBN 978 - 81 - 89422 - 03 - 5 . Retrieved July 5 , 2011 . External links ( edit ) Method for hand - pollinating zucchini ( courgette ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hand-pollination&oldid=795443360 '' Categories : Pollination Talk About Wikipedia 日本 語 Edit links This page was last edited on 14 August 2017 , at 07 : 46 . About Wikipedia
1. Hand pollination
2. Mechanical pollination
3. Reasons for hand pollination
4. Hand pollination techniques
5. Hand pollination in agriculture