håndbestøvningen

Håndbestøvning, also known as manual pollination, is a horticultural technique where pollen is deliberately transferred from the male part of a flower to the female part of a flower. This process is typically carried out by hand, often using a small brush, cotton swab, or even a finger.

The primary purpose of hand pollination is to ensure or improve fruit and seed set, especially in situations where natural pollinators like insects or wind are absent or insufficient. This can occur in controlled environments like greenhouses, for specific plant varieties that are not attractive to natural pollinators, or when trying to achieve cross-pollination between two particular parent plants.

For successful hand pollination, one needs to identify the stamen, which contains the pollen, and the pistil, which contains the stigma, the receptive tip of the pistil. Pollen is collected from the stamen of one flower and then carefully applied to the stigma of another flower. This can be done within the same plant (self-pollination) or between different plants (cross-pollination).

The technique is widely used by gardeners, farmers, and plant breeders to control the genetic makeup of offspring, to cultivate rare or specific plant varieties, and to increase yields of crops that rely heavily on pollination. It allows for a precise and predictable method of reproduction for many plants.