What is emasculation?
Answers
Emasculation is a method of “Artificial Hybridization” generally used to promote cross pollination in plants and avoid self pollination. This is done to achieve the beneficial variation which are not established due to inbreeding by self pollination.
Cross Pollination is a necessary requirement for bisexual and monoecious plants only because uni-sexual plants are in no way capable to self pollinate. Dioecious plants have to undergo cross pollination as pollen and stigma are present on the flowers of two different plants.
Out-breeding Devices are the artificial way to promote cross pollination in bi-sexual or monoecious plants.
This can be achieved by the means of “Emasculation and Bagging” techniques.
1.Emasculation= the process in which the anther/stamen of the bi-sexual flowers are being removed by means of forceps or by hand, taking care that other floral parts do not get damaged.
This process is to be done before the Maturity or stage of release of pollens from Anthers.
2. Bagging = After the anthers are being plucked out,the flower is being bagged by means of a butter paper to avoid the entry of any undesired pollen.
Once the stigma becomes receptive the bagging is removed, stigma is dusted with the desired pollen and is re-bagged.
When the fertilization has taken place and flowering is initiated the bagging is removed and hence the “Employment of Cross pollination in a Bi-sexual flower has been achieved”