Jon Taylor and Jules Smith prepare to pollinate mature female chestnut flowers that have previously been bagged to allow for controlled crosses to be made. Pollen and mother trees were genetically selected for the first generation of Recurrent Genomic Selection (RGS) crosses.
Group picture. Participants included TACF Staff, Jen Picicci, Jules Smith, Jamie Van Clief (who took the picture), Jared Westbrook, and Warren Wilson Student Intern, Mateo Craven. Also, NC/SC Chapter Members, Jon Taylor, and Frank Southecorvo. Many thanks to all!
This healthy chestnut hybrid produces an abundance of male catkins each year.
Chestnut catkins containing a copious amount of greenish-white pollen.
A mature female chestnut flower ready to be pollinated. It looks like a tiny bur.
One method of transferring pollen to the female flower is to use a glass slide, dipped in pollen and gently rubbed on the female flower.
Record keeping is vital for keeping track of the parents of each of the crosses.
Mateo placing a bag marked with an X on a female chestnut flower just pollinated.
Most of the flowers were able to be reached without a ladder. As the trees grow taller, ladders or lifts are used to make crosses.
Jon and Frank use an orchard ladder to reach more female flowers for pollination.
A chestnut weevil adult. Female chestnut weevils drill holes into developing nuts and lay eggs. Once the eggs hatch, the cream-colored larvae feed on the nuts.
The Germplasm Conservation Orchard (GCO) at the Pryor Farm. 100% American chestnuts.
The photos above were taken by Jules Smith.
Paul Sisco contributed by providing some of the pollen from another orchard for today’s pollinations.
