Modeling and experiment analysis of electrostatic date pollination

Artificial pollination can influence economic profit in modem agriculture and competitive markets for quality fruits, vegetables and hybrid seeds, especially where climatic and ecological conditions are unfavorable. Technologies for electrostatic deposition of small particles were modified for flower pollination. The electric field in a system comprised of a charged cloud approaching a grounded flower was investigated with a 3-D finite element model. A simulation based on a finite element model was created and the pollen grain trajectories, which initiated from the cloud and ended on the flower, were calculated. An experimental device for electrostatic pollination was developed and tested in the laboratory and then under field conditions. Both model and laboratory results showed increased pollen density on the stigma, as compared to the flower envelope. Field experiments on dates (Phoenix dactylifera L.) showed that electrostatic pollination doubled the yield. The work demonstrated the advantages of electrostatic pollination and the possibilities for developing this technology.