We are world leaders in pollination control at PBS International. We’re most well-known for our pollination control bags, but we also offer pollination control tents for customers who require a larger scale solution for their crops.
Pollination control tents can be used for isolation of single or multiple plots, and are built to cover the whole plant – making tents an ideal solution for plant breeders who are looking to hybridise, cross-pollinate multiple plants, or scale up self-pollination over a larger area.
Here, we’ll be doing a deep dive into the topic of pollination control tents, examining their benefits, uses, technical specifications, and more – to help you make the most informed choice when investing in large-scale pollination control for your crop.
Why pollination control tents?
Pollination control is a worthy investment for any organisation involved in breeding or isolating plants and seeds. While our pollination control bags remain a popular choice, tents are ideal for pollination control projects where whole or multiple plants need to be protected or isolated. Our pollination control tents have been built to last and have undergone testing in extreme weather conditions across three continents to demonstrate robustness. Our Midi and Maxi tents also come with interchangeable panels, which means that individual panels can be replaced in case of damage, or year-to-year to maintain efficacy over seasons. As a more bespoke service, Midi and Maxi tents can also be designed to feature internal panels that allow for multiple projects, such as crosses or isolations, to be carried out under one roof.
Don’t just take our word for it – our pollination control tents offer a range of science-backed benefits. Papers by Trammel et al1 and Townson et al2 highlight how our tents:
- Create a microclimate which contributes to higher seed yields and disease-free seeds.
- Can lead to a 36% increase in seed yield.
- Completely halt pollen contamination when used correctly.
Which crops can benefit from pollination control tents?
Pollination control tents are suitable for any organisation, working with any crop or with a requirement for a whole plant to be isolated.
Our customers come from a wide range of organisations across the world – from multinational organisations to SMEs, to government agencies and academic institutions – and our tents offer a flexible solution that can support a similarly wide range of pollination control projects.
From a crop perspective, our tents are suitable for many more tree and crop applications and have already been used across grasses, wheat, cannabis, tobacco, vegetable crops such as beets and brassicas.
For example, in South Carolina, researchers at Clemson University have been using our pollination control tents to develop disease-resistant rootstocks that can be used to grow peaches. Led by Dr Ksenija Gasic, Professor of Horticulture, Peach Genetics and Breeding, this project focuses on cross-pollinating peach trees with Armillaria-resistant plums, to develop peach tree rootstocks that are resistant to Armillaria rot. Previous pollination control methods have failed, due to contamination through wind-borne pollen and exposure to adverse weather, but the design of the Maxi tent from PBS allows for easy access to the peach tree and is able to accommodate and protect pruned trees, offering a viable solution to pollination control.
How do I choose the right pollination control tent for my needs?
Different crops have different needs, and different projects have different requirements. PBS International pollination control tents are available in different sizes, in different types of material – offering a tailored solution to any project where larger scale pollination control is required.
For projects that require isolation of 1-2 plants, to prevent external contamination or facilitate pollination of two specific parent plants, the Mini tent may be the ideal solution. However, for polycross projects where multiple plants need to be isolated under one tent, the larger Midi or Maxi tents may be a better fit. More information on the specifications of these tents, and how they differ in terms of size, can be found in the table below:
All of our tents are available in three different types of duraweb® material, to provide contained plants with the necessary conditions to thrive, while ensuring that the environment around the plant is controlled as per the project’s requirements.
- duraweb® Fortis is our strongest material for wind pollinated crops, designed to withstand extreme environmental conditions including wind and rain.
- duraweb® Zephyr is a more breathable material, suitable for plants that are kept both indoors and outdoors
- duraweb® Ventis is made up of robust mesh, ideal for insect-pollinated crops.
In the field: how pollination control tents support olive breeding
Olives have always been an in-demand crop, both in terms of olive oil and table olive markets. However, the impact of climate change on olive growing is well-reported, with rising temperatures and decreased precipitation in recent years having a detrimental impact on olive yields.
To mitigate the impact of climate change, olive producers around the world are trialling new ways of growing olives to maximise yields. One such example is Edy Spagnol – a phytosociologist based in the Pyrénées-Orientales region of France, who is working with colleagues at the Conservatoire des Oliviers de Durban Corbières (CODC), ADNid, and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) to better understand and classify existing olive varieties; identify which varieties are most likely to achieve desired yields; and investigate how best to breed promising varieties to ensure olive production can be maintained year-on-year against the backdrop of changing climate conditions.
Supporting these phytosociological studies during the critical two-month flowering period are PBS International midi pollination control tents. M. Spagnol first became aware of the tents after his colleagues at the CNRS reported on their benefits for pollination control in published research, and later adopted them for this own studies. The tents are being used to contain groups of 4 plants per tent under Alt’ Drosso A400 nets, to compare varieties and genetic monotypes and best identify the best pollen-producing combinations. The tents allow M. Spagnol and his colleagues to closely control the pollination within the tents, and with the nets, also offer the olive trees protection against the high temperatures and extreme weather conditions that are typical of the Pyrénées-Orientales region.
Phytosociological work such as that being undertaken by M. Spagnol and his colleagues on olive trees is critical in growing, maintaining, and breeding plants as climates change, and demonstrate the importance of pollination control tents in carrying out this research.
For more information about M. Spagnol’s work, you can download our case study, and watch our summary video:
Pollination control tents – the right choice
Pollination control tents are a useful tool for plant breeders and seed producers, and can support projects across a variety of crop types, climate conditions, pollination requirements, and more. However, choosing the right tent for your project’s needs is essential in achieving the desired outputs – whether that’s to hybridise new seed varieties, isolate specific plants to control pollination, or provide evidence for groundbreaking research.
Our expert team is on hand to suggest the best pollination control tent for your needs. Contact our team today to submit an enquiry and place an order: sales@pbsinternational.com
References
- Trammell M, Pittman D, Virk DS, Senior H. (2020). Assessing the effectiveness of nonwoven fabric pollination tents for improved grass breeding. J. Plant Breed. Crop Sci. 12(3):200218
- Townson P, Virk DS, Senior H (2020). Evaluating the pollen proofing of nonwoven synthetic fabric pollination control tents for sugar beet. J. Plant Breed. Crop Sci. 12(2):228-236.