Pollination methods for maintaining carrot germplasm collections

Field cage tests were run to determine if honey bees, Apis mellifera L., flies, Musca domestica L., or a combination of the two would provide the best pollination for carrot germplasm seed increase. In 1985, honey bees alone were significantly better pollinators than flies alone, but in 1988, a combination of honey bees and flies produced more carrot seed per cage than did honey bees or flies alone. Seed obtained by using the two pollinators did not differ significantly in 100 seed weight or germination percentage. Considerable time savings resulted from using insect pollinators rather than hand pollination. In the future, the North Central Regional Plant Introduction Station will use a combination of honey bees and flies to pollinate carrots for germplasm seed increase