Does pollination of plants stimulate higher flower production?

[Cach26]

Does pollination stimulate more flower production?

Hello everyone, Happy Growing

I don't know where I read this concept, it must have been in the first papers I found on pollination in orchids, 2 years ago.

I remember this idea, when pollinated the plant suffers stress producing the capsule, the following year (of course in a suitable growing environment) the flower production will be the same or higher.

I also remember reading about how the absence of pollinators in a certain area forces plants to have a more intense coloration and stronger fragrance than those that coexist in habitats with many pollinators (I think the genus Epidemdrum was studied).

I repeat, these are vague ideas I have from documents I have read, but I would like to confirm my doubts and know the sources.

Thank you

[Roberta]

If you "read this somewhere" it would be reasonable for you to document the sources. In general, when a flower is pollinated, it fades fast. I suspect that the answers to the questions have a lot of additional conditions, and different genera in different environments have different strategies. As with everything else "orchid", trying to come up with general rules is a useless effort and leads to incorrect conclusions. You are looking for simple answers to complex and varied questions.

[Ray]

I’ll take on the “stress” factor.

Plants take in air, water, and nutrients, and convert them into phytochemicals that are stored and used.

The first use is simply staying alive. If the complete culture is good, the plant will produce more than the “maintenance mode” requires so may dedicate some of them to growth.

Growth adds both production and storage capacity, and if the reserves are sufficiently plentiful, the plant will have enough to splurge on reproduction.

The formation of inflorescences and flowers consumes more than it can produce, but it’s not a stress on the plant, it’s a normal process.

There is another aspect of this that I have some problems “wrapping my head around “ - and that is the concept of “comfort level” or “trust”.

Two, similar plants, both “blooming size. One may bloom well, while the other may take one or several years more to do so. Often, the “good one” gets steady, excellent care in a good environment, so it “trusts” that it will continue, so is willing to risk the resource commitment. The other one, getting more “hit or miss” care, doesn’t have that same “confidence level” so won’t risk it.

My only guess is that is related to the rate of resource production, with faster being more “trustworthy”.

---------- Post added at 07:21 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:15 PM ----------

I’ll add that reproduction is the plant’s prime objective - carry on the genes. Flowering is how it tricks unsuspecting critters into helping them do so.

Once pollination occurs, it would seem more likely that, its mission accomplished, it would produce fewer blossoms..

[Cach26]

Originally Posted by Ray

I’ll take on the “stress” factor.

Plants take in air, water, and nutrients, and convert them into phytochemicals that are stored and used.

The first use is simply staying alive. If the complete culture is good, the plant will produce more than the “maintenance mode” requires so may dedicate some of them to growth.

Growth adds both production and storage capacity, and if the reserves are sufficiently plentiful, the plant will have enough to splurge on reproduction.

The formation of inflorescences and flowers consumes more than it can produce, but it’s not a stress on the plant, it’s a normal process.

There is another aspect of this that I have some problems “wrapping my head around “ - and that is the concept of “comfort level” or “trust”.

Two, similar plants, both “blooming size. One may bloom well, while the other may take one or several years more to do so. Often, the “good one” gets steady, excellent care in a good environment, so it “trusts” that it will continue, so is willing to risk the resource commitment. The other one, getting more “hit or miss” care, doesn’t have that same “confidence level” so won’t risk it.

My only guess is that is related to the rate of resource production, with faster being more “trustworthy”.

---------- Post added at 07:21 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:15 PM ----------

I’ll add that reproduction is the plant’s prime objective - carry on the genes. Flowering is how it tricks unsuspecting critters into helping them do so.

Once pollination occurs, it would seem more likely that, its mission accomplished, it would produce fewer blossoms..

Thank you Mr Ray for the concise and clear explanation , I would like to delve deeper into this topic. but sadly I can't find the documents or studies I read, so I can't cite a reliable source. I personally keep track of my favorite plants, in terms of flower size and characteristics, and I would like to learn more about this. Of course, I don't have a laboratory environment, but I have a lot of fun answering these questions

---------- Post added at 10:24 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:19 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Roberta

If you "read this somewhere" it would be reasonable for you to document the sources.

Yes, you are right, at that time I don't know how I found those studies, I even read an article about a Scientist who traveled and even slept in the plant's habitat just to see who pollinated it in the early morning XD. (I repeat, I open this thread, in case someone has also read that same article and can indicate which one it is)

[Roberta]

You may be thinking about the man who was looking for the pollinator for Angraecum sesquipecdale (the "Darwin orchid"). Search for the YouTube video, he caught the hawkmoth in the act. The moth is Xanthopan morganii praedicta - the last part of the name honors the fact that Darwin predicted the moth, which wasn't discovered until some 40 years after Darwin's death.

[Cach26]

Originally Posted by Roberta

As with everything else "orchid", trying to come up with general rules is a useless effort and leads to incorrect conclusions. You are looking for simple answers to complex and varied questions.

I admit that maybe my questions are "silly or strange" (just look at the rest of my posts here and on Slipertalk XD), however, I want to learn the *principles* of growing, my grandmother always said that "Everything has its science (logic)"

That's why I prefer to remain illiterate for asking, rather than living thinking I know everything. Be careful, I'm not writing this to offend, I respect your knowledge and I want to learn from it, so thank you for answering my thread. I just want to learn more, like a sponge that absorbs everything that touches it. Without anyone to tell me "that question doesn't make sense" If everyone followed the line of "it's very difficult to know that" or "don't complicate things" maybe we would still think that the earth is flat or that all plants carry out photosynthesis during the day

[Roberta]

Found the video on Angraecum sesqupedale. If it won't play through Orchid Board, you can click on "Quote" to see URL, copy and paste it in browser address bar. I'd paste the URL as text if I could, but the software keeps seeing it as a link, tries to launch YouTube no matter what I do, and at least on my computer, that doesn't work.

[A. thom Aberdares]

Originally Posted by Cach26

Does pollination stimulate more flower production?

Thank you

I take it as you mean with pollination the full process, i.e. from pollination up to capsules.

Then it nearly sounds like a perpetuum mobile.
Flowers are a sink. And certainly the initial growth of the capsules also takes a lot of energy, though later on capsules of certain species have such a shape and green color they might be energy self sufficient, but not really a source? And mineral-wise they completely rely upon the roots.

The more it gets pollinated the more flowers it produces and then again gets more pollinated and again more flowers I don't see that. Rather the opposite, after heavy pollination some skip the next flowering altogether, or with fewer flowers.

The below photo is of Aerangis confusa, two separate plants, one with flowers, the other one only with seed capsules. Many of them are now in flower, but the ones who got pollinated last time have less flowers or skip altogether. This species has rather brown capsules from the onset and the ones in the photo still have a few months to go before opening. Also in the tissue it is brownish, no signs of chloroplasts. I guess they are brown not to entice pests.

A number of species flower from the same location on the stem, but mostly after the previous inflorescence is only a stalk, I guess some light reaction. @Ray, sure orchids do flower when they are comfortable with their resources, some also flower as a last resource, this is very clear when a host tree, or host branch has died, all its resources are used to flower abundantly to escape its location.

[Cach26]

Originally Posted by Ray

I’ll take on the “stress” factor.

Plants take in air, water, and nutrients, and convert them into phytochemicals that are stored and used.

The first use is simply staying alive. If the complete culture is good, the plant will produce more than the “maintenance mode” requires so may dedicate some of them to growth.

Growth adds both production and storage capacity, and if the reserves are sufficiently plentiful, the plant will have enough to splurge on reproduction.

The formation of inflorescences and flowers consumes more than it can produce, but it’s not a stress on the plant, it’s a normal process.

I have a question here, based on orchid biology.

Is the production of fruits and capsules “budgeted” within the production of Inflorescences/Flowers?

Or, if not, is it another X amount of energy that the plant needs to divert to produce seeds?

---------- Post added at 05:58 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:57 PM ----------

What books can I read to soak up these things? XD

[Ray]

“Budgeted” is an interesting way of describing the concept that was rattling around in my head.

As far as the plant is concerned, I would think reproduction would include all of the above.