Garst Seed Company

Daren Kenneth Coonrod

John A Greaves

Alan Francis Hawkins

Norman P Cloud

Raymond R Russotti

Mark Roger Blake

An apparatus for the preparation of multiple pollen samples for cryogenic preservation comprising a plurality of chambers for the storage of pollen samples. A vacuum pump reduces the pressure within the interior of the chambers through a vacuum manifold that operatively connects with the pollen samples in the interior of the chambers. An air source vents the interior of the chambers to atmospheric pressure through an air manifold operatively connected with the pollen samples in the interior of the chambers. A vacuum controller controls the pressure within the interior of the chambers through operative connections to the vacuum manifold, the air manifold, the air source, and the vacuum pump. The vacuum controller pulses the pressure with the interior of the chambers between a first and a second reduced pressure level. A sensor operatively connected to the chambers senses the moisture content of the pollen samples within the interior of the chambers at the reduced pressure levels. After the pollen samples reach a predetermined moisture content, the pollen samples can be cyrogenically preserved in a pollen bank for later plant-breeding use.

Apparatus for the preparation of multiple pollen samples for cryogenic

The present invention relates to the development of a hybrid field production method which employs preserved pollen and a pollen bank for breeding purposes. Particularly, the present invention relates to a method of employing stored pollen in hybrid field production instead of employing pollen producing plants in the production field.

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Ames, IA, United States of America

Daren Kenneth Coonrod