Christine J. Bock
Christine Johnson Bock, Pollen Study of Castanea dentata and C. mollissima
Faculty Chair: Dr. Hill Craddock
The purpose of this research was to see if Castanea dentata (Marshall) Borkhausen and C. mollissima Blume are anemophilous or entomophilous and to investigate the direction and distance of C. dentata pollen dispersal. The study of C. dentata pollen dispersal patterns was set up at an isolated orchard in Cleveland, Tennessee. Pollen collectors were placed at 13 locations in an array 15.2, 30.4, 46 and 61 meters north, northeast and east from the northeast comer of the orchard with one collector in the orchard itself. Pollen counts averaged significantly higher at the orchard than at sites 15.2, 30.4, 46 and 61 meters away. Sixty percent of collected pollen was gathered at the orchard location. There were no significant differences among the number of pollen
grains collected at 15.2, 30.4, 46, and 61 meters and no significant differences between the numbers of pollen grains collected east, north and northeast of the orchard. Over the ten day study period, there was a significant difference of the number of pollen grains collected among the days; there appeared to be a peak of pollen release on 20-21 June 2001. Findings from the insect pollination experiment indicate that C. dentata and C. mollissima can be wind pollinated; however, the possibility of insect pollination could not be ruled out.
