Can an electric toothbrush help with pollination?
Pollination of crops can take place in a variety of ways, either with the help of the wind, insects, or human hands.
As strange as it may seem, according to a study, an electric toothbrush can help in pollination and be an effective booster of crop yields.
Tomatoes and chilies are some plants that are dependent on buzz pollination, a process by which pollen grains are released from the anthers of flowers as the rapid ultrasonic vibrations are discharged by species such as bumblebees.
A group of scientists from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley conducted an experiment to compare the efficacy of an electric toothbrush and a tuning fork. They discovered that the use of an electric toothbrush in pollination is effective.
For growers who want to try this method, the process goes like this: position the toothbrush head behind a flower cluster and let it vibrate for a maximum of five seconds. This causes the pollen grains to spread or be blown by the wind.
Check back in a week to see if any small tomato plants are forming nearby.
A gardener who tried this technique found a 20 percent increase in yield for something that took him less than 10 minutes to complete.
The improvement, as described by the grower, is equivalent to adding extra fertilizer, watering, or relocating the plants to the sunniest location in the garden, but with far less time and work exerted.