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Wasp requirement for pollination

If a wasp is required to pollinate a certain cultivar does one have to have the same cultivar of the opposite sex to achieve successful pollination and resulting figs?  I really don't know why this question has not popped up in my mind before, getting older, I guess.

no

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I have a question for you Danny.

As far as you know, do we have the fig wasp in Texas?

No wasp in Texas  as far as I know, other than the anglo-saxon protestant type, which we have a lot of in East Texas, LOL

Quote:
Originally Posted by dkirtexas
If a wasp is required to pollinate a certain cultivar does one have to have the same cultivar of the opposite sex to achieve successful pollination and resulting figs?  I really don't know why this question has not popped up in my mind before, getting older, I guess.


The wasp needs a Capri fig (male) where it carries the pollen from, to pollinate Smyrna type figs. Not sure what you mean same cultivar of opposite sex. If it's opposite sex then it is never the same variety.

Also, the (male) caprifig produces one of 3 yearly crops (I forgot the name) where them
fig-wasps spend one of their live-cycles warm-and-cozy inside it during the (cold) winter.

The fig wasp (where available) will caprify (aka., transfer pollen to) all 3 (female) fig types
namely, the Common, San Pedro & Smyrna types and irrespective of their specific variety/strain.

Common figs (e.g., BT) need NO caprification to fruit (both breba & main).
San Pedro figs (e.g., D. King) require the 2nd (main) crop to be caprified; 1st (breba) crop does not.
Smyrna figs (e.g., Calimyrna) require both crops to be caprified
(else they just fall to the ground when about the size of a nickel).

In nature, to produce viable seeds (and/or fruit); F.carica figs do not care much about him (caprifig).
However, when breeding figs, a more careful selection of BOTH parents is desired.

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