Electrostatic forces in wind-pollination—Part 2: Simulations of pollen capture

During fair-weather conditions, a 100 V m−1 electric field exists between positive charge suspended in the air and negative charge distributed on the surfaces of plants and on the ground. The fields surrounding plants are highly complex reaching magnitudes up to 3×106 V m−1. These fields possibly influence the capture of charged wind-dispersed pollen grains. In this article, we model the electric fields around grounded conductive spherical “plants” and then estimate the forces and resulting trajectories of charged pollen grains approaching the plants. Pollen grain capture depends on many factors: the size, density, and charge of the pollen; the size and location of the plant reproductive structures; as well as wind speed, ambient electric field magnitude, and air viscosity. Electrostatic forces become increasingly important as pollen grain charge increases and pollen grain size (mass) decreases. A positively charged pollen grain is attracted to plants, while a negatively charged pollen grain is repelled. The model suggests that a pollen grain (10 μm radius, carrying a positive charge of 1 fC) is captured if passing within 2 mm of the plant. A similar negatively charged pollen grain is repelled and frequently uncapturable. The importance of electrostatic forces in pollen capture is limited by wind, becoming virtually irrelevant at high wind speeds (e.g. 10 m s−1). However, during light wind conditions (e.g. 1 m s−1), atmospheric electricity may be a significant factor in the capture of wind-dispersed pollen.