Method and apparatus of high-throughput pollen extraction, counting, and use of counted pollen for characterizing a plant

A method for high throughput quantification of pre-shed pollen of a plant comprising:

• a. providing a plant having a portion including pre-shed pollen;
• b. placing the portion of the plant in a liquid;
• c. blending, in a blender having a rotatable blender blade, the liquid and portion of the plant to create a relatively homogenous liquid suspension;
• d. extracting a sample of the liquid suspension through a filter while the blender is running, the filter having the characteristic of passing the pollen;
• e. placing the sample in a container;
• f. distributing the pollen substantially uniformly in the sample;
• g. acquiring a magnified digital image of a known portion of the sample,
• h. counting objects in the magnified digital image which appear to be pollen.