On: Edmond Albius's method of pollination is now used ...

[camkego]

I find this fascinating. But I’m really curious about whether this self pollination is causing problems with vanilla’s robustness due to a lack of cross pollination.

[cwmma → camkego]

the seeds created by the self pollination aren't used to grow more vanilla plants the seed pods it creates are taken and processed.

To create more vanilla plants they take cuttings or similar methods to create a genetically identical plant without using a seed.

[dgan → camkego]

Exactly my thought, if the membrane was evolutionally justified, there has to be downsides

[ceejayoz → dgan]

It's there to prevent self-polination.

Good for evolution, bad for a crop monoculture.

[throwup238 → dgan]

The membrane's evolutionary justification might be to force pollinators deeper into the flower, guaranteeing that it touches both the pollen and the stigma. It's a relatively common adaptation in flowers.

[prepend → dgan]

Evolution’s goals are different from vanilla ice cream makers’ goals.