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Effective pollination of greenhouse Galia musk melon Cucumis melo L var reticulatus ser by afrotropical stingless bee species
Journal of Apicultural Research
Abstract
An increasing demand for pollination services highlights the need for research on alternative pollinators for greenhouse and open field food crops. We compared the foraging behaviour and effectiveness of seven endemic African Meliponinae (Meliponula bocandei, Dactylurina
schmidti, Plebeina hildebrandti, Meliponula lendliana, Hypotrigona gribodoi, Meliponula ferruginea, Meliponula togoensis) as alternative pollinators to honey bees of greenhouse cultivated Cantaloupe melons. It was observed that honey bees started foraging sooner after introduction in the greenhouse (av. 4 days) than the stingless bee species (8 to 16 days). Stingless bees were mainly harvesting nectar (ca. 2/3 of all flower visits) and M. ferruginea, M. togoensis, H. gribodoi and P. hildebrandti spent more time collecting nectar than other stingless bee species. Fruit maturation was significantly faster when flowers were pollinated by stingless bees compared to honey bees, with the shortest fruit maturation time found when flowers were pollinated by M. bocandei and H. gribodoi. All treatments resulted in fruits of similar roundness and ellipsoid ratios. The highest fruit weight and fruit volume were obtained from flowers pollinated by either manual pollination, H. gribodoi, M. bocandei, M. lendliana and P. hildebrandti compared to honey bees. Correspondingly, pollination by the latter 5 species resulted in the highest seed counts per fruit, although these differences did not affect seed weight or volume. Altogether, our results indicate that stingless bees such as H. gribodoi, M. bocandei, M. lendliana and P. hildebrandti are more efficient pollinators of sweet melon than A. m. scutellata and can be recommended for use in greenhouse crops.
... Stingless bees live in perennial colonies where they collect and store valuable products including honey, pollen, wax (cerumen), plant resin and propolis (Gruter 2020, Shanahan and Spivak 2021). They also provide valuable ecological services in the form of pollination for both grown crops and natural ecotypes , Kiatoko et al. 2022). The distribution of stingless bee taxa is limited by geographical blockades, with unique genera occurring in the Neotropical, Afrotropical and Indo-Australasian regions (Gruter 2020, Ndungu et al. 2023). ...
... Over the years, stingless bee utilization has evolved in the form of domestication (meliponiculture) which is widely practiced in the Neotropics with numerous stingless bee species (Oliveira et The behaviour and ecology of stingless bees constitute key factors contributing to their suitability for domestication. Since they do not sting, stingless bees can be easily managed for the production of honey and provision of pollination services in closed environments (Kiatoko et al. 2022, Mduda et al. 2023d). ...
Stingless beekeeping is in its early stages of development in Africa. Stocking of hives with stingless bee colonies presents a major challenge to the sustainability of the beekeeping practices. The current study explored the practices used in the management of Hypotrigona species in Tanga region, Tanzania, with a specific emphasis on hive stocking techniques. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews and the information was supplemented with participant observation. Field surveys were also conducted in selected sites to assess stingless bee colony density. Our findings revealed that two Hypotrigona species, namely H. gribodoi and H. ruspolii , were being managed in the study area. Hives were crafted using locally available materials, and were managed using simple techniques near homestead. The most common technique for stocking hives with stingless bee colonies was the use of trap-nests (55%), followed by colony transfer from logs (35%) and colony division (10%). Trap-nests were constructed using bamboo internodes, baobab fruit shells, and waste plastic materials. Colonies were lured into trap-nests using cerumen or propolis harvested from other stingless bee nests. The success of trap-nests was largely attributed to the high density of natural nests of Hypotrigona species in the study area. These findings highlight the significant potential of trap-nests as a viable technique for stocking stingless bee hives, serving as an alternative to the common colony transfer method which is destructive. Further research should explore the use of trap-nests for other local stingless bee species.
... Thus, while effective pollination can improve fruit quality, it does not always lead to an increase in seed quantity (Huang and D'Odorico 2020;Muola et al. 2022). Stingless bees primarily forage for nectar, spending more time during flower visits, and their pollination has been shown to enhance fruit quality and accelerate fruit maturation, making them more effective Plate 2 pollinators for crops compared to honey bees (Kiatoko et al. 2022). ...
Pollination by insects accounts for over 70% of global food crop production. Among insect species, bees are some of the most efficient pollinators though their pollination efficiency varies between species. Amidst rising worries about declining pollinator populations due to human activities, understanding the diverse capabilities of pollinators is crucial for conservation. While stingless bees show promise as commercial pollinators, their capacities compared to Apis mellifera remain insufficiently understood. This study evaluated the pollination efficiency of Apis mellifera and Hypotrigona gribodoi on yield and fruit set in Capsicum annuum. The experimental design included three treatments: Apis mellifera, Hypotrigona gribodoi, and self-pollination with three replications for each treatment. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare differences in fruit number, fruit transverse circumference, and fruit vertical circumference among Hypotrigona gribodoi, Apis mellifera, and self-pollination. The Kruskal-Wallis test was applied to compare fruit set rate, fruit weight, number of seeds, and dry seed weight. Post-hoc analyses involved Tukey’s HSD for normally distributed data and Dunn’s test for non-normally distributed data. The results show significant differences (p < 0.05) in fruit number, transverse circumference, vertical circumference, weight, and percentage fruit set rate per plant, with Hypotrigona gribodoi-pollinated Capsicum annuum performing better than Apis mellifera and self-pollination. However, there was no significant difference (p > 0.05) in the number of seeds per fruit and the weight of dry seeds per fruit among the treatments. Hypotrigona gribodoi appears to be a more efficient pollinator of Capsicum annuum L. Further research on differential pollination efficiency among species remains imperative.
... Pollination studies under greenhouse conditions that have compared pollination behaviour and efficiency of honey and stingless bees on cucumber crop have showed that African native stingless bees were just as efficient alternative pollinator as honey bees [7]. Other pollination efficiency studies have shown superiority of stingless bees over honey bees where fruit maturation of cantaloupe melons was significantly faster when flowers were pollinated by stingless bees [8]. Furthermore, stingless bees honey is the only natural product known to be enriched with a biologically active sugar (trehalulose), which has both antidiabetic and acariogenic properties unlike honey from Apis mellifera [9]. ...
The study focusses on handling of multiclass imbalanced data on classification of stingless bee samples by employing data balancing techniques, namely Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique (SMOTE) and Adaptive Synthetic (ADASYN) approach. These techniques are applied in combination with machine learning (ML) algorithms; specifically Random Forest (RF), and Support Vector Machine (SVM), to assess the models’ predictive performance to infer stingless bee samples identities. We studied ML classifier models: RF, RF + SMOTE, RF + ADASYN, SVM, SVM + SMOTE and SVM + ADASYN on the six-class imbalanced dataset of stingless bees morphometrics. Multi-class area under curve (AUC), F1-score, G-mean, balanced accuracy, sensitivity and “No information rate” were used to assess model performance. SMOTE and ADASYN marginally improved the performance of RF and SVM classifiers. SVM outperformed RF, with SVM using SMOTE performing better than with ADASYN. SVM with ADASYN had a lower multi-class AUC (0.9898) and sensitivity (0.956) but a higher F1-score (0.939) compared to SVM with SMOTE (AUC = 0.9918, sensitivity = 0.959, F1-score = 0.934). Overall, SVM with SMOTE was superior to RF with SMOTE. All models except SVM with ADASYN, correctly classified four of the six species, M. (Meliponula) bocandei, M. (Meliplebeia) lendliana, D. schmidti and P. armata but not the two morphs, Meliponula (Axestotrigona) togoensis and Meliponula (Axestotrigona) ferruginea. This study therefore confirms that the impact of imbalanced learning is minimal when classes are separable. Random forest recursive feature elimination technique was used to assess variable importance, guiding future studies on key morphometric measurements to save time and cost while maintaining high classification performance. Our results pave the way for the development of smart and automated machine learning applications to complement the existing methods for the identification of stingless bee species.
... Ramello et al. (2024) reported that honey bee-pollinated cucumbers showed a 33% increase in yield compared to non-bee-pollinated crops. Pumpkins (Cucurbita pepo) and melons (Cucumis melo) also benefit from bee pollination, with research by Kiatoko et al. (2022) revealing a 25% increase in melon fruit weight and a 30% increase in sweetness. ...
Honey bees (Apis mellifera) are fundamental to the functioning of global agricultural systems, providing essential pollination services that significantly enhance crop yields, quality, and economic value. As key pollinators, honey bees facilitate the reproduction of many flowering plants and crops, making their role crucial for both biodiversity and agriculture. This review examines the multifaceted contributions of honey bees to agriculture, highlighting their critical role in the pollination of key crops including fruits, vegetables, nuts, and oilseeds. Empirical studies reveal that honey bee pollination can lead to substantial increases in agricultural productivity: up to 20% for apples, 80% for blueberries, and 33% for cucumbers. Additionally, honey bee activity is vital for high-value crops such as almonds and canola, with reported yield increases of 40% and 25% in nut set and oil content, respectively. Despite their importance, honey bee populations are under severe threat from a range of challenges including pesticide exposure, habitat loss, diseases, parasites, and climate change. These stressors compromise bee health and pollination efficiency, with potential negative repercussions for agricultural productivity and food security. Addressing these challenges requires a multifaceted approach encompassing improved agricultural practices, habitat restoration, and integrated pest management. This review underscores the urgent need for concerted efforts to support and sustain honey bee populations to ensure the continued provision of their vital pollination services, which are crucial for the stability and productivity of global agricultural systems. ÇİÇEKTEN GIDAYA: BAL ARILARI VE ÜRÜN ÜRETİMİNDEKİ ROLÜ ÖZET Bal arıları (Apis mellifera), mahsul verimini, kalitesini ve ekonomik değeri önemli ölçüde artıran temel tozlaşma hizmetlerini sağlayarak küresel tarım sistemlerinin işleyişi için temel öneme sahiptir. Temel tozlaştırıcılar olarak bal arıları, birçok çiçekli bitki ve mahsulün üremesini kolaylaştırır ve rollerini hem biyolojik çeşitlilik hem de tarım açısından hayati hale getirir. Bu inceleme, bal arılarının tarıma çok yönlü katkılarını inceleyerek meyveler, sebzeler, kabuklu yemişler ve yağlı tohumlar gibi önemli mahsullerin tozlaşmasındaki kritik rollerini vurguluyor. Ampirik çalışmalar, bal arısı tozlaşmasının tarımsal üretkenlikte önemli artışlara yol açabileceğini ortaya koyuyor: elma için %20'ye, yaban mersini için %80'e ve salatalık için %33'e kadar. Ek olarak, badem ve kanola gibi yüksek değerli mahsuller için bal arısı faaliyeti hayati önem taşıyor; fındık tutumunda ve yağ içeriğinde sırasıyla %40 ve %25 oranında verim artışı rapor ediliyor. Önemlerine rağmen, bal arısı popülasyonları pestisit maruziyeti, habitat kaybı, hastalıklar, parazitler ve iklim değişikliği gibi çeşitli zorluklar nedeniyle ciddi tehdit altındadır. Bu stres etkenleri, arı sağlığını ve tozlaşma verimliliğini tehlikeye atıyor ve tarımsal üretkenlik ve gıda güvenliği açısından potansiyel olumsuz sonuçlar doğuruyor. Bu zorlukların üstesinden gelmek, gelişmiş tarım uygulamalarını, habitat restorasyonunu ve entegre zararlı yönetimini kapsayan çok yönlü bir yaklaşımı gerektirir. Bu inceleme, küresel tarım sistemlerinin istikrarı ve üretkenliği için hayati öneme sahip olan hayati tozlaşma hizmetlerinin sürekli olarak sağlanmasını sağlamak amacıyla bal arısı popülasyonlarını desteklemek ve sürdürmek için ortak çabalara duyulan acil ihtiyacın altını çiziyor.
... Hypotrigona gribodi, being smaller in size(Eardley, 2004; Kajobe, 2007), is associated with a higher pollen carrying capacity(Mayes et al., 2019;Ramalho et al., 1998), enabling them to e ciently navigate and access owers compared to Apis mellifera. This size difference could be one of the determinants of successful pollination, as suggested by(Kiatoko et al., 2022), that body size is a factor that in uences pollination. Their ability to adapt to environmental stress allows them to thrive and perform well even in challenging conditions, enhancing their suitability as pollinators in diverse agricultural environments(Atmowidi et al., 2022). ...
Pollination by insects accounts for over 70% of global food crop production. Among insect species, bees are one of the most efficient pollinators though their pollination efficiency varies between species. Amidst rising worries about declining pollinator populations due to human activities, comprehending diverse pollinator capabilities is crucial for conservation. While stingless bees show promise as commercial pollinators, their capacities compared to Apis mellifera remain insufficiently understood. This study evaluated the pollination efficiency of Apis mellifera and Hypotrigona gribodoi on fruit set and yield in Capsicum annuum . A randomized complete block design experiment was conducted with three replications and three caged treatments involving Apis mellifera, Hypotrigona gribodoi , and a control plot without pollinators on Capsicum annum . Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Kruskal-Wallis were used to compare the differences in fruit quality, seed quality, and fruit set rate between the two species. Tukey's Honestly Significant Difference (HSD) and Dunn tests were used for normally distributed and non-normally distributed data respectively. The results show significant differences in the number of fruits per plant, fruit transverse circumference, fruit vertical circumference, fruit weight and percentage fruit set rate per plant between control plot without a pollinator, Apis melifera and Hypotrigona gribodoi pollinated Capsicum annuum (P < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference in the number of seeds in the fruit and the weight of 100 dry seeds per fruit among the two species (P > 0.05). These findings suggest that Hypotrigona gribodoi is a more efficient pollinator of Capsicum annum L. More research on the differential pollination efficiency among different species in crop production is imperative.
... Over 60 Invasive alien species have been found in covered crops in 2002 in Europe alone (Hanafi, 2005). Honey bees, stingless bees and bumble bees are used as pollinators of greenhouse crops (Dag, 2008;Kiatoko et al., 2022). These crops include aubergine, strawberry, courgette, tomato and bell pepper (Blacquière et al., 2009). ...
The small hive beetle (SHB, Aethina tumida) is an invasive pest species of honey bees with established populations on all continents except Antarctica. There is a lack of understanding of some of the mechanisms involved in the invasions of the SHB. In this thesis, the dispersal capacity and factors of importance for host-finding were studied under field conditions. It was found that the SHB is capable of long distance flights and uses host cues during dispersal. Additionally, successful pupation was shown in several greenhouse substrates and data obtained from laboratory studies was applied to global modelling data to show the impact under current and future climatic conditions. The results signify the opportunistic nature of the SHB and highlights that the future impact of the species will likely increase due to global warming. This thesis contributes to the knowledge needed to mitigate the impact of this invasive species around the world.
Despite the significant contribution of stingless bees to pollination and conservation of the environment, information on their effectiveness as pollinators is insufficient. Therefore, we tested their effectiveness using watermelon, which is one of the most economically significant global food crops in terms of production volume and production value. Our study aimed at determining how bee body size, visitation rate, and bee-flower size matching ratio affect pollen deposition. We measured pollen deposition in combination with the morphometrics of 30 bees each and measurements of 30 corresponding flowers they visited. We calculated the bee-flower size matching ratio, the relationship between the bee size, and the flower measurement to gauge the effectiveness of each bee species on pollen deposition and distribution among the three watermelon stigmatic lobes. Our findings elaborate on how the different sizes of various bee parts majorly impacted the amount of pollen deposited. Besides, the number of visits, probing time, and bee behavior when handling the flower also played a role. Bees with a size matching ratio approaching 1 deposited more pollen on a single visit. However, pollen distribution highly depended on the number of visits. Among the stingless bee species, Meliponula ferruginea was the best performer. Though the honey bee species Apis mellifera was the best pollen depositor, its performance was almost similar to that of M. ferruginea. In fact, upon a single flower visit, M. ferruginea performed better than A. mellifera. Based on our findings, it can be concluded that stingless bees, particularly M. ferruginea, are effective pollinators of watermelon flowers. Furthermore, traits like probing time, multiple visits, or frequent visitation are not enough to gauge pollinator effectiveness, but there is also a need to include other traits like the size matching ratio between the bee body and flower head.
Insect pollination is one of the most widely used methods in greenhouse horticulture. An efficient pollination service minimising external energy input is essential to realise carbon-neutral and self-sufficient greenhouse system. In this study, we developed a preliminary model for simulating the dynamics of pollination process to contribute to the future establishment of energy-efficient pollination services for sustainable practices in greenhouse cultivation. The model assumes that pollinators are attracted by the VOCs emitted from pollen grains and that pollen are consumed by the pollinators. Our results demonstrate significant variations in pollination efficiency based on the distribution of plant species within a field. Further research on pollinator behaviour and the dynamics of attractants from plants is necessary to refine the model.
Cucurbits constitute the largest group of fruit vegetables, are widely distributed, and are consumed for dessert as well as vegetable purposes in tropical and subtropical parts of the world. In major cucurbitaceous vegetables, hybrid technology is exploited to increase productivity and to ward off various stresses. Furthermore, an increase in the cultivation of hybrid seeds in these vegetables has occurred in recent decades, which shows the acceptance of hybrid seeds for their improved traits. Although superior-quality hybrids are available, open-pollinated varieties and farm-saved seeds are still popular sources of seeds for cultivation among farmers due to their low cost. The critical component in hybrid seed production is the involvement of labour for emasculation and pollination which consumes the major part of the labour making the hybrid seeds much costlier. Man-days of 77.58 out of total 149.82 man-days per acre are reported to be required for pollen collection and pollination in watermelon seed production, this illustrates the involvement of labour for hybridization in seed production. However, expensive hybrid seeds can be made available to resource-poor farmers by reducing the cost of hybrid seed production. Exploitation of natural pollination control mechanisms such as utilization of gynoecy, male sterility or growth regulators, reduce the labour requirement and lessen the financial burden in such programmes. Therefore, a cost-effective hybrid seed production strategy in cucurbitaceous vegetables is imperative and is possible since cucurbitaceous vegetables are amenable to sex expression control by various mechanisms. Genic emasculation through exploitation of male sterility, gynoecy, application of chemical hybridizing agents combined with natural pollinators have been utilized in cucurbitaceous vegetables to economize hybrid seed production. The male sterile mechanism employing CGMS is the most preferred one for hybrid seed production in cucurbits. The stability of gynoecious sex expression and efficiency of chemical hybridizing agents are very much depended on the genetics and environment. This paper pertains to the different approaches and its mechanism in brief that can be used in hybrid seed production of cucurbitaceous vegetables to minimize hybrid seed costs and make hybrid seed production profitable.
The present study deals with the foraging activities and pollination efficiency of Tetragonula iridipennis in cucumber (Cucumis sativus) under protected conditions. Experiments were conducted during two seasons (sum-mer and winter) with three different treatments: open pollination (OP), pollinator exclusion (PE) and stingless bee pollination (SBP) in Assam, North East India. The foraging activity of T. iridipennis was checked in SBP treatment at different timings after installing a 15,504 cm 3 beehive. The pollination efficiency of T. iridipennis was also examined among the three selected treatments. The peak period of visitation on cucumber flowers was recorded during 0800-0900 h of the day during both seasons. The yield increase of SBP over PE during both seasons was five times higher. These findings indicate the significance of T. iridipennis as an effective pollinator in greenhouse cucumbers.
The Cucurbitaceae family includes many high-value and flavorful crops consumed as vegetables, fruits, and seeds in diets throughout the world (Chap. 1, McCreight 2016). Crops such as squashes and pumpkins (Cucurbita pepo, maxima and moschata), cucumbers (Cucumis sativus), melons (Cucumis melo) and watermelons (Citrullus lanatus), make significant contributions to human nutrition. In the past decade we have seen tremendous progress with respect to genomic technologies, and cucurbit crops, with their small genome sizes [~367, 450, 385, and 400 Mbp for cucumber, melon, watermelon, and squash, respectively], have benefitted richly from these advances. The recent assemblies of draft genome sequences for the four major cucurbit species make it feasible to identify, characterize and utilize genes in ways that were not possible even a few years ago. This volume explored the genetic diversity of cucurbit crops, advances to unravel cucurbit genomes, and evolving applications of genomics to understand cucurbit growth, development and adaptation to their environments.
ABSTRACT Floral morphology and biology are important characteristics for plant-pollinator interactions and may influence the behavior of these agents. This study aimed to determine which floral attributes of different melon hybrids influence this interaction and, consequently, their attractiveness in simultaneous crops. The study was conducted in the region of Petrolina, State of Pernambuco (PE)/Juazeiro, State of Bahia (BA) and Mossoró, State of Rio Grande do Norte (RN), in areas with the following melon hybrids: Yellow type, Piel de Sapo, Cantaloupe and Galia. For studies on floral morphology and biology, hermaphrodites and male flowers of each hybrid were analyzed for their size and nectar chamber size, pollen and nectar production, anthesis time and flower lifespan. Floral visitors were observed simultaneously in hybrids of three types of melon, from 5:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., in the two study sites. Evaluations of the corolla diameter and flower height indicated that the hermaphrodite flowers were larger in size than male flowers in all types of melon investigated, in both study sites. As for nectar chamber, male flowers are larger in width, but smaller in height, compared to hermaphrodite flowers. Regarding the volume of nectar, differences were found between floral types for the hybrids evaluated, in the two study sites; the hermaphrodite flowers produced 2-7 times more nectar than male flowers in all studied hybrids. Observations of visits of Apis mellifera to areas with simultaneous flowering of the three types of melon demonstrated differences in the frequency of visits between hybrids, floral type and foraged resource. Flowers of the hybrids Piel de Sapo and Cantaloupe exhibited larger corolla diameter, larger dimensions of the nectar chamber and greater supply of resources for foraging, which could explain the higher number of visits of bees to their flowers in the sites studied.
Apple production in the UK is worth over £100 million per annum and this production is heavily dependent on insect pollination. Despite its importance, it is not clear which insect pollinators carry out the majority of this pollination. Furthermore, it is unknown whether current UK apple production, in terms of both yield and quality, suffers pollination deficits and whether production value could be increased through effective management of pollination services. The present study set out to address some of these unknowns and showed that solitary bee activity is high in orchards and that they could be making a valuable contribution to pollination. Furthermore, fruit set and apple seed number were found to be suffering potential pollination deficits although these were not reflected in apple quality. Deficits could be addressed through orchard management practices to improve the abundance and diversity of wild pollinators. Such practices include provision of additional floral resources and nesting habitats as well as preservation of semi-natural areas. The cost effectiveness of such strategies would need to be understood taking into account the potential gains to the apple industry.
Preharvest fruit drop of apple [Malus x domestica (L.) Borkh.] can cause significant crop losses, but factors controlling date of individual fruit drop are unknown, In three types of experiments, we investigated the relationships among seed number/fruit, fruit weight, and day of year of drop. By shading in mid-May and stigma excision before bloom, we induced variability in seed number. Dropped fruit were weighed, and their seeds were counted daily from late August until all fruit had dropped, Nontreated trees were studied similarly. Regression analyses were used to assess relationships among day of drop, fruit weight, and seed number/fruit. Substantial variation in day of drop of individual fruit was not explained by seed number of the fruit in these experiments with 'Smoothee Golden Delicious', 'Redchief Delicious', and 'Commander York'.
Vazão excedente pode ser definida como o volume de água em uma bacia hidrográfica que excede o volume outorgável, o qual, por sua vez, é definido com base em critérios bastante restritivos de modo a permitir o atendimento do volume outorgado mesmo em períodos de estiagem. Trabalhos recentes têm proposto a alocação desta vazão excedente entre os usuários, minimizando os prejuízos decorrentes da não utilização da mesma. Algoritmos evolucionários multiobjetivo têm se destacado na otimização de problemas complexos e diversas técnicas têm sido desenvolvidas para considerar as restrições específicas do problema e melhorar o seu desempenho. Neste trabalho utilizamos o algoritmo evolucionário multiobjetivo SPEA2 para alocar a vazão excedente em uma bacia hidrográfica e analisamos o ganho de desempenho obtido pela introdução de técnicas de tratamento das restrições neste algoritmo. Os resultados demonstram a importância da utilização das técnicas de tratamento das restrições, sobretudo da utilização dos operadores direcionados.
Rockmelon (Cucumis melo Linnaeus (Cucurbitales: Cucurbitaceae)) is a novel commercialized fruit in Malaysia and has great potential to become an important horticultural crop for the international market. In this study, we investigated the effects of pollination by the Indo-Malaya stingless bee Heterotrigona itama Smith (Hymenoptera: Apidae) on measures of yield and quality of rockmelon cultivated in the greenhouse, compared with hand cross-pollination and self-pollination. Results showed that rockmelon produced from plants pollinated by stingless bees and hand cross-pollination had higher fruit set, were heavier and larger, and contained higher numbers of seed per fruit compared with those produced by self-pollination. Pollination by stingless bees produced fruit with greater sweetness than either hand cross-pollination or self-pollination. This study demonstrated that stingless bee pollination produced rockmelon fruit of similar quality, but better yields compared to the other pollination treatments. We showed that stingless bees should be considered as an alternative, effective pollinator for the improved production of high quality rockmelon in commercial greenhouse cultivation.
This study investigated the effect of different fruit setting methods on fruit quality of melon (Cucumis melo L.) under protected cultivation. The results showed that artificial and honey bee pollination decreased single fruit weight compared with 1-(2-chloro-4-pyridyl)-3-phenylurea (CPPU) treatment, whereas the lowest value was observed in artificial pollination. Artificial and honey bee pollination apparently increased sucrose content, and the increased activity of sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS) was the key reason. In addition, total content of amino acids (17 kinds) were increased by 31% and 28% in artificial and honey bee-pollinated fruits compared with CPPU treatment, respectively. Honey bee pollination also improved single fruit weight and taste compared with artificial pollination. Therefore, we can conclude that artificial and honey bee pollination can improve the quality of melon fruits. In addition, honey bee can provide a better pollination service compared with artificial pollination for melons grown under protected cultivation systems.
Honey bees (Apis mellifera) and bumble bees (Bombus impatiens) were compared for three aspects of pollinating behaviour on field-grown cucumber (Cucumis sativus) and watermelon (Citrullus lanatus). We measured: (1), diurnal foraging activity periods (as related to anthesis); (2), floral visitation rates (number of flowers visited per min by individual foragers); and (3), stigmatic pollen deposition (number of pollen grains deposited on stigmas after single bee visits to female flowers). B. impatiens was more effective than A. mellifera for all three parameters on both crops. B. impatiens initiated foraging activity 15-40 min before A. mellifera; both species continued foraging until flowers closed in early afternoon. B. impatiens consistently visited more flowers per min (P < 0.001) and deposited equal or greater amounts of pollen (P < 0.001) than A. mellifera, particularly during the initial hours of floral anthesis which is when these crops are most receptive to pollination. The data additionally suggest that researchers evaluating different pollinator candidates should consider time-of-day effects when comparing pollen deposition rates between pollinators, as time-of-day had a marked influence on pollen deposition in these studies.