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Crop yield mediated by honeybees in a star fruit orchard exhibiting atypical distyly
- Source :
- Acta Botânica Brasílica, Vol 35, Iss 3, Pp 486-490 (2021), Acta Botanica Brasilica, Volume: 35, Issue: 3, Pages: 486-490, Published: 12 NOV 2021
- Publication Year :
- 2021
- Publisher :
- FapUNIFESP (SciELO), 2021.
-
Abstract
- The dependence of commercial crops on pollinators is closely related to their reproductive strategies and has direct impacts on production yields. Fruit production of Averrhoa carambola, the star fruit, is highly dependent on bee pollination. This distylous species may exhibit monomorphism associated with self-compatibility, a condition that may influence its degree of dependence on pollinators for fruit set. We evaluated the floral morphology and mating system of A. carambola and their relationships with pollinator dependence in an apparently pin-monomorphic orchard to address the following questions: Is the orchard indeed pin-monomorphic? Is the orchard self-compatible? Are pollination services sufficient to reach maximum productivity? Is fruit set related to the number of visits? We investigated floral morphometrics, mating system, and pollination following standard methods of plant reproduction research. The orchard exhibited pin-monomorphism and self-compatibility. Herkogamy strongly impaired spontaneous self-pollination, emphasizing the relevance of pollinators to crop yield. Considering that Apis mellifera was the only pollinator observed, and that the orchard showed pollen limitation, we recommend the implementation of pollinator management strategies. Additional studies will be needed to assess if the atypical distyly observed here occurs in other situations.
- Subjects :
- Pollination
biology
Botany
Plant Science
Mating system
biology.organism_classification
medicine.disease_cause
distyly
fruit yields
Plant reproduction
Averrhoa carambola
crop pollination
self-compatibility
pollen limitation
Herkogamy
Horticulture
Pollinator
QK1-989
Pollen
medicine
Orchard
ecosystem services
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 1677941X and 01023306
- Volume :
- 35
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Acta Botanica Brasilica
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....6c06341b015f6991896d1cdabcc4fe1f