Impact of Bee and Fly Pollination on Physical and Biochemical Properties of Strawberry Fruit

Improvement in physical and biochemical properties of fruits through cross-pollination is a highly variable phenomenon. It mainly depends on the species of the pollinator and the nature of the crop being pollinated. It is therefore imperative to quantify the relative pollination effectiveness of an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Horticulturae 2022-11, Vol.8 (11), p.1072
Main Authors: Anees, Muhammad, Ali, Mudssar, Ghramh, Hamed A, Sajjad, Asif, Ali Khan, Khalid, Saeed, Shafqat, Razzaq, Kashif
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acidity
Apis dorsata
Ascorbic acid
Bees
Biochemistry
Cross-pollination
Diptera
Effectiveness
Environmental aspects
Eristalinus aeneus
Flowers & plants
Foraging behavior
Fruit set
Fruits
Insects
market maturity
open-pollination
Parameters
pH effects
Physical properties
Physiological aspects
Plant reproduction
Plants (botany)
Pollination
Pollinators
Pollinators (Animals)
Shelf life
single-visit efficiency
Strawberries
Testing
Variance analysis
Vitamin C
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Summary:Improvement in physical and biochemical properties of fruits through cross-pollination is a highly variable phenomenon. It mainly depends on the species of the pollinator and the nature of the crop being pollinated. It is therefore imperative to quantify the relative pollination effectiveness of an insect species for a certain crop species. In the present study, pollination effectiveness of two native bees (i.e., Apis dorsata and A. florea) and two syrphid flies (i.e., Eristalinus aeneus and Eupeodes corollae) were evaluated in terms of physical properties of strawberry fruits at Multan, Pakistan. The physical parameters of resultant fruits included length, pole, equator, fruit set ratio, number of days to reach market maturity, and shelf life. The biochemical properties of fruits resulted from open-pollinated plants (free insect visits) and caged plants (no insect visits) were also compared. The biochemical parameters included TSS (total soluble solids), TA (titratable acidity), vitamin C, and pH. Apis dorsata was the most abundant pollinator, followed by E. aeneus and E. corollae. Based on single-visit effectiveness, A. dorsata proved to be the most effective pollinator, in terms of physical properties, of strawberry fruit. Eristalinus aeneus outcrossed A. florea in terms of fruit set (%). The open-pollinated plants showed better physical and biochemical properties (26% higher TSS, 34% higher TA, but 25% lower pH value) in terms of fruits than the caged plants. Conservation of A. dorsata and E. aeneus can enhance physical and biochemical properties of strawberry fruits in the region.
ISSN:2311-7524
2311-7524
DOI:10.3390/horticulturae8111072