rate (≈95%) under natural pollination according to our previous investigation (data to be published). Thus, we took Z. jujuba Mill. ‘Zhongqiusucui’ as the research object in this study to explore the mechanism of seed abortion. Any disruption of the
dead plant material. Many novel mulch materials remain to be investigated with regard to their ability to suppress weeds and improve crop yields. The effects of novel mulches on crop pollinators should also be studied to ensure their overall positive
, 2017 )]. One of the most challenging production issues for blueberry cultivation in western Washington is pollination and subsequent fruit set and reduced yields. Effective insect-mediated pollination is important for optimal fruit set and maximizing
Much public attention has focused on the decline of pollinating insects, in part due to european honeybee ( Apis mellifera ) colony collapse disorder. Since 2006, beekeepers have been reporting an average annual winter loss of 30% of their hives
Pollination was investigated in five avocado (Persea americana Mill.) cultivars during two seasons. In the first year, `Simmonds' and `Hardee' branches with inflorescences were covered with cheesecloth bags to prevent pollination by large flying insects during either or both the first (Stage I) and second (Stage II) floral openings. Adjacent, tagged branches were left open as controls. The proportion of pollinated Stage I flowers ranged from <1% in `Simmonds' to 9% in `Hardee.' Pollination rates in Stage II ranged from 15% in `Simmonds' to nearly 69% in `Hardee'. Pollination during Stage II was proportional to the number of white stigmas available during that stage. Stage II pollination rates for bagged flowers and open flowers were similar, even though large flying insects were barred from bagged flowers. In the second year, similar experiments on cultivars Simmonds, Tonnage, Tower 2, and Choquette provided results consistent with those obtained the previous year. Virtually no pollination occurred in bagged Stage I flowers in all cultivars tested, and ≈1% of the open Stage I flowers were pollinated. Pollination of bagged and open Stage II flowers was generally the same within cultivars. The percent pollination of Stage II flowers ranged from a mean of 4.3% to 35%, depending on cultivar. The results show that self-pollination during the Stage II floral opening is the primary means of pollination of commercial cultivars grown in Florida. Moreover, the presence of developing fruits on branches bagged during the flowering season demonstrated that fruit set can occur without pollination by large flying insects.
English walnut (Juglans regia, L.) is a monoecious species bearing staminate and pistillate flowers separately on the same tree. Walnuts are generally self-fruitful, cross-compatible and dichogamous, having incomplete overlap of pollen shed and female receptivity. It is this characteristic which led to the recommendation that about 10% of the trees in a commercial planting be a cultivar with a pollen shed period overlapping pistillate flower receptivity of the main cultivar. Excessive pollen load has been implicated in the `Serr' cultivar in pistillate flower abortion (PFA), the loss of the female flowers early in the season before fruit drop due to lack of pollination. PFA can be reduced and yield improved in `Serr' orchards by reducing pollen load. This can be accomplished by pollinizer removal, or catkin removal at the beginning of pollen shed by mechanical shaking. In years of significant bloom overlap between staminate and pistillate bloom, PFA can be further reduced and yield improved by removing `Serr' catkins. PFA occurs to a lesser extent in other cultivars such as `Chico', `Chandler', `Vina' and `Howard'. This information has led to the reevaluation of pollinizer recommendations. Research focused on optimum pollinizer levels in `Chandler', a cultivar of increasing importance to the California walnut industry, has been inconclusive. Lack of pollinizers may impact yields to a greater extent in the in the northern San Joaquin Valley and Sacramento Valley than in the southern San Joaquin Valley. In any case the previously recommended 10% appears to be excessive. Two to three percent is probably adequate to limit losses due to lack of pollination without resulting in excessive PFA, and is currently being recommended by extension farm advisors and specialists. Factors to consider when determining the number of pollinators to plant include: cultivar susceptibility to PFA, walnut pollen load in the area and local pollination and fruit set experiences.
constraint limiting commercial production of annonaceous fruits is low flower to fruit ratio resulting from inadequate pollination ( Gazit et al., 1982 ; Peña et al., 2002 ). Neither self- nor cross-pollination takes place effectively. Self-pollination is
Cowpea, Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp., is a very important legume in the diet of the population of the Amazon. Although it is autogamous, this species has a cross-pollination rate of ≈10%. Over several years, the mean productivity of cowpea has declined. We suggest that this is linked to a decrease in or an absence of pollinating insects in the fields. The objective of this study is to ascertain the pollinator contribution to cowpea production, as well as to determine the pollination type of the `BR3-Tracuateua' cultivar. In an experimental design, four treatments were compared: no pollination, with flowers in cages to prevent insect visits; open-pollination, with flowers exposed to all visiting insects; self-pollination, with flowers pollinated with their own pollen; and cross-pollination, with emasculated flowers being pollinated manually with pollen from another plant. We observed higher fruit set in the presence of pollinators (83%) than in their absence (77%, caged flowers). However, cross-pollination reduced both the number of seeds per pod and fruit set relative to self-pollination. This result suggests that pollinators have a complementary role in the yield of cowpea, by creating a mixed pollination system where self-pollination dominates.
Abstract
Abortion of pistillate flowers and fruit was determined in ‘Cherokee’, ‘Success’, ‘Stuart’, and ‘Desirable’ pecans [Carya illinoensis (Wang.) K. Koch]. Abortion occurred in 4 periods during the growth cycle of the fruit. The distinctness and magnitude of the drops varied greatly among cultivars. Total seasonal abortion was inversely related to the alternate bearing tendency of the cultivars. The 1st drop varied inversely with shoot length, the 2nd drop coincided with abortion of nonpollinated flowers and was increased by selling, and the 3rd drop coincided with abortion induced by self-pollination. The majority of fruit loss during the 4th drop followed fruit split or discoloration. This drop correlated with high soil moisture and humidity. However, a lesser drop, from embryo abortion, also is proposed to occur at this time.
In order to characterize the self-incompatibility system in Theobroma cacao, the levels of ethylene, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), and abscisic acid (ABA) were determined after pollination with compatible and incompatible pollen and in unpollinated flowers. Pollen tube growth rates after incompatible and compatible pollinations were identical, and the majority of the pollen tubes reached the ovules between 12 and 20 hours after pollination. ABA levels rose in incompatibly pollinated flowers, and fell in compatibly pollinated flowers, prior to pollen tube—ovule contact. Ethylene evolution remained stable in compatibly pollinated flowers and rose in incompatibly pollinated flowers. IAA concentrations increased in compatibly pollinated flowers, and remained stable in incompatibly pollinated flowers after pollination and subsequent to pollen tube—ovule contact.