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Use of Osmia bicornis L. for pollination of Cyclamen persicum Mill. cultivated in greenhouse environment during winter period
Abstract In this study, the pollinating potential of the red mason bee (Osmia bicornis syn. O. rufa) in seed production of a major ornamental plant - Persian cyclamen (Cyclamen persicum), was evaluated under horticultural farm conditions. The study was conducted under a greenhouse environment for five months, from October to the end of February. The juvenile hormone analogue methoprene supported the termination of bee diapause. Experimental results from Osmia pollination plots were compared with control plots that applied the hand-pollination method. Plants with flowers pollinated by the solitary bee had significantly more fruits than those pollinated by the hand method in November, December and February. In addition, significantly more seeds per capsule were produced by plants pollinated by O. bicornis from December to February. Finally, plants pollinated by Osmia bees produced more seeds than those hand-pollinated at all experimental months. These results showed that if the diapause of O. bicornis is successfully broken, this bee can be a very efficient pollinator in greenhouse environments, even during winter.
Effect of pollination by the Osmia bicornis (syn. O. rufa) bee on fruit set, seed set and yield in three apple cultivars
Abstract Our study tested the pollination effectiveness of the megachilid bee Osmia bicornis L. (syn. Osmia rufa) on three apple cultivars (cv.): Lobo, Piros and Champion. The following pollination treatments were compared for each cultivar: insect pollination - caged trees with Osmia bicornis (syn. Osmia rufa) bees; open pollination - uncaged trees; self-pollination - caged trees without bees. Pollination success was measured based on the percentage of fruit set, the fruit yield per tree (measured as number of fruits and total fruit weight) and the number of seeds per fruit. Generally, there was a higher percentage of initial fruit-set and fruits at harvest on open-pollinated trees than on caged trees without bees, with an intermediate value recorded for caged trees pollinated by O. bicornis (syn. O. rufa). However, the fruit set on trees pollinated by O. bicornis (syn. O. rufa) was high and ranged from 49 to 69%, depending on the cultivar. The cv. Lobo trees pollinated by O. bicornis (syn. O. rufa) and open-pollinated trees produced higher fruit yields than without bees. Furthermore, the number of seeds per fruit was higher. Fruit yield and the number of seeds per fruit were higher for trees pollinated by O. bicornis (syn. O. rufa) than for caged trees without insects but lower than for open pollination trees of cv. Piros and cv. Lobo.