Floral visitors and pollination of mango, Mangifera indica L. (cv. Carabao)
2007
Fajardo, A.C.Jr., Philippines Univ. Los Banos, College, Laguna (Philippines)
A total of 21 insect species belonging to five orders visited mango flowers. The primary pollinators were stingless bees (Trigoni biroi), calliphorid (Chrysomya spp.), syrphid (Eristalis spp.) and honey bees (Apis cerana and A. mellifera). Pollinators actively foraged from 700-1059 h with a peak at 800-859 h. The foraging activities of the pollinators synchronized with anthesis. The terminal inflorescence, floral longevity (5 days) and scent, and sticky pollen provided enabling conditions for insect pollination. Despite the small size of stingless bees,their pollen loads are comparable to bigger species like calliphorids, syrphids and honey bees. Their numerous numbers and fast rate of transfer from flowers to flowers enhanced their pollination efficiency. Prior to the introduction of bee colonies in the mango farm, the fruit set in caged and uncaged inflorescence did not vary. After bee introduction, the fruit set in uncaged inflorescence (41%) was significantly higher than caged inflorescence (0.7%). Percent fruit set increased by 98%.
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