Effect of Honey Bee and Other Insects on Fruit Setting and Fruit Quality of ‘0900 Ziraat’ Sweet Cherry Cultivar in Malatya Ecology

In Turkey, which is the leader in the production of cherries, the most widely produced and exported cultivar is 0900 Ziraat. Although this cultivar has an outstanding fruit quality, it has a significant fruit set problem. Adequate pollination is essential for the production of high quality and abundant products in sweet cherry orchards. However, the efficacy of insects, especially bees, which are effective factors in polluting the cherry, are not well known by the producers. In this study, which was conducted in the Malatya Apricot Research Institute between 2012 and 2013, it was aimed to determine of the effect of honey bee and other insects on pollination of 0900 Ziraat sweet cherry cultivar. In the study, three different applications were performed. These include: a) 1x1 mm tulle application; b) 4x4 mm tulle application, and; c) free application. Two bee hives were left in the experimental orchard before flowering, and tulles were placed in the branches after counting the flowers in these studied branches. During the flowering period, visits of honey bees and insects to flowers in free application were counted. In addition, fruit set rates were determined in all branches and pomological analysis was performed in the fruit obtained. The most intensive visits to the flowers were made by the honey bees, the average fruit set rate was 1.6% in 1x1 mm tulle application, where only the wind was effective, 5.8% in 4x4 mm tulle application, where only the insects smaller than honey bees were effective, and 18.2% in free application, where the honey bees were also effective in pollination. In the pomological analysis results, the effect of applications on fruit quality was found to be not significant. As a result, it was determined that the most effective factor in pollination of cherries was honey bees, which greatly increased the fruit set.