Insect Pollination, More than Plant Nutrition, Determines Yield Quantity and Quality in Apple and Pear

HÜNICKEN, P L; MORALES, C L; GARCÍA, N; GARIBALDI, L A

NEOTROPICAL ENTOMOLOGY

ENTOMOLOGICAL SOC BRASIL

Lugar: BRASIL; Año: 2020

1519-566X

Agricultural yield is the result of multiple factors and ecological processes(e.g., pollination, fertilization, pest control). Understanding how the differentfactors interact is fundamental to designing management practicesaimed to increase these yields, which are environmental friendly and sustainableover time. In this study, we focus on insect pollination and plantnutrition status, since they are two key factors that influence crop yield.The study was carried out in Northwest Patagonia Argentina, which is anarea of intensive production of pears and apples of global importance,during the harvest seasons 2018 and 2019. The plant nutrition was estimatedfrom leaf chlorophyll content. Biotic pollination benefits were evaluatedby comparing fruit quantity (fruit to flower ratio) and quality(weight, size, and sugar concentration) from approximately 25 flowersexposed to pollinators and 25 flowers excluded to them per tree (a totalof 160 apple trees and 130 pear trees). In addition, we estimated thevisitation rate of pollinators to flowers and related it to fruit quality inapple. Despite different floral characteristics, we found in both crops apositive effect of insect pollination in both the quantity and the quality ofthe fruits. Interestingly, the nutrition of the trees, although variable, didnot affect either the quantity or the quality of the fruits. Despite the weakeffect of nutrition, we found no interaction between pollination and plantnutrition (i.e., additive effects). These results highlight the importance ofagricultural practices that promote pollinators on farms