Flower-visiting insects to Coffea arabica flower at different temperatures and the production of the fruit of arabica coffee

Abstract

Temperature change may affect insect activity, including flower-visiting insects. Flower-visiting insects, particularly pollinators, have an impact on the fruits produced. This research aimed to study the relationships of flower-visiting insects at different temperatures and coffee production. The gauze experiment was carried out on the coffee plantation that consists of two sites, shaded and unshaded. The study involved 30 arabica inflorescences. The number of flower-visiting insects was recorded and captured. The results showed that the diversity of flower-visiting insects was related to the temperature differences. The flower-visiting insect on the unshaded site was more diverse than the shaded site. The formation of peaberries and the productivity of coffee fruit were also different. Peaberry production was lower (6.24 %) while the fruit mass was heavier (0.15±0.096 g/cherry) in unshaded than shaded sites. However, at the unshaded, the percentage of coffee beans defect was 0.56 % greater than the shaded one. According to these findings, more flower-visiting insects lead to the lower peaberry formation, the heavier fruit mass but potentially causing higher defective coffee beans. The increase in temperature due to climate change can be detrimental because these phenomena will increase the number of coffee fruit defects and insect pests.