Abstract
ABSTRACT Pollinators are extremely important in agricultural crops because their deficit can affect food production in the world. Consequently, a lot of studies have been emphasizing the importance of the knowledge about the biology of these agents. The tomato stands out among the economically most important crops. Therefore, the objectives of this work were: to identify the pollinators of Solanum lycopersicum in a conventional area of cultivation in the southeast of Minas Gerais State and detect which of these are more representative; to assess the importance of the pollinators' action for the quality of the fruits produced; and discuss practices for conservation to these agents. Fifteen floral visitors were found, with Exomalopsis analis being the most representative. Apis mellifera and Trigona spinipes, although not vibrating bees, also acted as pollinators of Solanum lycopersicum.
Highlights
The pollinators’ action is extremely important in agricultural crops, being directly or indirectly responsible for about 1/3 of the food production consumed by humans worldwide (Klein et al 2007, Ollerton et al 2011)
The number of pollinating guild species has declined alarmingly and the main causes are related with agricultural intensification, including the use of agrochemicals (Pinheiro & Freitas 2010) and the fragmentation of native areas (Freitas et al 2009)
Behavior and representativeness of floral visitors - During the observation period, the bees were the only pollinators of Solanum lycopersicum
Summary
The pollinators’ action is extremely important in agricultural crops, being directly or indirectly responsible for about 1/3 of the food production consumed by humans worldwide (Klein et al 2007, Ollerton et al 2011). In this context, 73% of cultivated species relies on the action of the bees for pollination. 73% of cultivated species relies on the action of the bees for pollination Their action can influence the quality of fruits and seeds produced (FAO 2004), increase productivity (MalagodiBraga 2002), as well as to standardize fruit ripening, which avoids crop losses (Willians et al 1991). Considering the decline of pollinators, conserving these agents is necessary, some data associated to richness, taxonomy, diversity and distribution of these agents still need to be better investigated
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