Pollinating insects of cherimoya (Annona cherimola Miller) in La Molina, Lima, Peru

Bryan Martín Morales Morales ,José Eloy Cuellar Bautista ,Clorinda Vergara

doi:10.21704/pja.v4i1.1451

Bryan Martín Morales Morales , José Eloy Cuellar Bautista + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.21704/pja.v4i1.1451

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Abstract

This survey aimed to determine the pollinating insects of the flowers of the cherimoya crop (Annona cherimola Mill.) located at the Program of Research and Social Projection in Fruit Trees (PIPS-FRUTALES) at the Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina. Fifteen trees were selected randomly, and evaluations were performed from 31 October to 15 November 2018. Three replicates were performed, each replicate was formed by a set of five trees and were evaluated in three different weeks. Each tree was evaluated in four quadrants, according to the location of the flowers (external or internal) and the floral phases of the crop (female or male). The collection of the insects from the cherimoya flowers was performed using an aspirator, then the insect morphotypes were determined and classified according to order, family, genus and/or species through the use of taxonomic dichotomous keys and the support of specialists. The collected insects belonged to the orders Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, and Hemiptera, with Coleoptera having the highest diversity (17 morphospecies) and quantity (242 specimens). The genus Europs (Monotomidae) proved to be the most abundant group of Coleoptera during the assessment period, followed by morphospecies of the families Nitidulidae, Anthicidae, Staphylinidae, Scarabaeidae, Anobiidae, and Buprestidae. The pollinating insects present in the cherimoya crop were satisfactorily classified into genera and species.

Highlights

The cherimoya (Annona cherimola Miller) is native to subtropical areas of the Ecuadorian and Peruvian Andes (González, 2013)
This research was carried out in the cherimoya plantation located in the fields at the Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina (UNALM), La Molina district, Lima region, Peru, geographically located at latitude 12°4’58.51 “S, longitude 76°56’51.93 “W, and 236 m above sea level
Number of insects collected according to the flower phase of the crop During the investigation, a greater number of insects were obtained in the male phase of the flowers compared to the female phase, showing a significant difference in the number of specimens captured in both phases. This is contrary to the findings of Tsukada et al (2005), who studied cherimoya flower visitors in Italy and found no significant difference in the composition of flower visitors between the male and female phases

Summary

Introduction

The cherimoya (Annona cherimola Miller) is native to subtropical areas of the Ecuadorian and Peruvian Andes (González, 2013). It belongs to the genus Annona, which comprises approximately 120 species, and is of great commercial importance (García et al, 2009). There is growing interest in the commercialization of cherimoya, due to its pleasant flavor and aroma, and good acceptance in the market as an exotic fruit (González, 2013).

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