Pollination by Eristalis tenax (Diptera: Syrphidae) and Seed Set of Greenhouse Sweet Pepper

Abstract

To assess the potential of the indigenous syrphid fly Eristalis tenax (L.) as a pollinator of greenhouse sweet pepper, Capsicum annuum L., in southern Quebec, flowers of the 'Bell Boy' cultivar were submitted to 1 of the following 3 treatments: (1) no exposure to flies; (2) exposure to a restricted number of visits by flies; and (3) unrestrained exposure to flies during floral receptivity. Fruits from both fly-visited groups produced larger seed sets than those of the nonvisited group, representing an augmentation of 9.2 and 19.3% in the limited and unlimited visitation treatments, respectively. The number of visits per flower did not affect seed setting significantly, but an increase in the total duration of visits resulted in larger seed sets. E. tenax thus possesses desirable attributes for the pollination of sweet pepper under greenhouse conditions.