Abstract
The present study was carried out in Northeastern Region of Brazil, in order to investigate the use of stingless bee Melipona subnitida Ducke in the pollination of greenhouse sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L.). Treatments of hand cross-pollination, hand self-pollination, pollination by bees and restricted pollination were performed. Results showed that despite sweet pepper flowers are considered autogamous, this crop benefits from pollination by M. subnitida, producing fruits significantly heavier and wider, containing a greater number of seeds and of better quality (lower percentage of malformed fruits) than self-pollinated sweet pepper. Thus, M. subnitida can be considered an efficient pollinator of greenhouse sweet pepper.
Highlights
Sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) is cultivated and consumed around the world
M. subnitida can be considered an efficient pollinator of greenhouse sweet pepper
Due to its tropical origin, sweet pepper is especially susceptible to cold seasons at the seedling stage, though fruit set is higher at milder temperatures (19°C to 21°C) (Reifschneider, 2000)
Summary
Its major producers are United States, Mexico, Italy, Japan, India and Brazil, where this crop has economic importance (Silva et al, 1999; Nannetti, 2001) It can be cultivated in open fields, in tropical climates, sweet pepper is largely grown in greenhouses, where its cycle is extended, leading to rises in productivity. There are few studies on sweet pepper pollination (Shipp et al, 1994; Jarlan et al, 1997; Meisels & Chiasson, 1997; Dag & Kammer, 2001), and the role of stingless bees in setting fruits of this crop is unknown. This study aimed at investigating the potential use of stingless bee Melipona subnitida to pollinate flowers of sweet pepper grown in greenhouse
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