Assisting Natural Wind Pollination of Field Tomatoes with an Air Blower Enhances Yield

Hanna, H.Y.

doi:10.21273/hortsci.34.5.846

Cited by 15 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Nevertheless, there is no study evaluating the rate of pollen release of tomato at different wind intensities. In support of our results is the finding that tomato production in the open was increased with an air blower (Hanna 1999) which suggests that pollen release by wind may not be even on all the flowers. Therefore, solitary bees could significantly contribute to tomato pollination possibly due to a synergic effect with the wind, as revealed in our study.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Contribution of native bees and Africanized honey bees (Hymenoptera:Apoidea) to Solanaceae crop pollination in tropical México

Macias‐Macias

Chuc

Ancona-Xiu

et al. 2009

J Applied Entomology

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In the tropics the contribution of bees as pollinators of important economic indigenous crops remains largely undocumented. We studied the diversity of bee species visiting indigenous tomato (Solanum lycopersicon) and habanero pepper (Capsicum chinense) in subtropical Yucatán, México. The contribution of two native bees, Exomalopsis (E) and Augochloropsis (AG) was compared with that of the introduced Africanized Apis mellífera (HB) for pollinating unvisited flowers in both crops. Apis mellífera and stingless bees were dominant in habanero pepper but solitary bee species were important visitors of tomato. In spite of both crops being autogamic, there was a significant contribution of native bees for pollination of both tomato and habanero pepper. The comparison of fruit weight, number of seeds, and a pollination index based on the latter showed that E and AG were more effective pollinators compared to HB in both crops (ca. Spear’s index of ca. 0.7 vs. 0.35 respectively). In tomato, a further evaluation of the contribution to pollination provided by the three bee species was made using the rate of visits to flowers. Although E and AG were the most efficient pollinators at single flower visits in tomato, none of the three species (including HB) were able to provide single visits to all flowers per unit time to the crop. Our results underline the importance of maintaining diverse assemblages and abundant populations of bee species that can synergically contribute to the productivity of tomato and hot pepper in the Neotropics.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Contribution of native bees and Africanized honey bees (Hymenoptera:Apoidea) to Solanaceae crop pollination in tropical México

Macias‐Macias

Chuc

Ancona-Xiu

et al. 2009

J Applied Entomology

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“…Although tomato plants in open fields are thought to be pollinated by wind-action ( Hanna 1999 ), wind pollination alone may lead to fruits that are more likely to abort and of an inferior size and quality, compared to other pollination methods ( Amala and Shivalingaswamy 2017 ). Interestingly, the most commonly used method of hand pollination of tomatoes is to collect pollen by simulating a bee’s vibration on the anther using a vibrating wand ( Banda and Paxton 1991 , Dogterom et al 1998 , Nazer et al 2003 , Cauich et al 2004 , Bell et al 2006 , Martín-Closas et al 2006 , Vergara and Fonseca-Buendía 2012 , Ahmad et al 2015 ).…”

Section: Buzz Pollination In Tomato ( Solanum Lycopersicum mentioning

confidence: 99%

Buzz-Pollinated Crops: A Global Review and Meta-analysis of the Effects of Supplemental Bee Pollination in Tomato

Cooley

Vallejo‐Marín

2021

Journal of Economic Entomology

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Buzz-pollinated plants require visitation from vibration producing bee species to elicit full pollen release. Several important food crops are buzz-pollinated including tomato, eggplant, kiwi, and blueberry. Although more than half of all bee species can buzz pollinate, the most commonly deployed supplemental pollinator, Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae; honey bees), cannot produce vibrations to remove pollen. Here, we provide a list of buzz-pollinated food crops and discuss the extent to which they rely on pollination by vibration-producing bees. We then use the most commonly cultivated of these crops, the tomato, Solanum lycopersicum L. (Solanales: Solanaceae), as a case study to investigate the effect of different pollination treatments on aspects of fruit quality. Following a systematic review of the literature, we statistically analyzed 71 experiments from 24 studies across different geopolitical regions and conducted a meta-analysis on a subset of 21 of these experiments. Our results show that both supplemental pollination by buzz-pollinating bees and open pollination by assemblages of bees, which include buzz pollinators, significantly increase tomato fruit weight compared to a no-pollination control. In contrast, auxin treatment, artificial mechanical vibrations, or supplemental pollination by non-buzz-pollinating bees (including Apis spp.), do not significantly increase fruit weight. Finally, we compare strategies for providing bee pollination in tomato cultivation around the globe and highlight how using buzz-pollinating bees might improve tomato yield, particularly in some geographic regions. We conclude that employing native, wild buzz pollinators can deliver important economic benefits with reduced environmental risks and increased advantages for both developed and emerging economies.

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“…Field tomatoes are generally more sensitive to wind stimulation, which allows for adequate pollination outcomes [14]. Some studies have shown improved fruit set and quality (e.g., size, weight and seed set) from artificially pollinated tomatoes compared with field controls, which may account for enhanced production/m 2 in controlled-environment horticulture [56,60]. Understanding the natural pollination mechanisms of the tomato plant can allow management decisions to support these processes and inspire novel concepts pertaining to these mechanisms that may enhance control and automation in protected settings.…”

Section: Natural Pollination Methods and Ecosystem Benefitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Precision Pollination Strategies for Advancing Horticultural Tomato Crop Production

et al. 2022

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Global climate change and anthropological activities have led to a decline in insect pollinators worldwide. Agricultural globalisation and intensification have also removed crops from their natural insect pollinators, and sparked research to identify alternate natural insect pollinators and artificial technologies. In certain countries such as Australia the importation of commercial insect pollinators is prohibited, necessitating manual labour to stimulate floral pollination. Artificial pollination technologies are now increasingly essential as the demand for food grown in protected facilities increases worldwide. For tomato fruits, precision pollination has the ability to vastly improve their seed set, size, yield, and quality under optimal environmental conditions and has become financially beneficial. Like many crops from the Solanaceae, tomatoes have a unique self-pollinating mechanism that requires stimulation of the floral organs to release pollen from the poricidal anthers. This review investigates various mechanisms employed to pollinate tomato flowers and discusses emerging precision pollination technologies. The advantages and disadvantages of various pollinating technologies currently available in the protected-cropping industry are described. We provide a buzz perspective on new promising pollination technologies involving robotic air and acoustic devices that are still in their nascency and could provide non-contact techniques to automate pollination for the tomato horticultural industry.

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Assisting Natural Wind Pollination of Field Tomatoes with an Air Blower Enhances Yield

Cited by 15 publications

References 5 publications

Contribution of native bees and Africanized honey bees (Hymenoptera:Apoidea) to Solanaceae crop pollination in tropical México

Contribution of native bees and Africanized honey bees (Hymenoptera:Apoidea) to Solanaceae crop pollination in tropical México

Buzz-Pollinated Crops: A Global Review and Meta-analysis of the Effects of Supplemental Bee Pollination in Tomato

Precision Pollination Strategies for Advancing Horticultural Tomato Crop Production

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