Pollen limitation and resource limitation affect the reproductive success of Medicago sativa L.

Chen, Min; Zuo, Xiaoan

doi:10.1186/s12898-018-0184-x

Cited by 17 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…is due to its buzz pollination character, production of several generations in a year, high abundance and foraging time synchrony with lucerne blooming [25]. Tripping varied with time of day; our results are are in line with the previous studies illustrating that visits of bees peaked from 10:00 am to 14:00 pm, and this period coincided with the complete release of the pollen [32]. Moreover, all the pollinators were at their peak abundance at 11:00 am to 14:00 pm during both years.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

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Comparative Efficiency of Native Insect Pollinators in Reproductive Performance of Medicago sativa L. in Pakistan

Rauf

Saeed

Ali

et al. 2021

Insects

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Lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) is a cross-pollinated crop and requires entomophilous pollination for tripping of flowers and subsequent pod and seed set. To discover the best pollinators for lucerne seed production, a two-year field trial was carried out at the research farm of MNS University of Agriculture, Multan, Pakistan. Abundance and diversity of insect pollinators along with the foraging behavior were recorded in terms of tripping efficiency, stay time, visitation rate and pollen harvest. The single-visit efficiency of abundant insect pollinators was also evaluated in terms of number of seeds and seed weight per raceme along with germination percentage. Ten most abundant floral visitors (five solitary bee species, three honeybee species and two syrphid fly species) were tested for their pollination efficiency. Honeybees were most abundant in both the years followed by the solitary bees and syrphid flies. Single-visit efficacy in terms of number of pods per raceme, number of seeds per raceme, 1000 seed weight and germination percentage revealed Megachile cephalotes as the most efficient insect pollinator followed by Megachile hera and Amegilla sp. Future studies should investigate the biology and ecology of these bee species with special emphasis on their nesting behavior and seasonality.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…However, honeybees cannot pollinate lucerne flowers effectively [27,28]. This inefficiency of honeybees in lucerne pollination is because of some adaptive behavioral characters, its side feeding habit for only nectar foraging and lucerne pollen lacking the essential amino acid, isoleucine [29][30][31][32][33].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparative Efficiency of Native Insect Pollinators in Reproductive Performance of Medicago sativa L. in Pakistan

Rauf

Saeed

Ali

et al. 2021

Insects

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…However, studies on the flowering behavior of plants are less about the response to pollination timeliness and more about the responses to the spatial and temporal distribution pattern of pollen resources [44,45].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are matching patterns of male and female flowers in response to nutrient supply and pollen concentration optimal for fruit and seed growth?

Gao

Zhai

et al. 2019

Preprint

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Background: Changes in the proportions of male and female flowers in monoecious plants in response to external environmental conditions are directly related to the reproductive fitness of plants. The monoecious cucumber plant was used in this study to assess the responses of sex differentiation and the breeding process to nutrient supply and the degree of artificial pollination using pollen solutions of different concentrations. Results: We found that the nutrient supply significantly increased the number of female flowers, although the number of female flowers did not increase with the strength of the pollination. The number of male flowers did not decrease even under the low nutrient concentration; consequently, the matching pattern of male and female flowers reflects the response of plants to nutrients and nutrient resources during flowering stage. Pollination treatment affected the fruit growth, seed set, and fruit yield. However, the number of fruit, fruit set percentage, and total seeds per plant did not increase with the pollination level, although individual fruit weight and seed number in one fruit did increase. Conclusions: It is concluded that the response of cucumber flowering to external factors is direct and instantaneous, and this matching pattern of male and female flowers may not be optimal for fruit development and seed formation. Keywords: Cucumber, Plant fitness, Sex differentiation, Monoecious, Pollen resource

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are patterns of flower differentiation in response to nutrient supply and pollen concentration optimal for fruit and seed growth?

Gao

Zhai

et al. 2019

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Changes in the proportions of male and female flowers in monoecious plants in response to external environmental conditions are directly related to the reproductive fitness of plants. The monoecious cucumber plant was used in this study to assess the responses of sex differentiation and the breeding process to nutrient supply and the degree of artificial pollination using pollen solutions of different concentrations. Results We found that the nutrient supply significantly increased the number of female flowers after pollination, although the number of female flowers did not increase with the concentration of the pollination solution. The number of male flowers did not decrease even under the low nutrient concentration; consequently, the optimal benefits under different nutrient and pollen resources in the environment were maximized when the number of female flowers decreased due to low nutrient levels after pollination. Pollination treatment affected the fruit growth, seed set, and fruit yield. However, the number of fruit, fruit set percentage, and total seeds per plant did not increase with the pollination level, although the fruit weight and seed number in one fruit did increase. The trade-offs for cucumbers associated with flower differentiation with respect to nutrient supply and pollination may not be optimal for fruit growth or seed set. Conclusions It is concluded that the response of plant flowering to external factors is direct and instantaneous, and there may not be an overall and long-term resource allocation for fruit development and seed formation.

show abstract

Pollen limitation and resource limitation affect the reproductive success of Medicago sativa L.

Cited by 17 publications

References 40 publications

Comparative Efficiency of Native Insect Pollinators in Reproductive Performance of Medicago sativa L. in Pakistan

Comparative Efficiency of Native Insect Pollinators in Reproductive Performance of Medicago sativa L. in Pakistan

Are matching patterns of male and female flowers in response to nutrient supply and pollen concentration optimal for fruit and seed growth?

Are patterns of flower differentiation in response to nutrient supply and pollen concentration optimal for fruit and seed growth?

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