FRUIT SET OF SELECTED SELF-STERILE AND SELF-FERTILE FRUIT CULTIVARS AS AFFECTED BY THE DURATION OF INSECT POLLINATION

In self-sterile apple, plum and sour cherry cultivars even partial limitation of the duration of the bee pollination period significantly reduced fruit set and yield.
Limitation resulted in a strong reduction for apple cultivars and for 1 self-sterile sour cherry cultivar even if bee pollination was prevented from the 5–6th day after the onset of blooming only.
In 1 self-sterile plum cultivar, however, moderate limitation was not of significant influence but strong or complete limitation again resulted in a strong reduction of yield.

As found for sour cherry self-fertile cultivars can be sensitive to very strong or complete limitation of bee pollination, but other self-fertile crops or cultivars hardly respond or don’t respond at all to the limitation of bee pollination (e.g. plums in the present study).

Yield seems to be a more reliable criterion than fruit set when evaluating the sensitivity of cultivated plant species or cultivars to the limitation of the duration of the bee pollination period.

II Workshop on Pollination

P. Benedek, J. Nyeki

Apple, bee pollination, plum, sour cherry, yield

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1996.423.6