pollination for berry production - networkvarious rubus spp. and hybrids with raspberries (rubus...
TRANSCRIPT
Pollination for BerryProduction
Peter KevanScientific Director of NSERC-CANPOLIN
Department of Environmental BiologyUniversity of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1
12 – 13 June, 2009
What is Pollination?• Transfer of pollen
1. Self-pollination(autogamy)
2. Self-pollination(geitonogamy)
3. Cross-pollination(xenogamy)
Prelude to fertilization …seeds & fruits
What is Pollination?
• Plant Sex!
BlackberryRubus fruticosus
Stigma
BlackberryRubus fruticosus
• Breeding System: self-sterile to partiallyself-fertile
• Pollination System: wide open floweraccessible to many insects; cross-pollination by insects needed
• Pollinators: many kinds of insects,honeybees
• Notes: loganberries, youngberries,boysenberries and dewberries arevarious Rubus spp. and hybridswith raspberries (Rubus idaeus)
Black CurrantRibes nigrum
Black CurrantRibes nigrum
• Breeding System: self-fertile• Pollination System: insects needed to
move pollinate even on the same flowers• Pollinators: some native insects e.g.
Small bees, honeybees• Notes: wind may shake flowers
to allow some pollination
BlueberriesVaccinium angustifolium, corymbosum, & hybrid
Anthers Stigma
Lowbush BlueberryVaccinium angustifolium
• Breeding System: mostly self-sterile• Pollination System: buzz pollination by
many kinds of wild bees• Pollinators: wild bees, bumblebees,
honeybees, leaf cutting bees• Notes: self-fertility seems more common
in isolated small populations; hugely importantwildlife food (black bears, migratory birds)
Leaf cutting beedomicile shelter
Highbush & Hybrid BlueberryVaccinium corymbosum & V. corymbosum x
angustifolium• Breeding System: mostly self-sterile;
questions of varietal self-sterility vs. withinplant self-sterility
• Pollination System: buzz pollination bymany wild bees; flowers differ in size, depthand opening by variety so restrict access tosome pollinators
• Pollinators: many wild bees, bumblebees,honeybees, leaf cutting bees
• Notes: Some varieties require other pollinizer nearby,others need cross-pollination between plants of the samevariety
Cloudberry or Bake-appleRubus chamaemorus
Female flower Male flowerPlants of two separate sexes: dioecy
Cloudberry or Bake-appleRubus chamaemorus
• Breeding System: obligate outcrosser,plants have two separate sexes (speciesis dioecious)
• Pollination System: male plants offerpollen as the reward to pollinators; femaleplants may offer minute amounts ofnectar
• Pollinators: mostly small to mediumsized pollen eating flower flies(Syrphidae)
• Notes: harvested commercially in N Europe,NFLD and interest now in Quebec
CranberryVaccinium macrocarpon
CranberryVaccinium macrocarpon
• Breeding System: probably mostly self-sterile
• Pollination System: day 1 flowers shedpollen, stigma non receptive till day 2;buzz pollination by pollen foraging bees
• Pollinators: bumblebees especiallygood, honeybees used forcommercial production
• Notes: better pollination =more seeds =bigger berries
ElderberrySambucus canadensis
ElderberrySambucus canadensis
• Breeding System: unknown, self-pollination easily done but self-fertility notproven
• Pollination System: unknown, flowershave characteristic ‘muscatel’ scent andno nectar: heavier bearing with cross-pollination
• Pollinators: various flies and beetles• Notes: Closely related to European
S. nigra; more research needed
GooseberryRibes uva-crispa
GooseberryRibes uva-crispa
• Breeding System: self-fertile• Pollination System: mostly self-
pollinating but insect pollination increasesyield
• Pollinators: small bees and honeybees
GrapeVitis vinifera
GrapeVitis vinifera
• Breeding System: self-fertile• Pollination System: mostly by wind• Pollinators: mostly wind• Notes: wild grapes have vines of two
separate sexes and require cross-pollinationwhich occurs by wind and insects
Haskap = Blue Honey SuckleLonicera caerulea
Haskap = Blue Honey SuckleLonicera caerulea
• Breeding System: cross-pollinationbetween varieties is required (self-sterile)
• Pollination System: tubular flowers offernectar to bees with longish tongues
• Pollinators: understudied; probably wellserved by bumblebees;honeybees can be used
• Notes: blooms very early whenhoneybees not very active;nectar robbing could be a problem
RaspberryRubus idaeus
RaspberryRubus idaeus
• Breeding System: self-fertile to self-infertile (seem to be differences betweenvarieties, hybrids and species)
• Pollination System: well served byhoneybees for both cross- and self-pollination; produce plentiful nectar
• Pollinators: many insects,especially bees collecting nectarand pollen
Red CurrantRibes rubrum
Red CurrantRibes rubrum
• Breeding System: unknown, probablyself-fertile
• Pollination System: unknown, higheryields with honeybees
• Pollinators: little is known
Rose HipsRosa spp.
Rose HipsRosa spp.
• Breeding System: ranges from self-fertileto self-sterile depending on species
• Pollination System: insect pollination isimportant, rose flowers produce onlypollen as pollinator reward
• Pollinators: mostly bees, some fliesand beetles; honeybees useful
• Notes: more research on pollinationfor commercial production is needed
Saskatoon Berry = ServiceBerry
Amelanchier alnifolia
Saskatoon Berry = ServiceBerry
Amelanchier alnifolia• Breeding System: Self-fertile• Pollination System: Open to many kinds
of insects, flowers sweetly scented.• Pollinators: Wild bees, flies• Notes: Higher yield with open (cross) pollination. Blooms early in late spring to early summer
StrawberryFragaria x ananassa
StrawberryFragaria x ananassa
• Breeding System: from self-sterile to self-fertile depending on cultivar
• Pollination System: wide open flowerserved by many kinds of insects collectingnectar and/or pollen
• Pollinators: many wild bees, flies,honeybees for production fields
• Notes: pollination requirements need study,systems are complex and dependenton cultivar
Conclusions• General pollination requirements for berry
crops are well to poorly understood• Most indications are that having adequate
pollination by insects is important tomaximize yields (grapes excepted)
• Breeding systems need to be elucidatedby species and cultivar in almost allberries
• NSERC-CANPOLIN’s first target isblueberries
News• Blueberry “hit-team” is assembled (Guelph,
UPEI, NSCAC, York, McGill, UNB, Laval, Western,ACORN, AAFC, and others)– Genomics– Breeding System– Pollinators– Pollination– Pollinators & Biocontrol of fungal pests– Production/agronomy– Economics
Acknowledgements• I thank the Atlantic Canadian Organic
Regional Network for inviting me to makethis presentation
• Special thanks go to Dr. Jim Kemp, AlanHicken and friends from PEI forencouraging this synthesis