Abelhas e a polinização da pitaya (Hylocereus spp.): implicações no vingamento, características físicas e físico-químicas dos frutos

• Ano de defesa: 2017
• Autor(a) principal: Muniz, João Paulo de Oliveira
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Tipo de acesso: Acesso aberto
• Idioma: por
• Palavras-chave em Português: Abelha melífera; Biologia floral; Frutificação; Polinização; Polinizadores; Produção de pitaya; Qualidade de frutos
• Link de acesso: http://www.repositorio.ufc.br/handle/riufc/26127

Pitaya or dragon fruit is the common name for several species of cactus native to the tropical and subtropical regions that are pollinated by bats. Commercial production on a large scale is recent and there is little information on pollination and fruiting in this crop. Therefore, the objective of this work was to study floral biology, pollination requirements and the behavior of flower visitors, especially the honey bee Apis mellifera as an alternative pollinator in two species of pitaya, Hylocereus undatus and H. polyrhizus cultivated in Northeast Brazil. The experiment was conducted through diurnal and nocturnal observations and the use of bagged or open flowers to investigate the species floral biology and floral visitors, and the application of pollination treatments - natural, restricted, nocturnal and by Apis mellifera visits, to learn about pollination requirements of pitaya and pollinator effectiveness. All fruits were harvested and analyzed at 30 days after setting. Each treatment was evaluated in the number of fruits produced, total weight of fruits; skin weight; pulp weight; longitudinal and transverse width; number of seeds; pH; Acidity; ºBrix; and ratio ºBrix / total acidity. Results showed that the flowers of the two species are similar both anatomically and functionally. Floral visitors found in the flowers were sphinxes, ants, wasps and bees, and Apis mellifera was responsible for 86.1% of flower visits. Hylocereus undatus is independent of biotic pollination to set fruits, but needs the moth Agrius cingulata to improve the production quality with larger and heavier fruits. Hylocereus polyrhizus relies on biotic pollination to maximize fruit yield and Apis mellifera specifically to increase fruit size and weight. In addition, pollination type influenced little the physical-chemical characteristics of the fruits, being only relevant in the reduction of the pH in flowers pollinated by A. mellifera. We conclude there is a need to adopt moth-friendly practices and to improve the management of A. mellifera as pollinators to maximize the quantity and / or quality of the fruits, depending on the species of pitaya.