Honeybee apple pollination in the state of Coahuila, Mexico

Abstract

The most important apple varieties grown in Sierra de Arteaga (20 miles East to Saltillo, state of Coahuila, Mexico) have shown self- incompatibility leading to a low fruit-set. A possible solution can be the use of honeybee for pollination. To validate this, an experiment was carried on at "Los Lirios”, Sierra de Arteaga; the apple orchard (3.8 ha, 159 trees ha-1, cultivars red and golden delicious) was added with nine bee colonies at the center of the field. Four trees by cultivar at 2, 81 and 144 m apart from the apiaries were marked. Before flower setting, 80 identified floral buds on trees were and were not covered with a sack of tulle fabric to reject or to let the bees access to flowers. Data for fruit-set were registred 11 days after full bloom; the fruit persistence was evaluated every 10 days, nine times; the statistical analysis was a pertinent for a 2x2x3 factorial traits arrangement (two varieties, two bud covering, three apiary-trees distances); mean comparissons were performed using the Tukey mean test. The strenght of bee population was also measured. Fruit-set averaged at 75% for golden delicious and 76.5% for red delicious was determined to be promoted by honeybees, overcoming the self-incompatibility evidences by a less than 10% of fruit-setting when the flowers were tulle fabric covered.