DOI: https://doi.org/10.5513/JCEA01/26.4.4511
Original scientific paper
Main pollinators of haskap (Lonicera caerulea: Caprifoliaceae) and the effect of different controlled methods of pollination on fruit set
2025, 26 (4) p. 1043-1059
Marian HÝBL, Aleš VLÁDEK, Antonín PŘIDAL, Milan KOBES, Jan ŠIPOŠ, Ondřej POLÁK, Štěpán RYBA, Petr MRÁZ
Abstract
The fruit set of haskap is dependent on optimal pollination. Thus, the focus of this study was the effect of pollination in haskap (varieties Viola, Gerda, and Sinnaja ptica). The study aimed to verify the impact of different pollination methods on fruit harvest as well as identify the main bee pollinators and compare their significance. The percent fruit set, fruit weight, number of seeds per fruit, and percent fruit set in time order were compared for four treatments: free pollination, self-pollination, cross-pollination, and no manipulation. In general, the observed production parameters were better under the free pollination treatment. As the cross-pollination method was unable to maximise the fruit set and improve other production parameters, it is clear haskap has an entomophilous character. This proves that there is an obscure effect of pollinators on the effectiveness of pollination in haskap. The results regarding haskap bee pollinators suggest a preference by long-tongued bees belonging to Bombus spp. and Apis mellifera, even though short-tongued species of solitary bees were dominant in the haskaps’ vicinity. Based on our results, Bombus spp. is the most suitable pollinator in Central European conditions. Other experiments have to be conducted to further clarify the reasons for low haskap productivity under isolation with cross-pollination.
Keywords
honeysuckle, hand pollination, Apis mellifera, Bombus spp
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