title: Stingless Bees as Alternative Pollinators of Canola.
abstract: Alternative pollinators can ensure pollination services if the availability of the managed or most common pollinator is compromised. In this study, the behavior and pollination efficiency of Apis mellifera L. and two species of stingless bees, Plebeia emerina Friese and Tetragonisca fiebrigi Schwarz, were evaluated and compared in flowers of Brassica napus L. 'Hyola 61'. A. mellifera was an efficient pollinator when collecting nectar because it effectively touched the reproductive organs of the flower. In contrast, stingless bees were efficient pollinators only when collecting pollen. The number of pollen grains deposited on the stigma after a single visit by worker bees of the three species was greater than the number of grains resulting from pollination without the bee visits. On average, the three species deposited enough pollen grains to fertilize all of the flower ovules. A. mellifera and P. emerina had similar pollination efficiency because no significant differences were observed in the characteristics of the siliques produced. Although T. fiebrigi is also an effective pollinator, the seed mass produced by their pollination was lower. Native bees promoted similar rates of fruit set compared with A. mellifera. Thus, P. emerina has potential to be used for pollination in canola crops.
authors.affiliation: Fundação Estadual de Pesquisa Agropecuária - Vale do Taquari, Centro de Pesquisa Emílio Schenk, Caixa Postal 12. Taquari, RS 95860-000, Brazil. siwitter@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Sidia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Witter
authors.affiliation: Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Faculdade de Biociências, Laboratório de Entomologia, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
authors.forename: Patrícia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nunes-Silva
authors.affiliation: Fundação Estadual de Pesquisa Agropecuária, Laboratório de Microbiologia Agrícola, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
authors.forename: Bruno B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Lisboa
authors.affiliation: Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Faculdade de Biociências, Laboratório de Entomologia, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
authors.forename: Flavia P
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: Tirelli
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Laboratório de Fitossanidade, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
authors.forename: Aroni
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sattler
authors.affiliation: Universidade do Vale do Rio do Sinos (Unisinos), Laboratório de Taxonomia Vegetal, São Leopoldo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Suzane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Both Hilgert-Moreira
authors.affiliation: Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Faculdade de Biociências, Laboratório de Entomologia, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
authors.forename: Betina
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Blochtein
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001516:Bees / Q000502:physiology*; D029688:Brassica napus / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D001938:Brazil; D054817:Pollination; D013045:Species Specificity
keywords: Apis mellifera; Brassica napus; Plebeia emerina; Tetragonisca fiebrigi; pollination