title: Effect of Number of Bombus impatiens (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Visits on Eggplant Yield.
abstract: Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) is a crop with perfect flowers capable of self-pollination. Insect pollination enhances fruit set, but little is known about how pollination success varies by number of visits from bumble bees. To quantify the efficiency of bumble bees at pollinating eggplants, we allowed 1, 2, 6, and 12 bumble bees (Bombus impatiens Cresson) to visit eggplant flowers and compared percentage of flowers that set fruit, fruit weight, and seed set after 3 wk. We compared yield from these visit numbers to eggplant flowers that were left open for unlimited visitation. Eggplant flowers set the most fruit from open-pollination and 12 visits. Larger, seedier fruits were formed in open-pollinated flowers. However, fruit characteristics in the 12 visit treatment were similar to lower visitation frequencies. We confirm B. impatiens as an efficient eggplant pollinator and document the greatest benefit from 12 bumble bee visits and open-pollinated flowers. To maintain effective eggplant pollination, local conditions must be conducive for bumble bee colony establishment and repeated pollen foraging trips.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, 845 W. Taylor St. (M/C 066), Chicago, IL 60607. dlowen2@uic.edu.
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Lowenstein
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, 845 W. Taylor St. (M/C 066), Chicago, IL 60607. Institute for Environmental Science and Policy, University of Illinois at Chicago, 2121 West Taylor Street (MC 673), Chicago, IL 60612.
authors.forename: Emily S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Minor
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001516:Bees / Q000502:physiology*; D005638:Fruit / Q000254:growth & development; D054817:Pollination; D012639:Seeds / Q000254:growth & development; D032323:Solanum melongena / Q000254:growth & development*
keywords: Solanum melongena; bumble bee; eggplant; pollination