Nectar sugar production and honeybee foraging activity in 3 species of onion (Allium species)
1993; Springer Science+Business Media; Volume: 24; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1051/apido
ISSN1297-9678
Autores Tópico(s)Plant Reproductive Biology
Resumo— Nectar sugar content and solute concentration in the nectar of 3 Allium species were determined to assess their potential for honeybee foraging.The pattern of nectar secretion varied among the 3 onion species.In A cepa and A cepa fistulosum there was resorption of nectar sugars after 72 and 144 h of flower opening, whereas in A fistulosum even 144-h-old flowers contained 3.908 mg sugar/flower and there was no apparent resorption.The 3 onion species contained highly concentrated nectar and the solute contents were on average 68.96, 56.74 and 53.47% in A cepa, A fistulosum and A cepa fistulosum, respectively.The 24-h sugar value varied between 0.219 to 0.767 mg/flower, though significant amounts of sugar were produced after this period.Honeybees pre- ferred the nectar of A cepa.Among honeybees, Apis dorsata dominated the blooms as compared to A mellifera and A cerana indica.The differential preference of A cepa by honeybees might be asso- ciated with the concentration of nectar solutes coupled with the amount of dry nectar sugars.Apis mellifera / Apis cerana indica / Apis dorsata / foraging activity / Allium cepa / Allium fistu- losum / Allium cepa fistulosum / nectar sugar production
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