Increasing Honey Bee Hive Densities Promotes Pollination and Yield Components of Highbush Blueberry in Western Washington

Arrington, M.; DeVetter, Lisa W.

doi:10.21273/hortsci12644-17

Cited by 17 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…In our study, minimum seed number also varied greatly among cultivars. In Washington, Arrington and DeVetter (2018) found fewer seeds/berry in 'Duke' (11-33) than in our study, but also reported lower fruit set in their region, likely because of adverse weather reducing pollinator activity (Arrington and DeVetter, 2017). Increased pollinator activity through stocking with more hives/ha increased seeds/berry (Arrington and DeVetter, 2018).…”

Section: Resultscontrasting

confidence: 55%

“…In Washington, Arrington and DeVetter (2018) found fewer seeds/berry in 'Duke' (11-33) than in our study, but also reported lower fruit set in their region, likely because of adverse weather reducing pollinator activity (Arrington and DeVetter, 2017). Increased pollinator activity through stocking with more hives/ha increased seeds/berry (Arrington and DeVetter, 2018). Although Ehlenfeldt and Martin (2010) reported that an early-ripening cultivar had fewer seeds and smaller berries than a later ripening cultivar, we found no such relationship.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Cultivars differ in percent fruit set or seed set because of differing bloom periods and associated differences in weather (Arrington and DeVetter, 2017), differences in attractiveness of the flowers to pollinators (Courcelles et al, 2013), and genetic differences in self-or cross-compatibility and pollen quantity or quality (e.g., Brewer and Dobson, 1969;Chavez and Lyrene, 2009;Ehlenfeldt and Kramer, 2012;MacKenzie, 1997;Rabaey and Luby, 1988;Vander Kloet, 1983). As a result, cultivars have been found to differ in the seeds/berry and, often as a result, berry size (Arrington and DeVetter, 2018;Brewer and Dobson, 1969;DeVetter et al, 2016;Eaton, 1967;Ehlenfeldt, 2001;Ehlenfeldt and Martin, 2010;Gupton, 1984;Gupton and Spiers, 1994;Jackson et al, 1972;Lang and Danka, 1991;Lyrene, 1989;Meader, 1936;Meader andDarrow, 1944, 1947;Moore et al, 1972;Morrow, 1943;Payne et al, 1989;Taber and Olmstead, 2016).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Highbush Blueberry Cultivars Differ in the Relationship between Seed Number and Berry Weight during the Harvest Season

Strik¹,

Vance²

2019

horts

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The relationship between individual berry weight and viable seed number of small- (<15 mm), medium- (15–19 mm), and large-diameter (>19 mm) berries was studied over 2 years in nine cultivars (Aurora, Bluecrop, Bluegold, Draper, Duke, Liberty, Legacy, Ozarkblue, and Reka) through their harvest seasons. Plants were grown with two different preplant amendment-mulch treatments, but this treatment had no effect on the variables measured, so data were pooled. The highest average seeds/berry was in ‘Bluecrop’ (55.5) and ‘Duke’ (50.0) and the lowest in ‘Bluegold’ (17.1), ‘Aurora’ (22.5), and ‘Liberty’ (23.5). Average berry weight over the fruiting season ranged from 1.79 and 1.80 g for ‘Liberty’ and ‘Reka’, respectively, to 2.30 and 2.44 g in ‘Ozarkblue’ and ‘Draper’, respectively. The average number of seeds/berry was higher in 2010 than in 2009 for all cultivars, ranging from 14% higher in ‘Reka’ to 96% higher in ‘Liberty’. The flowering period was earlier in 2010 than in 2009, but bloom was concentrated in 2009 (28 days) compared with 2010 (45 days), likely affecting pollinator success. In general, seeds/berry and berry weight declined through the harvest season. Some cultivars had a considerable difference in the number of seeds in large-sized than in small-sized berries (e.g., 89%, 107%, 108%, and 147% more seeds in ‘Aurora’, ‘Reka’, ‘Bluegold’, and ‘Liberty’, respectively), whereas others had relatively little difference (14% and 36% in ‘Draper’ and ‘Bluecrop’, respectively). There was a linear relationship between berry weight and viable seeds/berry. Cultivars did not differ in the berry weight per seed (slope of the line) between the 2 years, except for ‘Draper’ (only significant in 2009), ‘Legacy’, and ‘Reka’. ‘Bluegold’ had the greatest berry weight per seed and ‘Reka’ the lowest. The weakest relationship between berry weight and seed number was in ‘Draper’. Cultivars that produced parthenocarpic fruit of marketable size were ‘Aurora’, ‘Bluegold’, and ‘Liberty’. ‘Duke’, ‘Legacy’, ‘Reka’, and ‘Ozarkblue’ produced commercially acceptable fruit (0.75–1.0 g) with fewer than 7 seeds/berry. By contrast, some cultivars required a relatively large number of seeds to produce a berry including ‘Bluecrop’ (28–40 seeds), ‘Draper’ (15–23 seeds), and ‘Legacy’ in 2010 (20 seeds). The number of seeds per berry accounted for as much as 87% of the variability in berry weight indicating the importance of good pollination and seed set for berry weight and yield in these cultivars.

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Section: Resultscontrasting

confidence: 55%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Highbush Blueberry Cultivars Differ in the Relationship between Seed Number and Berry Weight during the Harvest Season

Strik¹,

Vance²

2019

horts

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“…Both this study and Arrington & De Vetter (2018) found that flower visitation did not predict yield like other studies suggest (Isaacs & Kirk, 2010). These results are different from those observed on lowbush blueberry (Aras, De Oliveira & Savoie, 1996) and rabbiteye blueberry (Vaccinium virgatum var.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 44%

“…A key limitation of this study is that while Arrington & De Vetter (2018) randomized the stocking rate to fields, findings in this study are correlational and depended on variation within commercial production systems. Future studies should control for colony strength by randomly assigning strong and weak colonies to different fields.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Honey bee (Apis mellifera) colony strength and its effects on pollination and yield in highbush blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum)

Grant

DeVetter

Melathopoulos

2021

PeerJ

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Many pollination studies with honey bees have examined the effect of colony density on crop yield and yet overlook the effect of variation in the population size of these colonies. High colony density in northern highbush blueberry has been met with concerns from beekeepers who feel higher densities will intensify outbreaks of European foulbrood (EFB, Melissococcus plutonius, Truper and dé Clari), a honey bee brood disease. The purpose of this study was to confirm the prevalence of EFB in colonies pollinating blueberries and to determine whether field-level variation in the population of adult workers in colonies explained variation in blueberry fruit set and/or yield. We addressed these objectives over the course of two production seasons at 13 commercial blueberry fields in Oregon, USA, stocked with identical densities of 10 colonies/ha. We confirmed that all colonies had negligible symptoms of EFB at the start of blueberry pollination, but 53% of colonies in 2019 and 41% in 2020 had symptoms immediately following the pollination season. We also validated a method for rapidly assessing adult honey bee colony populations, namely by counting the rate of foragers returning to colonies, and it was found to be strongly correlated to true internal adult bee population independent of year and ambient temperature at the time of evaluation. Using returning forager counts, we determined there was considerable variation in the average population of colonies at each field, ranging from an estimated 10,300 to 30,700 adult worker bees per colony. While average colony strength did not predict variation in fruit set, it was related to variation in yield, independent of year. Our linear model of flight count (as a proxy for colony strength) predicts estimated yield increases of up to 25,000 kg/ha of blueberries could be achieved by colonies stronger than the recommended six frame minimum, suggesting that higher pollination benefits could be achieved without increasing hive density if stronger colonies are promoted.

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Landscape-level honey bee hive density, instead of field-level hive density, enhances honey bee visitation in blueberry

et al. 2022

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Context To date, managing honey bees and wild bees within crop fields remains challenging. Landscape structure is often overlooked when studying the pollination contribution of honey bees. Increasing our understanding on how to predict honey bee visitation in crops is crucial for sustainable management of agroecosystems. Objectives With this study we investigated which landscape and field-level variables determine honey bee and wild bee visitation, and whether honey bee or wild bee visitation influence crop pollination. Methods Sixteen highbush blueberry fields were surveyed for honey bees, wild bees, and crop pollination in Washington, USA. Additionally, within a radius of 1000 m around each field all honey bee hives were located and the surrounding landscape was characterized. Results Honey bee hive numbers in the landscape positively correlate with the proportion of blueberry in the landscape. Honey bee visitation was best predicted by landscape-level hive density within a radius of 1000 m, whereas semi-natural habitat and field-level hive density did not impact honey bee visitation. The amount of semi-natural habitat and blueberry within a radius of 1000 m had a positive and negative impact, respectively, on wild bee visitation. Honey bee visitation had a positive effect on blueberry seed set. Conclusion We conclude that honey bee visitation is determined by the number of honey bee hives in the surrounding landscape. Hence, field-level hive density recommendations miss contributions from other hives in the landscape. Furthermore, semi-natural habitat did not impact honey bee visitation and contributes to diversifying pollinator diets and provides wild bee habitat.

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Increasing Honey Bee Hive Densities Promotes Pollination and Yield Components of Highbush Blueberry in Western Washington

Cited by 17 publications

References 20 publications

Highbush Blueberry Cultivars Differ in the Relationship between Seed Number and Berry Weight during the Harvest Season

Highbush Blueberry Cultivars Differ in the Relationship between Seed Number and Berry Weight during the Harvest Season

Honey bee (Apis mellifera) colony strength and its effects on pollination and yield in highbush blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum)

Landscape-level honey bee hive density, instead of field-level hive density, enhances honey bee visitation in blueberry

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