Nectar and pollen production in ornamental cultivars of Prunus serrulata (Rosaceae)

Abstract

Planting ornamental species can help to create pollinator-friendly habitats. In the present study the flowering phenology and floral reward (nectar and pollen) in two cultivars of Prunus serrulata (‘Kanzan’ and ‘Amanogawa’) were evaluated in 2014-2015 in the city of Lublin (south-east Poland). On average, the onset of flowering of P. serrulata occurred in the first ten days of April (‘Kanzan’) or at the end of April (‘Amanogawa’), and lasted 8-17 days. In each year of the study, P. serrulata ‘Kanzan’ started flowering 11-18 days earlier than P. serrulata ‘Amanogawa’. The double flowers of P. serrulata ‘Kanzan’ offered only tiny amounts of nectar and pollen. The total mass of sugars was 0.59 mg per flower and that of pollen 0.08 mg per flower. The semi-double flowers of P. serrulata ‘Amanogawa’ produced 4.5 mg of sugars per flower and 0.17 mg of pollen per flower. The frequency of pollinator visits to flowers was low in P. serrulata ‘Amanogawa’ and very low in P. serrulata ‘Kanzan’. Therefore, if pollinator-friendly arrangements are made in urban areas, these cultivars should not be planted.

If You Grow It, They Will Come: Ornamental Plants Impact the Abundance and Diversity of Pollinators and Other Flower-Visiting Insects in Gardens

“…Firstly, many annuals were initially bred to provide long-term color aesthetics and not to attract pollinators, so some may possess little or no foraging resources (pollen or nectar) for flower-visiting insects, even though they have the benefit of being some of the easiest plants to grow [62]. For example, "double" flowers, or varieties of flowers with extra petals such as zinnia "Double Zahara", are often highly bred for human aesthetic appeal and are not accessible to pollinators [63,64]. Because annuals are often preferred for their ornamental value, their addition within gardens should be carefully balanced against more rewarding plants to provide foraging resources for bees.…”

Nectar Production and Spectrum of Insect Visitors in Six Varieties of Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) in SE Poland

“…is species has attracted attention due to its pleasantly sweet fruits which are also a source of biologically active compounds, especially antioxidants (Cardeñosa et al, 2016;Pervin et al, 2016). Poland is one of the leading producers of blueberries -in 2019, total fruit yield exceeded 25,000 tons, and approximately 6,700 tons of fruit were exported, predominantly to countries of the European Union (Statistics Poland, 2019). However, data on nectar production by highbush blueberry under the climatic conditions of Poland are scarce and were collected only regarding very young shrubs (Jabłoński et al, 1983).…”