Pollination of Alfalfa and Red Clover

Prediction of Pollen-Mediated Gene Flow Between Fields of Red Clover (Trifolium pratense)

“…The flower morphology is ideally suited to pollination by bumblebee species with long tongues, such as Bombus hortorum and B. pascuorum, which can easily reach the nectar in the long corolla tubes, but short-tongued species, including B. terrestris and the honeybee, Apis mellifera, collect pollen from the flowers and pollinate them in the process [1,9]. There is considerable evidence that seed yield from red clover fields can be limited by lack of pollination (reviewed in [9]).…”

Distribution data on the family Melittidae (Hymenoptera) of Turkey with considerations about their importance as pollinators

“…The weight of a flower visitor exerts pressure on the standard and wing petals and causes the anthers and stigma to extend forward and press against the underside of the head of the visitor (Free, 1993). Following a visit, in contrast to the alfalfa flower, the sexual structures return to their original position, allowing the same flower to deliver pollen repeatedly (Bohart, 1957). The action of insects is required for a successful seed set.…”

“…Manipulation of the flowers causes pollen to be deposited on the ventral surface of the pollinator bee at the same time that the stigma is contacted and cross-pollen delivered. Although the main pollinators of Trifolium spp., especially T. pratense, are various species of bumble bees and honey bees (Bohart, 1957;Palmer-Jones et al, 1966;Özbek, 1980;Woodcock, 2012), M. leporina, M. dimidiata, and M. bicollaris visit T. pratense, T. repens, and T. hybridum. Field observations revealed that the presence of competing plants in the vicinity of clover-growing area caused visiting Melitta species to be less frequent. The main competing plants are sainfoin (for M. dimidiata and M. bicollaris) and alfalfa (for M. leporina).…”

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“…This species is a ground nester (Hobbs and Lilly 1954;Bohart 1957) (Table 1) and visits several forage crops including alfalfa and red clover in the prairies (Hobbs 1957;Hobbs et al 1961). Figure M33), 4) gena subequal to compound eye in width, 5) vertex and gena very finely and closely punctate throughout, frons rather finely and closely punctate, the supraclypeal area more densely rugose, clypeus finely and densely punctate along upper margin with an incomplete median impunctate line basally, but punctures becoming more coarse, deep and distinct and at least slightly separated toward apical margin, 6) pubescence of head entirely pale yellowish, rather short and quite dense around antennae and paraocular area, more whitish and elongate on gena below, becoming sparse and more yellowish above, that on vertex rather short but erect, 7) F1 longer than broad (3:2), longer than pedicel, subequal in length to remaining flagellomeres, apical flagellomere more elongate (5.5:2).…”