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Yang J, Yao M, Zhang D, Zhao Y, Gao G. Microbial community diversity analysis of kiwifruit pollen and identification of potential pathogens. Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek 2024; 117:114. [PMID: 39164415 DOI: 10.1007/s10482-024-02013-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2024] [Accepted: 08/16/2024] [Indexed: 08/22/2024]
Abstract
The kiwifruit industry typically uses commercial pollen for artificial pollination. However, during the collection of male flowers and pollen production, pollen can be easily contaminated by pathogenic bacteria that cause diseases such as canker and flower rot. Consequently, it is crucial to understand the structure of the pollen microbial community. This study employed Illumina high-throughput sequencing technology to analyze the fungal and bacterial composition in pollen samples from various regions in Shaanxi Province. Concurrently, potential pathogenic strains were isolated using traditional microbial isolation and cultivation techniques, and their molecular identification was performed through 16S rDNA sequence analysis. A tieback test was conducted on healthy branches to verify the pathogenicity of the strains. The results revealed a rich diversity of fungi and bacteria in kiwifruit pollen. At the phylum level, pollen fungi were mainly distributed in Ascomycota, and bacteria were mainly distributed in Proteobacteria and Firmicutes. The dominant fungal genera were Mycosphaerella, Aspergillus, and Cladosporium; the dominant bacterial genera were Weissella, Pantoea, Enterobacter, and Pseudomonas, respectively. Additionally, both Erwinia persicina and Pseudomonas fluorescens, isolated from pollen, exhibited high pathogenicity toward healthy kiwifruit branches. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the microbial diversity in commercial kiwifruit pollen used for mass pollination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaqi Yang
- College of Food Engineering and Nutritional Science, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710119, Shaanxi, China
| | - Manli Yao
- College of Food Engineering and Nutritional Science, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710119, Shaanxi, China
| | - Dan Zhang
- College of Food Engineering and Nutritional Science, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710119, Shaanxi, China
| | - Yu Zhao
- College of Food Engineering and Nutritional Science, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710119, Shaanxi, China
| | - Guitian Gao
- College of Food Engineering and Nutritional Science, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710119, Shaanxi, China.
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Estravis-Barcala MC, Palottini F, Verellen F, González A, Farina WM. Sugar-conditioned honey bees can be biased towards a nectarless dioecious crop. Sci Rep 2024; 14:18263. [PMID: 39107328 PMCID: PMC11303517 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-67917-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 07/17/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024] Open
Abstract
The targeted pollination strategy has shown positive results in directing honey bees to crop flowers offering nectar along with pollen as reward. Kiwifruit is a functionally dioecious species, which relies on bees to transport pollen from staminate to pistillate nectarless flowers. Following the targeted pollination procedures recently validated, we first developed a mimic odor (KM) based on kiwifruit floral volatiles for which bees showed the highest level of generalization to the natural floral scent, although the response towards pistillate flowers was higher than towards staminate flowers. Then, in the field, feeding colonies KM-scented sucrose solution resulted in higher amounts of kiwifruit pollen collected by honey bees compared to control colonies fed unscented sucrose solution. Our results support the hypothesis that olfactory conditioning bees biases their foraging preferences in a nectarless crop, given the higher visitation to target flowers despite having provided the mimic odor paired with a sugar reward.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Cecilia Estravis-Barcala
- Laboratorio de Insectos Sociales, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias, CONICET-UBA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- División Entomología, Museo de La Plata, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Florencia Palottini
- Laboratorio de Insectos Sociales, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias, CONICET-UBA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Biociencias Agrícolas y Ambientales (INBA), CONICET-UBA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Facundo Verellen
- Laboratorio de Insectos Sociales, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias, CONICET-UBA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Andrés González
- Laboratorio de Ecología Química, Facultad de Química, Universidad de La República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Walter M Farina
- Laboratorio de Insectos Sociales, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias, CONICET-UBA, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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Munné-Bosch S, Bermejo NF. Fruit quality in organic and conventional farming: advantages and limitations. TRENDS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2024; 29:878-894. [PMID: 38402015 DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2024.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Revised: 12/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/26/2024]
Abstract
Fruit quality is essential for nutrition and human health and needs urgent attention in current agricultural practices. Organic farming is not as productive as conventional agriculture, but it can provide higher quality in some fruit crops, thanks to the absence of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, enhanced pollination, and the reduction of protection treatments, hence boosting antioxidant compound production. Although organic farming does not always provide healthier food than conventional farming, some lessons from organic farming can be extrapolated to new sustainable production models. Exploiting natural resources and an adequate knowledge transfer will undoubtedly help improve the quality of climacteric and nonclimacteric fruits in new agricultural systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergi Munné-Bosch
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Research Institute of Nutrition and Food Safety, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Núria F Bermejo
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Research Institute of Nutrition and Food Safety, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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Wang S, Long C, Liu H, Pan L, Yang S, Zhao J, Jiang Y, Bei X. Comparative physiochemical and transcriptomic analysis reveals the influences of cross-pollination on ovary and fruit development in pummelo (Citrus maxima). Sci Rep 2023; 13:19081. [PMID: 37925539 PMCID: PMC10625566 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-46058-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/06/2023] Open
Abstract
'Shuijingmiyou' pummelo (SJ), one of the most popular fruits in Yunnan province of China, is of relatively low fruit shape (FS) quality. In this study, we compared the FS promoting effects of cross pollinations using pollens from seven pummelo varieties, and found that 'Guanximiyou' pummelo (GX) cross-pollination showed the best FS promoting effects on SJ fruits by shortening its fruit neck. To explore the underlying mechanism, physiochemical and transcriptomic differences between self- and cross-pollinated SJ ovaries (SJO and GXO) were investigated. Higher salicylic acid, gibberellin and indole acetic acid contents and superoxide dismutase, peroxidase and catalase activities, and lower polyphenol oxidase activity were determined in GXO compared with SJO. Enrichment analysis of the identified 578 differentially expressed genes (123 up-regulated and 455 down-regulated) in GXO showed that genes involved in solute transport, RNA biosynthesis, phytohormone action and cell wall organization were significantly enriched. The results obtained in this study will be helpful in understanding the influences of cross-pollination on pummelo ovary and fruit development, and can provide the basis for clarifying the underlying mechanism of cross-pollination improved fruit quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaohua Wang
- Institute of Tropical and Subtropical Cash Crops, Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Baoshan, 678000, China
| | - Chunrui Long
- Institute of Tropical and Subtropical Cash Crops, Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Baoshan, 678000, China
| | - Hongming Liu
- Institute of Tropical and Subtropical Cash Crops, Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Baoshan, 678000, China
| | - Li Pan
- Institute of Tropical and Subtropical Cash Crops, Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Baoshan, 678000, China
| | - Shizao Yang
- Institute of Tropical and Subtropical Cash Crops, Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Baoshan, 678000, China
| | - Jun Zhao
- Institute of Tropical and Subtropical Cash Crops, Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Baoshan, 678000, China
| | - Yan Jiang
- Institute of Tropical and Subtropical Cash Crops, Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Baoshan, 678000, China
| | - Xuejun Bei
- Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Bio-Resources, Education Department of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Yulin Normal University, Yulin, 537000, China.
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Abbate AP, Campbell JW, Williams GR. Artificial pollination of kiwifruit (Actinidia chinensis Planch. var. chinensis) (Ericales: Actinidiaceae) results in greater fruit set compared to flowers pollinated by managed bees (Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae) and Bombus impatiens Cresson (Hymenoptera: Apidae)). JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY 2023; 116:674-685. [PMID: 36939034 DOI: 10.1093/jee/toad044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Revised: 12/11/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Due to a lack of knowledge on the pollination requirements of kiwifruit cultivars grown within the United States, farmers simultaneously implement multiple pollination methods, like the rental of managed bee species or artificial pollination to achieve high fruit yields. However, implementing multiple pollination methods is costly and possibly an inefficient use of resources. We assessed the contribution of two managed bees (Apis mellifera and Bombus impatiens) to the pollination of kiwifruit by i) determining the relative abundance of kiwifruit pollen collected by foragers of each bee species, and ii) comparing fruit set and fruit quality among insect and artificially pollinated flowers through an insect exclusion experiment. A significant difference was observed between the mean relative abundance of kiwifruit pollen carried in the corbicula of A. mellifera and B. impatiens, with B. impatiens carrying on average 46% more kiwifruit pollen than A. mellifera. Artificially pollinated kiwifruit flowers set significantly greater numbers of fruit per flower at four weeks post-bloom and at harvest compared to insect pollination, wind pollination, and pollen exclusion treatment. Artificial pollination produced fruits of greater weight, size, and seed number compared to insect-pollinated flowers, and few fruits were produced in the pollen exclusion and wind pollination treatments. Kiwifruit producers experiencing similar conditions to ours should focus on artificially pollinating their crops rather than relying on managed or wild insects for kiwifruit pollination. Future research should evaluate other methods of artificial pollination to determine their effectiveness, efficiency, and economics in the pollination of kiwifruit grown within the United States.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony P Abbate
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
| | - Joshua W Campbell
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
- USDA - Agricultural Research Service, Pest Management Research Unit, Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory, Sidney, MT 59270, USA
| | - Geoffrey R Williams
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
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Abrahamczyk S, Struck JH, Weigend M. The best of two worlds: ecology and evolution of ambophilous plants. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:391-420. [PMID: 36270973 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Revised: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Ambophily, the mixed mode of wind and insect pollination is still poorly understood, even though it has been known to science for over 130 years. While its presence has been repeatedly inferred, experimental data remain regrettably rare. No specific suite of morphological or ecological characteristics has yet been identified for ambophilous plants and their ecology and evolution remain uncertain. In this review we summarise and evaluate our current understanding of ambophily, primarily based on experimental studies. A total of 128 ambophilous species - including several agriculturally important crops - have been reported from most major habitat types worldwide, but this probably represents only a small subset of ambophilous species. Ambophilous species have evolved both from wind- and insect-pollinated ancestors, with insect-pollinated ancestors mostly representing pollination by small, generalist flower visitors. We compiled floral and reproductive traits for known ambophilous species and compared our results to traits of species pollinated either by wind or by small generalist insects only. Floral traits were found to be heterogeneous and strongly overlap especially with those of species pollinated by small generalist insects, which are also the prominent pollinator group for ambophilous plants. A few ambophilous species are only pollinated by specialised bees or beetles in addition to pollination by wind. The heterogeneity of floral traits and high similarity to generalist small insect-pollinated species lead us to conclude that ambophily is not a separate pollination syndrome but includes species belonging to different insect- as well as wind-pollination syndromes. Ambophily therefore should be regarded as a pollination mode. We found that a number of ecological factors promoted the evolution of ambophily, including avoidance of pollen limitation and self-pollination, spatial flower interference and population density. However, the individual ecological factors favouring the transition to ambophily vary among species depending on species distribution, habitat, population structure and reproductive system. Finally, a number of experimental studies in combination with observations of floral traits of living and fossil species and dated phylogenies may indicate evolutionary stability. In some clades ambophily has likely prevailed for millions of years, for example in the castanoid clade of the Fagaceae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Abrahamczyk
- Botany Department, State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart, Rosenstein 1, 70191, Stuttgart, Germany
- Nees Institute for Biodiversity of Plants, University of Bonn, Meckenheimer Allee 170, 53113, Bonn, Germany
| | - Jan-Hendrik Struck
- Nees Institute for Biodiversity of Plants, University of Bonn, Meckenheimer Allee 170, 53113, Bonn, Germany
| | - Maximilian Weigend
- Nees Institute for Biodiversity of Plants, University of Bonn, Meckenheimer Allee 170, 53113, Bonn, Germany
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