Pollination Services of Mango Flower Pollinators

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Ecology
• Entomology

Background:

• Sustainable agricultural management relies on understanding wild pollinator services.
• Mango (Mangifera indica) production is influenced by pollination, impacting fruit set.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the contribution of native pollinators to fruit set in two mango cultivars: 'Sala' and 'Chok Anan'.
• To identify efficient pollinators and assess their role in mango reproductive success.

Main Methods:

• Estimating pollinator visitation rates on mango flowers.
• Quantifying pollen loads on pollinator bodies.
• Comparing fruit set under natural and hand-pollination conditions.

Main Results:

• 'Chok Anan' showed no fruit set without pollinators; 'Sala' achieved 4.8% and 'Chok Anan' 3.1% under natural conditions.
• Hand pollination increased fruit set by over 100% for 'Sala' and 33% for 'Chok Anan'.
• Native insect pollinators contributed an estimated 53% to the total mango fruit set.

Conclusions:

• Insect pollination is crucial for mango production, particularly for the 'Chok Anan' cultivar.
• Large flies (Eristalinus spp., Chrysomya spp.) are effective pollinators, visiting more flowers and carrying significant pollen loads.