Pollen Load Spectrum of Tomato Pollinators

Vibrating bees are the main pollinators of the tomato plant (Solanum lycopersicum L.). Knowledge of other alternative food resources for these bees is fundamental for pollinator management actions in agricultural areas. The objective of this study was to evaluate the plants used as food resources for the main pollinators Bombus morio (Swederus) and Exomalopsis analis Spinola in plantation areas. The study was conducted in 12 plantation areas in São José de Ubá, southeastern Brazil, during the flowering period of S. lycopersicum. The pollen material contained on the hind legs of 40 B. morio females and 72 E. analis females was analyzed and compared with the reference slides made from 155 flowering plant species (35 botanical families) sampled close to the plantations. The pollen material was submitted to acetolysis and mounted in glycerin gelatin and analyzed under optical microscope. From B.morio corbiculae were identified 188 pollen types (52 identified from reference slides) and 189 types from E. analis scopae (54 in reference slides). Besides tomato pollen, other most abundant types belong to Fabaceae (8%) in B. morio samples, and Hyptis and Solanum sp in E. analis samples. The trophic niche overlap was close to zero when the tomato pollen was disregarded, indicating that both pollinators use distinct sources. The results confirm the generalist character of tomato pollinators; in addition, the use of floral resources from several other plants, even at tomato flowering peak, emphasizes the importance of maintaining flowering plant composition around agricultural areas.