Nectar in Plant Species Fragaria vesca L

Fragaria vesca L. is a common plant species in Slovenia. It flowers from May to July. Our study was conducted throughout the 2024 season in two locations at which we sampled nectar in F. vesca flowers. To take the nectar samples, we used microcapillaries. We studied Fragaria vesca nectar production and its composition (sugars, amino acids, and phenolic compounds) throughout the day. We had some problems with sampling nectar in the afternoon, which affected our research, since there were times during which we could not obtain any samples. F. vesca on average secreted 0.02 μL nectar per one flower sample. Our data show that nectar production is highest in the morning, nectar is hexose-dominant, and the time of day affects the sugar concentration, which reaches a maximum at noon. The most common amino acid in F. vesca nectar is proline, and the amino acid concentration is highest in the morning. Quercetin and rutin are common phenolic compounds in the nectar of F. vesca, and the concentration of phenolic acids is highest at noon, as bees are the most active in the spring when mornings are colder.