Insect pollination of mango in northern Australia.
Anderson D. L., Sedgley M., Short J. R. T., Allwood A. J.
Author Affiliation: Department of Zoology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia.
Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 33 : 541-548
Abstract : Large native insect species were shown to pollinate mango in northern Australia. The pollinators, in decreasing order of efficiency, were wasps. bees, large ants and large flies. The most efficient pollinators were those that carried large amounts of pollen grain on their thoraxes and used a short proboscis or mouthparts to feed on nectar. Large Diptera and the native bee Trigona sp. frequently moved from tree to tree and thus were probably the most effective cross-pollinators. Of randomly selected hermaphrodite mango flowers, 36% were pollinated.ADDITIONAL ABSTRACT:Of the 80 insect species identified on mango (Mangifera indica) flowers, almost one-third were Hymenoptera, and one-quarter were Diptera. These flies, bees and wasps all touched the reproductive parts of the flower while foraging for nectar, and mango pollen was found on the bodies of 10 species examined. The most efficient pollinators in pollen transfer experiments were wasps and native bees (Trigona sp.). The possible use of hived Trigona for pollination is discussed.