The stingless bee mandaçaia (Melipona quadrifasciata Lepeletier) increases the quality of greenhouse tomatoes

Abstract

The pollination of tomatoes in greenhouses using bees (especially Bombus species) has increased worldwide, providing increased productivity. However, no concrete initiative has been carried out with bees for tomato pollination on a commercial scale, in greenhouses in Brazil. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate Melipona quadrifasciata efficiency in pollination and consequent production of tomatoes of different growth habits in greenhouse environment. Two experiments were conducted. The pollen load of the creeping tomato (determined growth) flowers and the fruit quality was quantified in the first experiment, in the greenhouse cultivation treatments with bees, without bees, and in the open environment. In the second experiment, the treatments were carried out with tomato of indeterminate growth in greenhouse with bees and without bees. The bees presented foraging behavior and visitation to tomato flowers. The pollen load for the determined tomato was 433% larger in a closed environment with bees when compared with results obtained in the greenhouse without bees. Fruits produced in greenhouses with bees presented 15% more fresh mass and 41.1% more seeds, than the fruit produced in an open environment. Seed production for indetermined growth tomato was 33% higher when the flower was pollinated and the tomato mass increased up to 16%. The results show the importance of using M. quadrifasciata for pollination in a greenhouse environment. Native bees for pollination of agricultural crops in greenhouse showed promising results, especially for the tomato crop, which is benefited by pollination.