Kimalaste õietolmu korje sõltuvalt aedmaasika kasvatustehnoloogiast

Summary

Strawberry is a fruit crop grown worldwide. There are two main strawberry production systems: open fields and protected cultures (greenhouses or high tunnels). Growing strawberries under high tunnels has many advantages such as protection from different weather conditions, but also disadvantages such as lack of pollinators. The aim of this study was to investigate whether additional pollinators (bumble bees) visit strawberry flowers at different rate under high tunnels compared to open fields. Field experiment was performed to collect and analyze bumble bee corbicular pollen from hives located under high tunnels and open fields. We found that bumble bees under high tunnels gathered more pollen from
plant species (strawberry and white clover) present there. By bringing additional pollinators under high tunnels attention should be paid, what kind of other plant species and how abundantly they are flowering there besides strawberry. Under high tunnels the weather
conditions are somewhat different which also may affect bumble bee foraging behaviour.