Biologia da polinização de Coffea arabica L. e eficiência polinizadora de duas espécies de abelhas sociais

Abstract

Pollination is one of the most important mechanisms of maintenance of life on this planet, and bees are among the main pollinators. Besides increasing the productivity of several economically important crops, pollination helps in maintaining genetic variability. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of social bees as pollinators of Coffea arabica L. (Rubiaceae). The evaluations were conducted in November and May in years 2012, 2013, 2014, and in May 2015. Studies of floral biology, flower-visiting bees and pollination efficiency of two social bee species were carried out. To determine the influence of pollination on coffee quality and productivity the coffee cherries originated from flowers visited by Apis mellifera and Melipona scutellaris were evaluated. Such cherries were measured and weighed to determine the most efficient pollinator with regard to the production of coffee beans. The effect of pollination on the coffee bean quality was measured by a physical-chemical analysis of the coffee cherries. The results showed that plants of C. arabica are both allogamous and self-compatible, and are associated with the melittophily syndrome, which contributes to increase the yield of cherries when flowers are freely visited. The bee species, A. mellifera and M. scutellaris, are potential pollinators of the coffee crop, and both contribute to improve the coffee cherry quality and its yield.