Effects of Apis cerana cerana pollination on the yield and quality of kiwifruit

【Objective】To investigate the effect of pollination by Apis cerana cerana on the yield,economic benefit,harvest quality and storage quality of kiwifruit,so as to provide a theoretical basis for strengthening the industrial use of pollination by A. cerana cerana and to achieve high quality and yield of kiwifruit.【Method】Using Guichang kiwifruit as the research object,the experimental groups were created,which were pollinated in three ways by A. cerana cerana,artificially and naturally. The fruit setting index,yield factor,harvest quality and quality changes during the storage period of kiwifruit were determined,and the potential economic benefits of each type of pollination estimated.【Result】Compared with natural and artificial pollination,the A. cerana cerana pollinated group showed significantly differences in the fruit setting rate(P<0.05,the same below),increased by 70.61% and 8.94%(absolute value),respectively,and deformity rate decreased by 7.06% and 1.19%(absolute value),respectively. The fruit vertical and horizontal diameters,commodity rate,quality,yield per plant,area yield and production value were significantly increased in the A. cerana cerana pollinated group. Relatived to the artificially and naturally pollinated groups,the yield per plant increased up to 26.67 kg,representing an increase of 233.38% and 27.00%,respectively. The area yield increased up to 20.00 t/ha,with an output value was up to 240000 yuan/ha. After removing the costs involved,the benefit was as high as 209500 yuan/ha,an increase of167500 and 83000 yuan/ha,relatived to artificial and natural pollination,respectively. Further improvements included a significant decrease in the harvest firmness and significant increases in soluble solids,soluble sugar and vitamin C content.In addition,A. cerana cerana pollination can significantly reduce the rate of fruit decay rate. After 45 days of storage,the decay rate of the A. cerana cerana pollination group was 73.67%,significantly lower than that of the natural pollination group(96.67%)and the artificial pollination group(89.00%),and reduced fruit hardness and consumption of soluble solids,soluble sugars,organic acids and vitamin C consumption.【Conclusion】Compared with natural and artificial pollination,A. cerana cerana pollination of kiwifruit can improve the yield,harvest and storage qualities of the fruit with economic benefits. This pollination method can be implemented in the kiwifruit production industry to increase production and economic returns with improvements in kiwifruit quality.