Impact of the introduction of stingless bee colonies (Scaptotrigona aff. postica) on the productivity of acai (Euterpe oleracea)

Abstract

The acai palm is a typical palm tree of the Amazonian estuary, especially important in the diet and extractive agriculture economy of the Eastern Amazonia. Its fruit productivity is highly dependent on cross-pollination. Meliponiculture has greatly advanced during the last decades, however, the use of meliponines for the pollination of tropical fruit trees is scarse. In this work, in an irrigated crop of Euterpe oleracea, the fruit yield was evaluated after the introduction of colonies of Scaptotrigona aff. postica (Latreille, 1807). Three gradients, 0-50, 65-115 and 130-180 meters, was used as a methodology to evaluate the productivity increase, from the central point where 30 colonies were installed. The productivity rate was evaluated by fruit weight per bunch, number of fruits per rachilla, average fruit diameter and weight of one hundred sample fruits. A significant increase in the productivity could be observed, reaching 2.5 times more, depending on the distance of the plant to the colonies of bees. The highest productivity interval was the closest, from 0-50 meters.

Keywords

• Meliponiculture
• Pollination
• Acai