The influence of nectar sugar production on insect visitors to flowers of Brassica rapa L.
| dc.contributor.author | Taylor, M.A. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Davis, A.R. | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2018-08-29T18:07:09Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2018-08-29T18:07:09Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2004-02-19 | |
| dc.description.abstract | The purpose of this study was to determine if differing amounts of floral nectar sugar could affect the insect pollination of Brassica rapa L., a self-incompatible species. This knowledge could be directly applicable to crop-breeding programs interested in maintaining or enhancing the attractiveness of flowers to nectar-foraging visitors (possible pollinators). Several lines of rapid-cycling B. rapa were assayed (microcapillary nectar collection plus refractometry) for floral nectar-sugar production, and seed increases were made from plants selected on that basis. Both high and low nectar-producing plants were crossed reciprocally (high by high and low by low) in attempts to establish progenies distinct from each other. It appeared that reliably high and low nectar-yielding lines could be established. Outdoor insect visitation trials using high, intermediate, and low nectar-yielding lines of rapid-cycling plants of B. rapa in small plots resulted in more insects (especially flies and bees) visiting the high nectar-producing line, which in turn produced more seeds per silique. | en_US |
| dc.description.version | Non-Peer Reviewed | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10388/9622 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | en_US |
| dc.relation.ispartof | Soils and Crops Workshop | |
| dc.rights | Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada | * |
| dc.rights.uri | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/ | * |
| dc.subject | nectaries | en_US |
| dc.subject | insect visitation | en_US |
| dc.title | The influence of nectar sugar production on insect visitors to flowers of Brassica rapa L. | en_US |
| dc.type | Presentation | en_US |