Elsysy Mokhles, Ebrahimi Aziz, Einhorn Todd
College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Michigan State University, Horticulture 1066 Bouge ST, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
Department of Pomology, College of Agriculture, Assiut University, Assiut 71515, Egypt.
Plants (Basel). 2025 Apr 11;14(8):1196. doi: 10.3390/plants14081196.
Pollination is essential for producing temperate-zone tree fruits like apples ( × ). While traditionally considered insect-dependent, this view may result from orchard designs tailored to European honeybees. Previous research showed that low-seed apples could develop in insect exclusion nets, suggesting wind as an alternative pollinator. This study investigated the paternal origin of seeds and fruit set under nets compared to open canopies. Netted canopies of 'Gala', Fuji', and 'Honeycrisp' set commercial fruit numbers without manual thinning. To determine the parental source of seeds, genotyping was performed using 16 SNP markers tailored for distinguishing apple cultivars, with primer design and genotyping conducted via the KASP™ system. Results showed significant genetic overlap between seeds from netted and non-netted fruits and nearby pollinizers, ruling out self-pollination. Netted canopies retained fruits with similar or fewer seeds compared to abscised fruits in open canopies, indicating fruit set depends on the population's seed content rather than individual fruit seed count. These findings supporting the hypothesis that apple trees are adapted to utilize both wind and insect pollination. While wind pollination offers a sustainable approach, it requires adjustments in orchard design to ensure sufficient pollen transfer for reliable fertilization and yield.
授粉对于苹果等温带果树的结果至关重要（×）。虽然传统上认为需要昆虫授粉，但这种观点可能源于为欧洲蜜蜂量身定制的果园设计。先前的研究表明，在防虫网中低种子数的苹果也能发育，这表明风可以作为替代授粉者。本研究调查了与开放树冠相比，防虫网下种子的父本来源和坐果情况。“嘎啦”“富士”和“蜜脆”的防虫网树冠在无需人工疏果的情况下达到了商业果实数量。为了确定种子的亲本来源，使用了16个专为区分苹果品种设计的单核苷酸多态性（SNP）标记进行基因分型，引物设计和基因分型通过KASP™系统进行。结果表明，防虫网内和网外果实以及附近授粉树的种子之间存在显著的遗传重叠，排除了自花授粉的可能性。与开放树冠中脱落的果实相比，防虫网树冠保留的果实种子数量相似或更少，这表明坐果取决于群体的种子含量而非单个果实的种子数。这些发现支持了苹果树适应利用风媒和虫媒授粉的假设。虽然风媒授粉提供了一种可持续的方法，但需要对果园设计进行调整，以确保有足够的花粉传播，实现可靠的受精和产量。
