Honeybee pollination affects fruit characteristics of sweet pepper grown under net-houses

In modern agriculture, many high-value cash crops that were formerly cultivated in open fields are now grown in greenhouses and net-houses. While changing the cultivation environment, attention is needed to ensure adequate pollen transfer to the stigma due to absence of wind, isolation from wild pollinators and low viability of reproductive organs due to the extreme temperature under those conditions. This study explores the effects of honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) pollination on various fruit characteristics of several different cultivars of sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) under enclosed conditions. In all 16 cultivars examined during two growing seasons, bee pollination increased numbers of seeds per fruit, and had a significantly positive effect on fruit placenta weight, fruit weight, fruit width and fruit-wall thickness. While fruit diameter consistently correlated with bee pollination, fruit-length response alternated between seasons. It may be concluded that although bee pollination is a powerful tool for affecting fruit characteristics in sweet pepper, each cultivar exhibits different levels of response. Cultivars need to be evaluated separately, relative to market demand, when considering the use of bees for pollination.