Moth community among apples during bloom in Northwest Arkansas: likely pollinators and activity periods

Apples are a fruit crop of economic and nutritional importance that require cross-pollination primarily by insects for sustainable production. It was recently demonstrated that nocturnal pollinators can contribute as much to apple pollination as diurnal pollinators. However, information concerning n...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of economic entomology 2023-04, Vol.116 (2), p.637-642
Main Author: Robertson, Stephen M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Apple
Apples
Arkansas
Butterflies & moths
Community composition
Crops
Cross-pollination
Flowers
Fruits
Information management
Malus
moth
Moths
Noctuidae
Nocturnal
nocturnal pollinator
non-bee pollinator
Orchards
Plant reproduction
Pollination
Pollinators
SHORT COMMUNICATION
Species
Surveys
Sustainable production
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Summary:Apples are a fruit crop of economic and nutritional importance that require cross-pollination primarily by insects for sustainable production. It was recently demonstrated that nocturnal pollinators can contribute as much to apple pollination as diurnal pollinators. However, information concerning nocturnal pollinator identity, activity periods, and community composition in apples is lacking, which limits research expansion. To address this knowledge gap, nocturnal moths in an apple orchard were surveyed during apple bloom from 2018 to 2020 using blacklight traps, with samples collected hourly to delineate moth activity. Observations during the same periods were made to identify moths visiting apple flowers, whose capture data were then compared to other captured moth species to provide useful information concerning community composition during apple bloom. Blacklight surveys yielded 1,087 moths representing at least 68 species from 12 families, wherein 15 species from five families were observed visiting apple flowers. Captured moths were most abundant and diverse in the first two hours after sunset. Most captured moth species did not visit flowers and are likely not associated with apple pollination. However, moth species that were observed visiting flowers were the most abundant overall and most diverse by hour in surveys. Data indicate a rich moth community present among apple orchards during bloom and identify likely moth pollinators of apples. Though more research is required to establish the precise relationships between moth pollination and apples, the information provided here allows for targeted efforts to do so.
ISSN:0022-0493
1938-291X
DOI:10.1093/jee/toad045