2026/04/08 by Subas Thapa Magar, Kirk W. Pomper, Jeremiah D. Lowe +1 · 1 voice
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Social Sciences · #Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies #Plant and animal studies #Traditional and Medicinal Uses of Annonaceae
paper · doi:10.21273/hortsci19202-25
openalex publication_date 2026/04/08 · openalex created_date 2026/04/09 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/26
Pawpaw ( Asimina triloba ), a North American native tree fruit, produces tropical-flavored fruit for fresh-market sales, and its extracted pulp is widely used in value-added products such as wine, beer, brandy, and jam. However, pawpaw can exhibit poor fruit set as a result of self-incompatibility and a lack of effective pollinators during flowering. We identified, categorized, and quantified the insect species that were potential pollinators visiting the flowering and nonflowering branches of two pawpaw cultivars. Three sampling methods were used: sticky traps, field observations during the flowering period, and insect collections from flowers at peak bloom. In 2023 and 2024, sticky traps were deployed in a completely randomized design. Field observations were conducted on male- and female-stage flowers in 2024 to record visitation rates, and insects were collected from flowers for identification to order and taxa. Across both years, Diptera and Coleoptera were the most abundant insects captured in traps, followed by Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, and Lepidoptera in lower numbers. During flowering observations and collections, male-stage flowers attracted significantly more insects than female-stage flowers, particularly flies and click beetles. Lady beetles were most abundant overall. Many insects were observed carrying pollen, indicating their potential contribution to pollination. Enhancing the attraction of key beetle and fly species may improve pawpaw pollination efficiency and fruit set in commercial orchards.