Bee pollination can influence both the yield and quality of tomatoes, but the exact way it does so is not well understood and has been studied very little. To explore this, researchers compared tomatoes pollinated by honeybees, bumblebees, and those treated with a plant growth regulator (PGR). They measured fruit weight, size, sugar content, and pH using common tools like scales, calipers, refractometers, and pH meters. They also measured hormone levels using ELISA and analyzed fruit metabolites using LC-MS.
The study found that tomatoes pollinated by bumblebees were larger and heavier than those pollinated by honeybees or treated with PGR. Both honeybee and bumblebee pollination resulted in higher sugar content—7.96% and 10.18% more, respectively—than PGR treatment. Tomatoes pollinated by bees also had a lower pH, meaning they were slightly more acidic, which can improve taste.
Pollination method also affected the hormone levels in the fruit. For example, gibberellin (GA) was highest in honeybee-pollinated fruits, indoleacetic acid (IAA) was highest in bumblebee-pollinated fruits, and abscisic acid (ABA), zeatin (ZT), and iPA were most abundant in PGR-treated fruits. This suggests that different pollinators may influence how tomatoes ripen and develop through hormone regulation.
Metabolite analysis showed significant differences between the groups. Compared to PGR-treated fruits, those pollinated by bees had higher levels of beneficial compounds involved in taste, nutrition, and disease resistance. These included amino acids, vitamins, sugars, and antioxidants. The study concluded that bee-pollinated tomatoes may taste better and be healthier, offering new insights into how bee pollination improves tomato quality and supports better fruit development.
Source: www.frontiersin.org