While pollination is necessary for the production of most of the fruits and vegetables we eat, it is even more mandatory for kiwi. Efficient and intense pollination is needed to grow beautiful big kiwis, as we like them.
雖然我們吃的大多數(shù)水果和蔬菜的生產(chǎn)都需要授粉，但對于獼猴桃來說，授粉更為必要。想要培育出我們喜歡的果形漂亮的大個獼猴桃，需要高效而頻繁的授粉。
▲Kiwi pollination by honey bee
Kiwi yards are very common in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. It is an agricultural sector still growing and, like many other crops, also facing the risks and hazards of nature. The stakes are high and there is still too much to be learnt. This is why we enrolled into the monitoring of the love affairs between kiwis and bees.
奇異鳥碼在比利牛斯-大西洋地區(qū)非常常見。這是一個仍在增長的農(nóng)業(yè)部門，與許多其他作物一樣，也面臨著自然的風險和危害。風險很高，而且還有太多東西需要學習。這就是我們參與監(jiān)測奇異鳥和蜜蜂之間愛情關(guān)系的原因。
▲Kiwifruit pollen price
What is cross-pollination?
Actinidia (the kiwi plant) is a dioecious plant, which means that there are male and female plants. In order for the female flowers to be fertilized, the transfer of pollen from the male plants to the female plants must take place. This is called cross-pollination. In other words, the male plants will carry the pollen and the female plants will carry the flowers producing fruit.
什么是異花授粉？
獼猴桃（獼猴桃植物）是雌雄異體植物，這意味著有雄性和雌性植物。為了使雌花受精，必須將花粉從雄性植物轉(zhuǎn)移到雌性植物。這稱為異花授粉。換句話說，雄性植物負責產(chǎn)出花粉，雌性獼猴桃將攜帶產(chǎn)生果實的花。
▲新西蘭陽光金果
Therefore, there are two main constraints. The first one is that male plants have to be grown close to the female plants. A ratio of 1 male for 5 females is often found. The second is that the transfer of pollen cannot be done by wind; the presence of pollinating insects is crucial : Actinidia depends at 95% on pollinators.
因此，有兩個主要限制。第一個是雄性植物必須靠近雌性植物生長。經(jīng)常發(fā)現(xiàn) 1 男 5 女的比例。第二，花粉的傳播不能通過風來完成；傳粉昆蟲的存在至關(guān)重要：獼猴桃95%依賴傳粉媒介。
▲Kiwi pollination by honey bee
Beyond the necessity of cross-pollination, the actinidia is not a plant like the others. Each flower has a lot of stigmas (about 40) and ovules (about 1500). Once deposited on the stigma, the pollen grain creates a pollen tube which crosses the style conveying the male gametes to the ovule. A lot of pollen grains will therefore allow the fertilization of a lot of ovules. In other words : the more intense the pollination, the best the fecundation which results in beautiful kiwis.
除了異花授粉的必要性之外，獼猴桃與其他植物不同。每朵花都有很多柱頭（約40個）和胚珠（約1500個）。一旦沉積在柱頭上，花粉粒就會形成花粉管，該花粉管穿過花柱，將雄配子輸送到胚珠。因此，大量的花粉粒將使大量的胚珠受精。換句話說：授粉越多，受精效果越好，從而產(chǎn)生果形漂亮的大個獼猴桃。
▲Kiwi pollination by honey bee
If this seems complex, there is a third constraint: Actinidia is also a bit stingy. It has plenty of pollen, but no nectar. Zero nectar with actinidia! Of course, bees do not like stingy plants and can quickly become disenchanted and go elsewhere.
如果這看起來很復雜，那么還有第三個限制：獼猴桃也有點小氣。它有大量的花粉，但沒有花蜜。零花蜜與獼猴桃！當然，蜜蜂不喜歡小氣的植物，很快就會失望而去別處。
▲Kiwi pollination▲
Pollinating kiwi is quite a program
Let’s make a summary of the case: we have a crop which must transfer pollen from a male plant to female plants with the help of insects. The pollen load must be important to fertilize the hundreds of ovules of each flower and moreover the insect will not have any reward in nectar for job motivation ??.
給獼猴桃授粉是一項艱巨的任務(wù)
讓我們總結(jié)一下這個案例：我們有一種作物，必須借助昆蟲將花粉從雄性植物轉(zhuǎn)移到雌性植物?；ǚ哿繉τ谑姑慷浠ǖ臄?shù)百個胚珠受精必須很重要，而且昆蟲不會因為工作動機而獲得任何花蜜獎勵。
▲Extraction of pollen grain from anther
At this point it's clear that if you want nice kiwis, you need lots and lots of bees, efficient bees! ?? And therein lies the question: how does pollination actually happen? What are the main drivers? How does it evolve over time?
很明顯，如果你想要美味的獼猴桃，你需要很多很多的蜜蜂，高效的蜜蜂！ ?? 這就是問題所在：授粉實際上是如何發(fā)生的？主要驅(qū)動因素是什么？它如何隨著時間的推移而演變？
▲Kiwi Orchard Work
This is what we intended to monitor in May 2021 in a kiwi farm, close to the town of Oloron in the Atlantic Pyrénées.
這是我們計劃于 2021 年 5 月在大西洋比利牛斯山脈奧洛龍鎮(zhèn)附近的一個奇異果農(nóng)場進行監(jiān)測的情況。
▲Kiwi pollination by honey bee
Real time monitoring of kiwi pollination
Actinidia blossom takes place between May and June. To follow the whole pollination, hives were equipped from May 17 to June 9, i.e. 22 days, in a 3 hectare kiwi crop.
獼猴桃授粉實時監(jiān)測
獼猴桃花期在五月至六月之間。為了跟蹤整個授粉過程，從 5 月 17 日到 6 月 9 日，即 22 天，在 3 公頃的獼猴桃作物中配備了蜂箱。
▲Kiwi insect pollination
In total, 3 hives were connected, each with a scale, an internal sensor and a bee counter. The scales were custom-made to fit the frames used by the beekeeper, from the DIY kit. Nearby are installed a weather station and a Hub, which will allow us to monitor remotely.
總共連接了 3 個蜂箱，每個蜂箱都有一個秤、一個內(nèi)部傳感器和一個蜜蜂計數(shù)器。這些秤是根據(jù)養(yǎng)蜂人使用的框架定制的，來自 DIY 套件。附近安裝了一個氣象站和一個集線器，這將使我們能夠遠程監(jiān)控。
▲播宏果業(yè)正在采摘獼猴桃雄花蕾
Custom-made hive scales
Bee counter
The scale tracks the weight of the hive and informs about stores consumption or gain. Kiwifruit produces very little nectar, so the bees should only bring in pollen and draw on their reserves for the rest. The internal temperature sensor can be used to determine the amount of brood and the health of the bees. The bee counter, installed at the entrance of the hive, gives information on the entry and exit of the bees. It makes it possible to know when the bees leave the hive the most, in what kind of weather, etc. These measurements correlated with the indications given by the ambient measurements make it possible to characterize the course of the pollination campaign.
▲Kiwi Orchard Work
定制蜂巢秤
蜜蜂計數(shù)器
該秤跟蹤蜂巢的重量并告知商店的消耗或增益。獼猴桃產(chǎn)生的花蜜很少，因此蜜蜂只能帶來花粉，并利用其儲備來完成其余的工作。內(nèi)部溫度傳感器可用于確定蜂巢數(shù)量和蜜蜂的健康狀況。蜜蜂計數(shù)器安裝在蜂巢入口處，提供蜜蜂進出的信息。它使得能夠知道蜜蜂何時離開蜂巢最多、在什么樣的天氣等。這些測量與環(huán)境測量給出的指示相關(guān)，使得能夠表征授粉活動的過程。
▲干燥獼猴桃花粉
Spin-offs
At the end of the campaign, which lasted 22 days, we acquired a very consequent database that teaches us a lot. The analysis is still in progress but already, very clearly, there are several aspects that can be advantageously exploited by the beekeeper and/or the farmer:
衍生產(chǎn)品
在持續(xù) 22 天的活動結(jié)束時，我們獲得了一個非常重要的數(shù)據(jù)庫，它教會了我們很多東西。分析仍在進行中，但非常明顯，養(yǎng)蜂人和/或農(nóng)民可以有利地利用幾個方面：
▲sungold g3 kiwi orchard
Monitoring and forecasting the dynamics of the colonies allows the beekeeper to identify in time the necessary actions, especially for feeding. We are talking here about prevention rather than cure. It is necessary to preserve the colonies from weakening because the next nectar flow (chestnut) is at stake.
監(jiān)測和預測蜂群的動態(tài)使養(yǎng)蜂人能夠及時確定必要的行動，特別是在喂食方面。我們在這里談?wù)摰氖穷A防而不是治療。有必要防止蜂群衰弱，因為下一次花蜜流（栗子）處于危險之中。
▲Kiwi pollination▲
For the farmer, we have seen at what point the bees lose interest in the crop and move on to "something else". This combined with a week of bad weather will result in lower efficiency and an actual pollination that lasted a handful of days.
對于農(nóng)民來說，我們已經(jīng)看到蜜蜂在什么時候?qū)r(nóng)作物失去興趣并轉(zhuǎn)向“其他事情”。再加上一周的惡劣天氣，將導致效率降低，實際授粉會持續(xù)幾天。
▲sungold kiwi orchard
With these data and lessons learned, we are already looking forward to the next flowering. For sure, next year we will be able to plan ahead for this type of operation to improve its efficiency.
有了這些數(shù)據(jù)和經(jīng)驗教訓，我們已經(jīng)期待著下一次的繁榮。當然，明年我們將能夠提前計劃此類操作以提高其效率。
▲正在采摘獼猴桃雄花蕾
If the next time at the supermarket you find big and beautiful kiwis, tell yourself that BroodMinder may have been there
如果下次你在超市發(fā)現(xiàn)又大又漂亮的獼猴桃，告訴自己寶寶獼猴桃起點可能就在那里。
▲獼猴桃授粉后染色
▲獼猴桃雄花蕾
▲Golden Kiwi
▲Health Benefits of Kiwi Fruit
▲Photo of red kiwi fruit pollination
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