Pollination Deficit: A Key Limitation of Fruit Set in Northward-Expanded Camellia Orchards

Bin Yuan, Zhi-Hui Deng, Ning-Ning Zhang, Zhi-Chu Huang, Xiao-Ling Su, Yuan-Yuan Lu, Ze-Yue Zong, Yuan De-Yi, Xiao-Ming Fan () and Fu-Liang Hu ()
Additional contact information
Bin Yuan: College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Zhi-Hui Deng: Key Laboratory of Cultivation and Protection for Non-Wood Forest Trees, Ministry of Education, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China
Ning-Ning Zhang: Key Laboratory of Cultivation and Protection for Non-Wood Forest Trees, Ministry of Education, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China
Zhi-Chu Huang: Jinhua Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jinhua 321000, China
Xiao-Ling Su: Jinhua Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jinhua 321000, China
Yuan-Yuan Lu: College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Ze-Yue Zong: Key Laboratory of Cultivation and Protection for Non-Wood Forest Trees, Ministry of Education, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China
Yuan De-Yi: Key Laboratory of Cultivation and Protection for Non-Wood Forest Trees, Ministry of Education, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China
Xiao-Ming Fan: Key Laboratory of Cultivation and Protection for Non-Wood Forest Trees, Ministry of Education, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China
Fu-Liang Hu: College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 16, 1-15

Abstract: Northward expansion of economically essential plants is a vital strategy for enhancing agricultural productivity; however, it often results in reduced yields. This study systematically assessed the impact of translocating the high-value oilseed species Camellia hainanica from its native tropical habitat Sanya to the temperate cultivation area of Changsha, focusing on its reproductive processes, including flowering, pollination, and fruit development. Our findings revealed a 45-day delay in anthesis at the transplanted location, which was associated with notably lower average daily temperatures (7.89 °C in Changsha compared to 24.63 °C in Sanya) during the anthesis period. While floral longevity, stigma receptivity, and pollen viability remained comparable between sites, anther dehiscence was markedly delayed by three days after transplanting. Crucially, pollinator visitation during peak flowering plummeted by 92% compared to the levels in Sanya, and a 57% reduction in pollen deposition on stigmas occurred. Consequently, natural fruit sets in Changsha collapsed to 0%, significantly lower than those in Sanya, despite artificial cross-pollination achieving an 11% fruit set rate. These results and the pollination deficit coefficient ( D = 1.00) all demonstrate that severe pollination deficits are the key limitation causing reproductive failure in northward-expanded C. hainanica orchards. Addressing these yield constraints necessitates targeted breeding for earlier flowering genotypes and implementing pollination management strategies.

Keywords: Camellia hainanica; transplanted; pollen deposition; fruit set; anther dehiscence; temperature (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/16/1717/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/16/1717/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jagris:v:15:y:2025:i:16:p:1717-:d:1720821

Access Statistics for this article

Agriculture is currently edited by Ms. Leda Xuan

More articles in Agriculture from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().