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BR-112021022863-B1 - COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS TO INCREASE BEE POLLINATION PERFORMANCE

BR112021022863B1BR 112021022863 B1BR112021022863 B1BR 112021022863B1BR-112021022863-B1

Abstract

COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR ENHANCED POLLINATION PERFORMANCE OF BEE. Compositions and methods are provided comprising the use of abscisic acid and L-arginine to improve foraging activity in relation to pollination performance of bees and a composition for administering to bees containing abscisic acid and L-arginine.

Inventors

  • Matias VIEL
  • Pedro NEGRI
  • AGUSTÍN SAEZ

Assignees

  • CONSEJO NACIONAL DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS Y TECNICAS (CONICET)
  • Beeflow Corporation

Dates

Publication Date
20260310
Application Date
20200514
Priority Date
20190515

Claims (12)

  1. 1. A method for intensifying fruit production of a flowering plant, characterized in that it comprises exposing said flowering plant to a plurality of bees, wherein said plurality of bees comprises a plurality of bees supplemented with an aqueous solution comprising 1 μM to 1500 μM of abscisic acid (ABA) or a salt or derivative thereof and 0.1 mM to 10 mM of L-arginine or a salt or derivative thereof, and further comprising distributing a plurality of beehives containing said plurality of bees adjacent to/adjacent to a plurality of flowering plants at a rate of no more than 10 beehives/hectare of land comprising said plurality of flowering plants, wherein said plurality of beehives are distributed homogeneously, wherein the supplement is provided to a plurality of bees at least 1 month before the flowering period of the flowering plant, and wherein the supplement is provided to a plurality of bees. in quantities ranging from 0.4 L/week to 2.2 L/week.
  2. 2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises exposing said flowering plant to said plurality of bees, wherein said plurality of bees comprises a plurality of bees supplemented with a formulation that increases the attractiveness of a plurality of bees to said flowering plant.
  3. 3. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that said solution further comprises a sugar-to-water ratio, wherein said sugar-to-water ratio is in the range of 1:1 sugar:water to 2:1 sugar:water, wherein said sugar comprises sucrose, fructose, glucose or a combination thereof.
  4. 4. Method according to claim 3, characterized in that said sugar comprises sucrose.
  5. 5. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that said solution comprises 50 μM of ABA and 5 mM of L-arginine.
  6. 6. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that said flowering plant comprises blueberry, almond, apple, kiwi or raspberry.
  7. 7. Method, according to claim 1, characterized in that the said plurality of bees comprises bees of the species Apis mellifera, Apis andreniformis, Apis florea, Apis dorsata, Apis cerana, Apis koschevnikovi, Apis nigrocincta or Bombus angustus, Bombus terrestris, Bombus atratus, Bombus pauloensis, Bombus impatients.
  8. 8. Method according to claim 7, characterized in that the said plurality of bees comprises bees of the species Apis mellifera.
  9. 9. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the fruit production comprises a set of fruits from flowers, a weight of fruits, a reduction in the waste rate or a combination thereof, wherein said intensified fruit yield is relative to a fruit field of a plant in contact with reference bees not supplemented with the solution comprising 1 μM to 1500 μM of abscisic acid (ABA) and 0.1 mM to 10 mM of L-arginine.
  10. 10. A method, according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the method enhances the pollination performance of a plurality of bees.
  11. 11. A method according to claim 10, characterized in that said pollination performance comprises the activity of the foraging bee, the frequency of visits to a flowering plant, or a combination thereof.
  12. 12. Method according to claim 10, characterized in that said enhanced pollination performance of a plurality of bees is relative to a plurality of reference bees not supplemented with the solution comprising 1 μM to 1500 μM abscisic acid (ABA) and 0.1 mM to 10 mM L-arginine.

Description

Cross-Reference [001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/848,392, filed May 15, 2019, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. [002] Pollination is vital for maintaining both the overall ecosystem of the Earth and the agricultural productivity of civilization. Insects, and particularly honeybees (Apis mellifera), are the primary pollinators of our planet. Pollination by honeybees contributes significantly to global food production. European honeybees are an established component of the United States agricultural system. Bees pollinate more than 30% of the food consumed in the world, and in the United States, it is estimated that bees pollinate up to $15 billion worth of crops annually. However, in recent years, honeybee populations have suffered a significant decline, threatening food security. [003] The largest managed pollination operations in the world are related to California's almond orchards, where most (nearly two million hives) of the US honeybee colonies are trucked to the almond orchards each spring. New York's apple crop requires about 30,000 hives; Maine's blueberry crop uses about 50,000 hives per year. The United States' solution to the pollinator shortage, until now, has been for commercial beekeepers to become pollination contractors and migrate. This is largely impractical due to the inherent costs and inefficiency. [004] Over the past five years, there has been a decline in managed bee colonies during the winter, reaching an unprecedented rate of colony losses of nearly 30% according to the United States Department of Agriculture. There is a clear need across the agricultural sector for a management tool to equalize and overcome this pollination loss. Supplementing bees to improve bee survival and pollination performance – under both optimal and suboptimal conditions – can increase grower returns, optimize fruit crop yields, and address the pollinator shortage experienced today. Summary [005] Compositions and methods are provided in this document to improve colony development and foraging activity as a measure of bee pollination performance. These improvements in colony population and bee pollination performance will help solve many of the problems that the beekeeping and agricultural industries face today. The compositions and methods described in this document improve colony development and bee foraging activity at low temperatures (below 12-15°C). Applying the compositions and methods described in this document will greatly improve beekeeping operations related to colony subsistence, honey production, and pollination services. Bee-mediated pollination and the yields of many pollinator-dependent crops will also be increased. [006] One aspect of the present disclosure comprises a method for increasing the fruit yield of a flowering plant, wherein the method comprises exposing said flowering plant to a plurality of bees, wherein said plurality of bees comprises one or more bees supplemented with a solution comprising abscisic acid (ABA) from about 1 μM to 1500 μM and L-arginine from about 0.1 mM to 10 mM. In some embodiments, the method further comprises exposing said flowering plant to said plurality of bees, wherein said plurality of bees comprises one or more bees supplemented with a formulation that increases the attractiveness of said one or more bees to said flowering plant. In some embodiments, the method further comprises distributing one or more beehives containing said plurality of bees adjacent to a plurality of flowering plants at a rate of no more than 10 beehives/hectare of land comprising said plurality of flowering plants. In some embodiments, said one or more beehives are homogeneously distributed. In some embodiments, said solution further comprises a sugar-to-water ratio, wherein said sugar-to-water ratio is in the range of about 1:1 sugar:water and about 2:1 sugar:water. In some embodiments, said sugar comprises sucrose, fructose, glucose, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, said sugar comprises sucrose. In some embodiments, said solution comprises about 50 μM of ABA. In some embodiments, said solution comprises about 5 mM of L-arginine. In some embodiments, said one or more bees supplemented with said solution comprising abscisic acid (ABA) from about 1 μM to 1500 μM and about 0.1 mM to 10 mM of L-arginine were fed with said solution. In some variations, the said flowering plant includes alfalfa, blueberry, cranberry, red bean, sunflower, carrot, guar bean, goa bean, shea, quince, lemon, lime, okra, tamarind, loquat, orange, grapefruit, tangelo, strawberry tree, tangerine, rosehip, wild rose, similar clover, arrow-leaf clover, blackcurrant, currant, blackberry, bean, clover, cotton, cowpea, purple pea, black bean, crimson clover, vetch, flax, kiwi, lupin, persimmon, red clover, vetch, watermelon, white clover, almond, apricot, peach, nectarine, plum, Reine-Claude plum, Mirabelle plum, sloe, so