Wild Insects Contribute More to Mango Pollination and Yield than Exotic Honeybees During Induced Off-Season Flowering in Southern Mexico

Adequate pollination of pollinator-dependent crops relies on the abundance and diversity of pollinators, and any temporal mismatch can lead to decreased productivity. Induced off-season flowering is widely used to anticipate the blooming time and to have a favorable market to generate greater economic income. However, the relationship between off-season flowering, effective pollination, and crop yield remains poorly understood. In this study, we compared pollinator and yield metrics of mango among its natural and off-season flowering across two years. We found that the composition, richness, and abundance of their effective pollinators varied across flowering seasons. Remarkably, blowflies were the floral visitors that deposited the highest number of pollen grains per visit and were the most important pollinators during the off-season, while honeybees and stingless bees were more important in the natural season. Mango yield was more positively related to the abundance of wild pollinators in both seasons than to honeybees. However, in both flowering seasons, mango trees suffered from pollen limitation and had a high incidence of malformed fruits. These findings highlight the important role of wild pollinators in maintaining and improving the mango yield and quality, mainly during the induced flowering season, improving the income to mango producers and increasing food security.