Floral Nectar Production and Nectar Sugar Composition of ...

International Scientific Conference March 26-27 2012
on Sustainable Development & Ecological Footprint Sopron, Hungary
Significant differences were found among Cotoneaster species, regarding both the
total area (Figure 5 and 6) and the largest thickness of the nectary (Table 1), both in 2007 and
2010.
Nectary size (µµm 2 )
Nectary size (µm 2 )
500 000
450 000
400 000
350 000
300 000
250 000
200 000
150 000
100 000
50 000
400000
300000
200000
100000
C. laxiflorus
C. roseus
C. saxatilis
C. lucidus
C. prostratus
C. tenuipes
C. ambiguus
4
C. x 'Bella'
C. hurusawanus
Cotoneaster species
C. nanshan
C. shansiensis
C. conspicuus
C. monopyrenus
Figure 5. Nectary size of cotoneaster flowers in Vácrátót in 2007.
Data are represented as mean ± confidence interval.
0
C.taoensis
C.turcomanicus
3.2. Nectar production
C.hissaricus
C.coliaceus
C.chailaricus
C.salicifolia
C.horizontalis
C.highlight
C.salvinensis
C.veitchii
C.glomerulata
C.lanschangensis
C.dielsianus
C.roseus
C.halfhardii
Cotoneaster species
Figure 6. Nectary size of cotoneaster flowers in Vácrátót in 2010.
Data are represented as mean ± SD.
C.shikangensis
C.foveolata
C.fangianus
C.insulptus
C.lancasteri
C.simonsii
C.kitaibelii
Cotoneaster species with large nectaries (above 250,000 µm 2 ) produced an average of
10-18 µl nectar per flower per day, whereas smaller nectaries (below 200,000 µm 2 ) were able
to produce about 5 µl nectar. Sugar concentration of the nectar varied from 13 to 45%, while
sugar value was in the range of 0.5-3.2 mg in 2011 (data not shown).
3.3. Nectar sugar composition
The nectar of all examined species was hexose-dominant, except for C. dammeri,
whose nectar contained the disaccharide sucrose in addition to the hexoses glucose and
fructose (Figure 7).