Jeonbuk Provincial Agricultural Research Institute Develops Pollination Technology Using 'Baekhyanggwa' Carpenter Bees

Increased Modification Rate of Beehive Entrance 'Opening and Closing Time Control'... 'Labor Reduction'

Jeonbuk Provincial Agricultural Research and Extension Services (Director Choi Jun-yeol) announced on the 18th that it has developed a pollination technique using 'Bombus ardens' instead of artificial pollination for passion fruit (Baekhyang-gwa), known as the fruit of the goddess.

According to statistics from the Provincial Agricultural Research and Extension Services, the cultivation area of passion fruit in Korea was 21.3 hectares last year and is gradually increasing. However, more than 95% of the cultivation area is under facility cultivation, requiring artificial pollination during the flowering period, causing difficulties for farmers.

On the 18th, the Jeonbuk Agricultural Research and Extension Services announced that they have developed a pollination technique using 'Bombus' instead of artificial pollination for passion fruit (Baekhyanggwa), known as the fruit of the goddess.
[Photo by Jeonbuk Agricultural Research and Extension Services]

Passion fruit flowers typically bloom between 9 and 11 a.m., and opening the hive entrance during flowering time and closing it in the evening improves pollination efficiency.

The reason passion fruit farmers have failed to use bees for pollination until now is that the hive entrance was kept open continuously. Bees started their activity before the passion fruit flowers developed pollination ability, collecting all the pollen prematurely.

In the study, the Agricultural Research and Extension Services opened the Bombus ardens hive entrance at 10 a.m. and closed it after sunset. As a result, the fruit set rate per branch was 79%, similar to the 76% achieved by artificial pollination, with no difference in quality factors such as sugar content.

Researcher Lim Ji-wan said, "The development of pollination technology using Bombus ardens for passion fruit cultivation has greatly contributed to labor reduction."

Meanwhile, passion fruit is a premium fruit highly favored as a dessert in upscale restaurants and hotels. It was introduced to Korea first as an ornamental plant rather than as a fruit tree. It is a perennial vine belonging to the Passifloraceae family, genus Passiflora, native to Brazil. In Chinese-character-using regions, it is called Baekhyang-gwa (百香果).

Its benefits include being rich in vitamin C, magnesium, iron, and zinc, which are good for anti-aging. It is effective for hangover relief, fatigue recovery, skin beauty, and cancer prevention. Although a tropical crop, it is resistant to cold and pests, emerging as a profitable crop for farmers.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.