Our cherimoya is producing the first fruits without hand pollination

[huertasurbanas]

Hi, the tree is 4 years old or so, 4m high, it is flowering for the first time... some flowers just "die" and onthers have fruits. I didnt hand pollinated them

Why does it works?

maybe we have some interesting bug pollinating them?

[Jose Spain]

¿Tenéis anonáceas silvestres en vuestra zona? Teóricamente los insectos que polinizan de forma natural la chirimoya en los Andes deben tener parientes más o menos cercanos en el resto de Sudamérica.

[huertasurbanas]

¿Tenéis anonáceas silvestres en vuestra zona? Teóricamente los insectos que polinizan de forma natural la chirimoya en los Andes deben tener parientes más o menos cercanos en el resto de Sudamérica.

Hi, I dont think we have wild annonaceaes near here... there could be some but I never saw them! maybe some araticu? but not wild, just cultivated and at La Plata or Buenos Aires... 300km from here... so maybe there are some fruit species -edible or not- near here that are pollinated by the bugs that pollinate chirimoya too, but I dont know who are they or where they are.

What I know is that at Rosario, La Plata and Mar del Plata there are cultivated exotic chirimoya trees that produce fruit too! so in fact we have some useful bugs! I will take photos if I see the pollinator!

[huertasurbanas]

From wikipedia "The small beetles which are suspected to pollinate cherimoya in its land of origin are much smaller than bees.
For fruit production outside the cherimoya's native region, cultivators must either rely upon the wind to spread pollen in dense orchards or else use hand pollination."


so, maybe it is just the wind or some beatle

[Jose Spain]

It could be just the wind. Here in Spain abandoned or ornamental chirimoya trees produce always some chirimoyas without hand pollination, and at least there is some bug that we are missing (which is not impossible) most likely is the wind or some kind of autopollination.

[huertasurbanas]

It could be just the wind. Here in Spain abandoned or ornamental chirimoya trees produce always some chirimoyas without hand pollination, and at least there is some bug that we are missing (which is not impossible) most likely is the wind or some kind of autopollination.

Ok, but it is a mistery to me that aratikú (rollinia sylvatica or emarginata) doesnt set fruits here for now...

[Pasca]

I often wonder how the commercial cherimoya orchards get fruits to harvest.  I.e., do they have to rely a lot on hand pollination to ensure fruit setting?

[Guanabanus]

Wind is not a known pollinator of Annona species, as the female stage of the flowers is almost closed, and way above the small opening.

Nitidulid beetles often multiply in rotting Citrus fruits on the ground, and in other fspoiled fruits as well.  These beetles are the best pollinators of true Annona species (the Attae group and dwarf Annonas also).