A importância dos habitats naturais no entorno de plantações de cajueiro anão precoce (Anacardium occidentale L.) para o sucesso reprodutivo

Abstract

The expansion of the agriculture has led to the changes in the natural habitat and the reduction of pollinators. The cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.) is an economically important cultivated crop in Northeastern Brazil due to its nut, oil and cashew apple production. However, changes in the landscape may have been causing low fruit set. Our aim was to assess the importance of natural habitats conservation to the provision of pollinators to cultivated cashew orchards. To do so, we observed the importance of the natural areas on the abundance and richness of the floral visitors and the effect of these interactions on the cashew’s reproductive success. We carried out the study in the municipality of Horizonte, Ceará, from July to December 2011. We collected all floral visitors and reported the fruiting rate (fruit/flower ratio) in cashew crops near fragments of native vegetation at different distances. Our results show that the cashew relies on visiting insects for fruit set. Bees and wasps were the main visitors, with the former being the most frequent. Also, the quality of the natural habitat has great influence on the number of species and density of the visitors in the orchard. Our findings show the importance of ecosystem services to these cultivated cashew orchards.