ASHS 2025 Conference

Pawpaw (Asimina triloba) is a temperate, deciduous fruit tree native to North America and a member of the custard apple family (Annonaceae). It produces unique, flavorful fruit with a taste resembling mango, banana, and pineapple, making it valuable for various value-added products such as jams, bread, ice cream, and brandy. Pawpaw fruits are also rich in nutrients, vitamins, and antioxidants, contributing to their increasing commercial potential. However, fruit sets in some cultivars may be limited due to the protogynous and self-incompatible nature of pawpaw flowers, which require external pollinators for successful fertilization. Unlike many fruit-bearing species, pawpaw has been thought to be pollinated by beetles and flies rather than bees. However, their abundance and role in pollination remain understudied. This study aims to identify and quantify insect visitors to flowering and non-flowering branches of two pawpaw cultivars, ‘Sunflower’ and ‘Susquehanna’. Ten trees of each cultivar were selected, and a completely randomized design was implemented setting up 20 wire cage traps coated with tangle-trap adhesive (The ORTHO Group, Marysville, OH 43040) on flowering and 20 on non-flowering branches. After an 18-day flowering period, the traps were collected, and captured insects were identified to the level of order and their abundance recorded. In 2024, 20 traps were placed at control sites outside the orchard (roadsides and fields), and nine days of direct observations were conducted to document insect activity on male and female flower stages. Data were analyzed using RStudio v.2023.09.1 (Posit, PBC, Boston, MA) and subjected to an ANOVA, with flowers, cultivars, and years as treatment factors, followed by Least Significant Difference (LSD) means separation. Results from 2023 indicate a significantly higher abundance (p-value< 0.0001***) of Coleopteran insects on both flowering and non-flowering branches of ‘Sunflower’ and ‘Susquehanna’ compared to 2024. In 2023 Coleoptera was significantly higher in the flowering branch (p-value 0.0255*) and had an interaction of cultivar and flowers (p-value 0.04767*) while in 2024 Diptera was substantially higher in the non-flowering branches (p-value 0.04009 *) This study provides valuable insights into the pollination ecology of pawpaw, aiding in the development of strategies to enhance fruit set and improve commercial production as the species transitions into broader commercialization.