slide 8 of 21

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Slide 8 of 21

Notes:

To start with the bottom line, this study revealed that flower phenology, that is the pattern of number of open flowers over the season, is determined by the rate of pollination, which is determined by the size of the pollinator population. The more bees, the fewer flowers are open at a given time, the faster pollination is completed, and the sooner pods are ready to harvest. In alfalfa, the rate of pollination can alter the rate at which new buds open, as well as the rate at which flowers wilt, thus changing the number of open flowers. I refer to the number of open flowers as the “standing crop” of open flowers, what is available to the bees at a given point in time. This is terminology from community ecology.

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Go directly to "A test to determine if you have enough bees in your field"

Alfalfa is an indeterminate bloomer, i.e., it continues to bloom as long as conditions are appropriate and the fruits do not mature. Read about the implications of indeterminate blooming in my essay Squash, Beans, and Deadheading Flowers.