A POLINIZAÇÃO PELA ABELHA TETRAGONISCA ANGUSTULA MELHORA A QUALIDADE DO MORANGO EM CASA DE VEGETAÇÃO INDEPENDENTE DA SUPLEMENTAÇÃO LUMINOSA

Abstract

The sustainable intensification of agricultural production in protected environments demands the integration of management technologies and pollination services, especially those provided by stingless bees. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of LED supplemental lighting on the foraging behavior of the stingless bee Tetragonisca angustula (Hymenoptera: Apidae; Meliponini) and its interactions with pollination services, plant physiological performance, and fruit quality of the strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch., cv. ‘San Andreas’) grown in a greenhouse. The hypothesis was that pollination by T. angustula improves the physiological and productive performance of the strawberry, while LED supplemental lighting modulates photosynthetic and metabolic processes without compromising bee behavior. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design, combining pollination conditions (open pollination and spontaneous self-pollination) with and without LED supplemental lighting. Bee behavior, gas exchange, chlorophyll a fluorescence, fruit morphological attributes, physicochemical parameters, and bioactive compound profiles were evaluated, in addition to multivariate analysis using self-organizing maps. Supplemental lighting did not alter the frequency of floral visitation by the bees. Conversely, bee visitation (open pollination) promoted an increase in photosynthetic efficiency, water use, and the strengthening of the source-sink relationship, resulting in larger fruits and changes in phenolic compound concentrations. In contrast, plants without bee visitation (self-pollination) showed higher energy dissipation, lower weight and length, and higher total soluble solids content, suggesting metabolic rearrangements under lower reproductive demand. Supplemental lighting acted as a complementary factor, with effects depending on the variable evaluated. It is concluded that functional efficiency and fruit quality in protected systems primarily depend on biotic pollination, while artificial lighting should be employed as a support tool to stabilize the production environment, especially in light-limited scenarios. The results contribute to the formulation of ecological intensification strategies in protected cultivation systems, reconciling productivity, quality, and sustainability.