Study on Pollination Biology of Jatropha curcas (Euphorbiaceae)

Pollination biology of Jatropha curcas(Euphorbiaceae) was studied by recording floral visitor species and their behavior,fruit set and seed production,visiting frequency and duration.The results showed that 17 species of floral visitors were recorded during the observation period and 11 species of them were pollinators.Apis mellifera,Apis cerana and Catopsilia pomona were the most effective pollinators due to their higher visiting frequencies.There were two floral visiting peaks at 10:00—12:00 and 16:00—17:00 in everyday.The pollen activities of flowers had 5-6 d.The fruit sets of artificial self-pollination,artificial cross-pollination and natural pollination were 87.93%,86.66% and 76.42%,respectively,which indicated Jatropha curcas was self-compatible and tended to cross-pollination.