The pollination of onion (Allium cepa L.) to produce hybrid seed.
Abstract
In general, bees collecting nectar only, as well as bees collecting nectar and pollen, preferred male-fertile to male-sterile cultivars of onion plants, but moved between male-fertile and male-sterile umbels sufficiently to effect adequate pollination. Restricting male-sterile plants to one row in nine, with rows 0.6 m apart gave little or no reduction in set. Male-fertile cvs differed in their attractiveness to bees.