Identification of polymorphic regions in Apis mellifera L. honeybees focused in honey productivity and field validation tests

• Grant number: 13/01588-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: July 01, 2013
• End date: March 01, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Animal Production
• Principal Investigator: Ricardo de Oliveira Orsi
• Grantee: Samir Moura Kadri
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 14/10150-2 - Candidate Genes for Defence Behavior in Africanized Apis mellifera Honeybees, BE.EP.DR

Abstract

Conventional beekeeping in Brazil has been based on natural migratory swarms capture to restore or increase beekeepers' colonies. However, these swarms can have unfavorable honey production genetic characteristics, affecting significantly productivity. These differences can decrease the efficiency and competitiveness of commercial beekeepers, so it is important to develop breeding programs. However, they can be time-consuming, laborious and costly. Thus, it is necessary to develop a fast, accurate and low-cost diagnosis for high productivity swarms selection. The aim of this research will be to select high honey productivity swarms through genomic sequencing, identifying polymorphic regions in the Apis mellifera L.DNA and testing specific primers for these regions in commercial apiaries to validate the diagnosis. The experiment will be conducted at Lageado Experimental Farm, UNESP, Botucatu, São Paulo .Forty Africanized Apis mellifera L. beehives will be used, managed for honey production and equal population, brood and food frames. During the blossom period, December 2013 to March 2014, supers will be added to beehives as needed. Honey production will be evaluated individually and the ten most and least productive beehives will be selected genomic sequencing will be done with larvae drone pool DNA from the two groups and polymorphic regions for honey productivity will be identified. Specific primers for the polymorphic regions identified will be developed and validation tests will be done with samples from Botucatu Polo Cuesta commercial apiaries in São Paulo State. Tests of defensiveness and hygienic behavior will also be carried out. The results will be compared by ANOVA followed by Tukey test as to differences between means. To correlate the data Pearson linear correlation will be used. It will be considered statistically different when p<0.05.

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

KADRI, Samir Moura. Polymorphic regions identification for high honey productivity and genomic sequencing in africanized Apis mellifera honey bees. 2016. Doctoral Thesis - Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp). Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia. Botucatu Botucatu.