Pollination dependency and deficit in three almond varieties from Morocco

The contribution of insects to pollination constitutes a globally important ecosystem service. Due to the increasing demand for entomophilous crops, the nutritional and economic importance of insect-pollinated crops and the inability of managed pollinators (Apis mellifera L) to meet the high demand for their services indicate that agriculture heavily relies on wild pollinators. Almonds are an economically valuable crop in Morocco. Therefore, it is essential to understand the fundamental pollination requirements of major almond varieties to promote their production. The main objectives of this study were to assess the dependency of three almond cultivars (Espoir, Largueta and Planeta) on insect pollination, and then to evaluate the pollination deficit resulting from the lack of these pollinators. For this purpose, we used insect-proof net bags constructed around branches of almond trees to compare fruit set and yield with open and open + hand-pollinated flowers. The results of the fruit ..., , , # Pollination dependency and deficit in three almond varieties from Morocco

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.msbcc2g66](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.msbcc2g66)

The dataset contains two sheets, one dedicated to calculating initial and final fruit set and the second one desplays values of pericarp (g) endocarp (g) and kernel (g) in three almond varieties and depending on three different pollination treatments.

## Description of the data and file structure

Fruit set: this sheet contains information needed to calculate initial and final fruit set for each studied almond variety and for each pollination treatment.

Varieties: in this study, we have used three different almond varieties (Largueta, Espoir and Planeta).

Trees: for each chosen tree we have used the designation 1 and 1' to indicate that two replications have been carried out for each pollination treatment.

Treatments: three pollination treatments were conducted:
Bagged : branches were enclosed with a fine-mesh net with a siz...