How to Get a Vanilla Bean (the Natural Way): Evidence for Pollination of Neotropical Vanilla
Pesach Lubinsky
Plant Resources Informatics Laboratory (PRIL)
Department of Botany and Plant Sciences
University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
The principal limiting factor in production of natural vanilla is the cost needed to effect artificial pollination. Only in the New World tropics are some fruits produced without human intervention, although this is estimated to occur < 5% of the time. The identity of vanilla's natural pollinator has never been documented. This poster presents a review of what is known- and what has been rumored- about the mechanism(s) of vanilla's natural pollination. It is suggested that a Euglossa species is the most likely candidate to be vanilla's natural pollinator. Much remains to be learned about Euglossa biology before an alternative, bee-mediated pollination of vanilla can be contemplated for commercial purposes.