Evaluation of Suppressed Mite Reproduction (SMR) Reveals Potential for Varroa Resistance in European Honey Bees (Apis mellifera L.).
- Mondet F INRAE, UR 406 Abeilles et Environnement, 84914 Avignon, France.
- Parejo M Agroscope, Swiss Bee Research Center, 3003 Bern, Switzerland.
- Meixner MD LLH Bee Institute, 35274 Kirchhain, Germany.
- Costa C CREA Research Centre for Agriculture and Environment, 40141 Bologna, Italy.
- Kryger P Department Agroecology, Aarhus University, 4200 Slagelse, Denmark.
- Andonov S Departement of Animal Biotechnology, FZNH, 1000 Skopje, North Macedonia.
- Servin B INRAE, GenPhySE, 31326 Castanet-Tolosan, France.
- Basso B UMT PrADE, 84914 Avignon, France.
- Bieńkowska M Research Institute of Horticulture, 96-100 Skierniewice, Poland.
- Bigio G Aspromiele, Regional Association of Honey Producers, 15121 Alessandria, Italy.
- Căuia E Institute for Beekeeping Research and Development, 013975 Bucharest, Romania.
- Cebotari V Institute of Zoology, Academy of Sciences of Moldova, 2028 Kishinev, Moldova.
- Dahle B Norwegian Beekeepers Association, 2040 Kløfta, Norway.
- Dražić MM Ministry of Agriculture, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
- Hatjina F Department of Apiculture, Institute of Animal Science-Hellenic Agricultural Organization 'DEMETER', 63200 Nea Moudania, Greece.
- Kovačić M Faculty of Agrobiotechnical Sciences Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, 31000 Osijek, Croatia.
- Kretavicius J National Bee Breeding Association, Virsuliskiu g 33, 05105 Vilnius, Lithuania.
- Lima AS Centro de Investigação de Montanha, Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253 Bragança, Portugal.
- Panasiuk B Research Institute of Horticulture, 96-100 Skierniewice, Poland.
- Pinto MA Centro de Investigação de Montanha, Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253 Bragança, Portugal.
- Uzunov A LLH Bee Institute, 35274 Kirchhain, Germany.
- Wilde J Apiculture Division, Faculty of Animal Bioengineering, Warmia and Mazury University in Olsztyn, Sloneczna 48, 10-957 Olsztyn, Poland.
- Büchler R LLH Bee Institute, 35274 Kirchhain, Germany.
- 2020-09-09
Published in:
- Insects. - 2020
English
In the fight against the Varroa destructor mite, selective breeding of honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) populations that are resistant to the parasitic mite stands as a sustainable solution. Selection initiatives indicate that using the suppressed mite reproduction (SMR) trait as a selection criterion is a suitable tool to breed such resistant bee populations. We conducted a large European experiment to evaluate the SMR trait in different populations of honey bees spread over 13 different countries, and representing different honey bee genotypes with their local mite parasites. The first goal was to standardize and validate the SMR evaluation method, and then to compare the SMR trait between the different populations. Simulation results indicate that it is necessary to examine at least 35 single-infested cells to reliably estimate the SMR score of any given colony. Several colonies from our dataset display high SMR scores indicating that this trait is present within the European honey bee populations. The trait is highly variable between colonies and some countries, but no major differences could be identified between countries for a given genotype, or between genotypes in different countries. This study shows the potential to increase selective breeding efforts of V. destructor resistant populations.
- Language
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- English
- Open access status
- gold
- Identifiers
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- DOI 10.3390/insects11090595
- PMID 32899430
- Persistent URL
- https://sonar.ch/global/documents/58612
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