Studies on Utilization of Stingless Bees for Pollination of Crops Under Protected Cultivation

Abstract

Stingless bees play an important ecological role as pollinators of crops and newlineappear to be particularly promising in protected cultivation. The present study dealt with newlinethe use of stingless bees for pollination of gherkin and capsicum cultivated under newlinegreenhouses of Seed Farm, Ranebennur taluk, Haveri, and Hi-tech Horticulture unit, newlineSaidapur Farm, University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad. Activity of stingless bees newlinein foraging was noted after 07:00 AM, being highest between 11:00 and 12:00 noon and newlinecontinued up to 06:00 PM on both gherkin and capsicum. Floral handling time was newlinelongest on female flower compared to male flower of gherkin and stingless bees spent newlineless time on the flower in the morning than in the afternoon in both crops. Pollination by newlinestingless bee enhanced quantitative parameters such as, number of fruits/plant (37.98), newlinepercentage of fruit set (92.63 %), yield/plant (207.83 g), fruit length (40.42 mm), fruit newlinegirth (11.95 mm) and fruit weight (3.53 g), and also quality parameters such as, total newlinesoluble solids (4.78 %) and moisture content (95.37 %) in gherkin compared to control newline(1.23 fruits/plant, 3.04 % fruit set, 4.89 g/plant, 18.77 mm fruit length, 6.62 mm fruit newlinegirth, 1.13 g/fruit, 1.89 % TSS and 40.93 % moisture content). Even in often cross newlinepollinated capsicum significant increase in number of fruits/plant (10.40 and 8.98), newlinepercentage of fruit set (90.04 % and 81.86 %), yield/plant (0.71g and 0.46 g), fruit newlinelength (7.38 mm and 6.50 mm), fruit girth (22.86 mm and 19.43 mm), fruit weight newline(98.38 g and 83.08 g), TSS (5.20 % and 4.52 %), ascorbic content (93.64 mg/100 g and newline89.15 mg/100 g) and moisture content (95.37 % and 40.93 %) was recorded between newlinebee pollinated and control plots, respectively. Among the seven crops, stingless bee activity was highest on cucurbits such as, gherkin (6.77 bees/plant/5 min) and cucumber newline(6.76 bees/plant/5 min), followed by bitter gourd (5.11 bees/plant/5 min) and newlinemuskmelon (5.03 bees/plant/5 min), while in solanaceous crops, tomato (2.78 newlinebees/plant/5 min) at