Current Science

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access

Pollination Efficiency of Stingless Bee, Tetragonula iridipennis (Smith) on Greenhouse Cucumber, Cucumis sativus (Linnaeus)


Affiliations
1 Department of Agricultural Entomology, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur, Nadia 741 252, India
2 Department of Entomology, Assam Agricultural University (AAU), Jorhat 785 013, India
3 Department of Agronomy, Assam Agricultural University (AAU), Jorhat 785 013, India
4 Regional Agricultural Research Station, AAU, Karimganj 788 710, India
5 Polytechnic of Agriculture, Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, Garikapadu 521 175, India
6 M.S. Swaminathan School of Agriculture, Centurion University of Technology and Management, Paralakhemundi 761 211, India
 

The present study deals with the foraging activities and pollination efficiency of Tetragonula iridipennis in cucumber (Cucumis sativus) under protected conditions. Experiments were conducted during two seasons (summer and winter) with three different treatments: open pollination (OP), pollinator exclusion (PE) and stingless bee pollination (SBP) in Assam, North East India. The foraging activity of T. iridipennis was checked in SBP treatment at different timings after installing a 15,504 cm3 beehive. The pollination efficiency of T. iridipennis was also examined among the three selected treatments. The peak period of visitation on cucumber flowers was recorded during 0800-0900 h of the day during both seasons. The yield increase of SBP over PE during both seasons was five times higher. These findings indicate the significance of T. iridipennis as an effective pollinator in greenhouse cucumbers.

Keywords

Cucumber, Foraging Activity, Pollination Efficiency, Stingless Bee, Yield.
User
Notifications
Font Size

  • Guerra-Sanz, J. M., Crop pollination in greenhouses. Bee Pollination in Agricultural Ecosystems, Oxford University Press, New York, 2008, vol. 3, pp. 27–47.

  • Azmi, W. A., Samsuri, N. U., Hatta, M. F., Ghazi, R. O. and Chau, T. S., Effects of stingless bee (Heterotrigona itama) pollination on greenhouse cucumber (Cucumis sativus). Malays. Appl. Biol., 2017, 46(1), 51–55.

  • de Oliveira, C. D. and de Oliveira, C. A., Polinização por abelhas em cultivos protegidos. Curr. Agric. Sci. Technol., 2009, 15, 1–4.

  • Hanh, T. T. M., Sharma, S. K. and Rana, M. K., Pollination efficiency of native bee pollinators of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) in India. J. Apicult., 2014, 29(3), 199–205.

  • Thakur, M. and Rana, R. S., Studies on the role of insect pollination on cucumber yield. Pest Technol., 2008, 2(2), 130–133.

  • Subhakar, G., Sreedevi, K., Manjula, K. and Reddy, N. P., Pollinator diversity and abundance in bitter gourd, Momordica charantia Linn. Pest Manage. Hortic. Ecosyst., 2011, 17(1), 23–27.

  • Cortopassi-Laurino, M. et al., Global meliponiculture: challenges and opportunities. Apidologie, 2006, 37(2), 275–292.

  • Roubik, D. W. (ed.), Pollination of cultivated plants in the tropics, Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome, Italy, 1995, vol. 118.

  • Kiatoko, N. et al., Effective pollination of greenhouse Galia musk melon (Cucumis melo L. var. reticulatus ser.) by Afrotropical stingless bee species. J. Apicult. Res., 2021, 61, 664–674.

  • Kearns, C. A. and Inouye, D. W., Pollinators, flowering plants, and conservation biology. Bioscience, 1997, 47(5), 297–307.

  • Bartelli, B. F., Santos, A. O. R. and Nogueira-Ferreira, F. H., Colony performance of Melipona quadrifasciata (Hymenoptera, Meliponina) in a greenhouse of Lycopersicon esculentum (Solanaceae). Sociobiology, 2014, 61(1), 60–67.

  • Raj, D. and Rana, V. K., Time spent by Apis mellifera L. and Apis cerana indica F. foragers on rapeseed bloom. J. Entomol. Res., 1994, 18(4), 335–339.

  • Erickson, E. H., Whitefoot, L. O. and Kissinger, W. A., Honey bees: a method of delimiting the complete profile of foraging from colonies. Environ. Entomol., 1973, 2(4), 531–536.

  • Silva-Neto, C. D. M. E. et al., The stingless bee mandaçaia (Melipona quadrifasciata Lepeletier) increases the quality of greenhouse tomatoes. J. Apicult. Res., 2019, 58(1), 9–15.

  • Bharath, M. P., Chinniah, C., Jayaraj, J., Suresh, K., Balamohan, T. N. and Vellaikumar, S., Foraging activity of stingless bee, Tetragonula iridipennis Smith (Hymenoptera: Apidae) during summer season in Madurai district of Tamil Nadu, India. J. Pharmacogn. Phytochem., 2020, 9(1), 1144–1148.

  • Kishan, T. M., Srinivasan, M. R., Rajashree, V. and Thakur, R. K., Stingless bee Tetragonula iridipennis Smith for pollination of greenhouse cucumber. J. Entomol. Zool. Stud., 2017, 5, 1729–1733.

  • Del, S. M. C. L., Peruquetti, R. C. and Campos, L. A. O., Evaluation of the neotropical stingless bee Melipona quadrifasciata (Hymenoptera: Apidae) as pollinator of greenhouse tomatoes. J. Econ. Entomol., 2005, 98(2), 260–266.

  • Kakutani, T., Inoue, T., Tezuka, T. and Maeta, Y., Pollination of strawberry by the stingless bee, Trigona minangkabau, and the honey bee, Apis mellifera: an experimental study of fertilization efficiency. Res. Popul. Ecol., 1993, 35(1), 95–111.

  • Leonhardt, S. D., Dworschak, K., Eltz, T. and Blüthgen, N., Foraging loads of stingless bees and utilization of stored nectar for pollen harvesting. Apidologie, 2007, 38(2), 125–135.

  • Nicodemo, D., Malheiros, E. B., DeJong, D. and Nogueira C. R. H., Enhanced production of parthenocarpic cucumbers pollinated with stingless bees and Africanized honey bees in greenhouses. Semina: Ciênc. Agrár., 2013, 34, 3625–3633.

  • Heard, T. A., The role of stingless bees in crop pollination. Annu. Rev. Entomol., 1999, 44(1), 183–206.

  • dos Santos, S. A. B., Roselino, A. C. and Bego, L. R., Pollination of cucumber, Cucumis sativus L. (Cucurbitales: Cucurbitaceae), by the stingless bees Scaptotrigona aff. depilis Moure and Nannotrigona testaceicornis Lepeletier (Hymenoptera: Meliponini) in greenhouses. Neotrop. Entomol., 2008, 37, 506–512.

  • Chauhan, A. and Singh, H. K., Impact of stingless bee Tetragonula Iridipennis Smith pollination in water melon. Indian J. Entomol., 2021, 3(83), 321–325.

  • de Moura-Moraes, M. C., Frantine-Silva, W., Gaglianone, M. C. and de Oliveira, C. L. A., The use of different stingless bee species to pollinate cherry tomatoes under protected cultivation. Sociobiology, 2021, 68(1), 1–9.


Abstract Views: 260

PDF Views: 80




  • Pollination Efficiency of Stingless Bee, Tetragonula iridipennis (Smith) on Greenhouse Cucumber, Cucumis sativus (Linnaeus)

Abstract Views: 260  |  PDF Views: 80

Authors

Sourav Sen
Department of Agricultural Entomology, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur, Nadia 741 252, India
Shimantini Borkataki
Department of Entomology, Assam Agricultural University (AAU), Jorhat 785 013, India
Pranjit Sutradhar
Department of Agronomy, Assam Agricultural University (AAU), Jorhat 785 013, India
Ritu Ranjan Taye
Regional Agricultural Research Station, AAU, Karimganj 788 710, India
Badal Bhattacharyya
Department of Entomology, Assam Agricultural University (AAU), Jorhat 785 013, India
P. S. Saranya
Polytechnic of Agriculture, Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, Garikapadu 521 175, India
S. P. Nanda
M.S. Swaminathan School of Agriculture, Centurion University of Technology and Management, Paralakhemundi 761 211, India
M. Devender Reddy
M.S. Swaminathan School of Agriculture, Centurion University of Technology and Management, Paralakhemundi 761 211, India

Abstract


The present study deals with the foraging activities and pollination efficiency of Tetragonula iridipennis in cucumber (Cucumis sativus) under protected conditions. Experiments were conducted during two seasons (summer and winter) with three different treatments: open pollination (OP), pollinator exclusion (PE) and stingless bee pollination (SBP) in Assam, North East India. The foraging activity of T. iridipennis was checked in SBP treatment at different timings after installing a 15,504 cm3 beehive. The pollination efficiency of T. iridipennis was also examined among the three selected treatments. The peak period of visitation on cucumber flowers was recorded during 0800-0900 h of the day during both seasons. The yield increase of SBP over PE during both seasons was five times higher. These findings indicate the significance of T. iridipennis as an effective pollinator in greenhouse cucumbers.

Keywords


Cucumber, Foraging Activity, Pollination Efficiency, Stingless Bee, Yield.

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv125%2Fi8%2F865-870