Impact of Bumble Bee Pollination on Strawberry Production under Protected Conditions
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55446/IJE.2023.1154Keywords:
Strawberry, Bombus haemorrhoidalis, pollination, bumblebees, bee pollination, Himachal Pradesh, production, fruit productivity, pollination efficiency, fruit qualityAbstract
Bumblebees are splendid pollinators of various crop plants; they are known to improve fruit productivity by enhancing its biophysical and biochemical properties. In the present investigation, the impact of bumblebee (Bombus haemorrhoidalis Smith) pollination was recorded in comparison to honey bee pollination, open pollination and control (crop devoid of pollinators) in strawberry grown under caged conditions in Nauni, Himachal Pradesh. Bumblebee pollination resulted in higher fruit set (87.16%), longer fruits (39.88 mm/fruits), higher fruit breadth (30.94 mm/fruit), heavier berries (14.26 g/ fruit) and higher fruit yield per plant (402.26 g/ plant) in strawberry cv. Sweet Charlie which accounted for an increase of 10.38 and 7.87, 25.64 and 17.74, 16.22 and 13.41, 35.29 and 31.18 and 33.11 and 20.74%, respectively over control and open pollination. Bumblebee pollination was observed superior to control, open/ natural pollination and was equally good (at par) to honey bee pollination, in terms of all production parameters. These results signified the role of bumblebee pollination in enhancement of the quality and quantity of strawberries grown under caged conditions.
Downloads
Metrics
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
References
Buchmann S L.1983. Buzz pollination in angiosperms. In: handbook of experimental pollination biology (C E Jones and R J Little, eds). Van Nostrand-Rhein-hold, New York, USA. pp.73-113.
Chagnon M, Gingras J, DeOliveira D. 1993. Complementary aspects of strawberry pollination by honey and indigenous bees (Hymenoptera). Journal of Economic Entomology 86: 416-20.
Connor L J. 1970. Studies of strawberry pollination in Michigan. In Report of the Ninth Pollination Conference, Hot Springs, Arkansas, USA. pp. 157-62.
Crane E. 1990. Bees and Beekeeping. Heinmann, Oxford, UK. pp. 260-69.
Free J B. 1968. Pollination of strawberry by honey bees. Journal of horticulture science 48: 107-111.
Goulson D. 2003. Bumblebees, their behavior and ecology, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Paydas S, Eti S, Kaftanoglu O, Yasa E, Derin K. 1998. Effects of pollination of strawberries grown in plastic greenhouses by honey bees and bumblebees on the yield and quality of the fruits. In: XXV International Horticultural Congress, Part 3: Culture Techniques with Special Emphasis on Environmental Implications. pp. 443-452.
Paydas S, Eti S, Kaftanoglu O, Yasa E, Derin K. 2000. Effect of pollination of strawberries grown in plastic greenhouse by bumblebees on the yield and quality of the fruits. Acta Horticulture 443-451.
Sheoran O P, Tonk D S,Kaushik L S, Hasija R C, Pannu R S. 1998. Statistical software package for agricultural research workers. In: Recent advances in information theory, statistics and computer applications (Hooda D S and Hasija R C eds). Department of Mathematics Statistics, CCS HAU, Hisar 1998, 139-143.
Velthuis H H W, Doorn V A. 2006. A century of advances in bumblebee domestication and the economic and environmental aspects of its commercialization for pollination. Apidologie 4: 421-51.
Winter K, Adams L, Thorp R W, Inouye D W, Day L, Ascher J, Buchmann S. 2006. Importation of non-native bumblebees into North American potential consequences of using Bombus terrestris and other non-native bumblebees for greenhouse crop pollination in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. p. 33.
Zaitoun S T, Al-Ghzawi A A, Shannag H K, Al-Tawaha A R M. 2006. Comparative study on the pollination of strawberry by bumblebees and honey bees under plastic house conditions in Jordan valley. Journal of Food Agriculture and Environment 4: 234-237.
