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ThesisItem Open Access Improving pollination efficiency in strawberry and bitter gourd employing western honey bee, Apis mellifera L. under protective environment and field conditions(CCSHAU, Hisar, 2020-08) Ajay; Chaudhary, O.P.Present research on strawberry cv. Winter Dawn in NVPH and bitter gourd cv. Pusa Do Mausmi under IPNH was conducted at CCS Haryana agricultural University, Hisar. Five A. mellifera colony placement modes viz. i) colony permanently inside ii) colony replacement at 21 days iii) addition of larva frame at 10 days iv) addition of pupa frame at 10 days and v) colony with 2-way entrance were evaluated along with three other treatments of vi) hand pollination, vii) open pollination, and viii) control (without bee pollination). Pollination units comprised of 3-frame A. mellifera colony introduced at start of flowering. In strawberry, early flowering initiation occurred (31-35 days from transplanting) under poly house compared to open field (36 days). Flowers visitors include 17 species dominated by Hymenoptera (72.13%). A. cerana was most abundant (21.36%) followed by A. mellifera (14.05%), six non-Apis bees (25.5%) and Diptera (16.42%). Dry nectar sugar was higher in 3 DOF (5.51mg/flower) at 1100 h (3.80 mg/flower). Foraging rate (5.5-5.8/minute) and foraging speed (9.0-10.0 seconds/flower) of A. mellifera was higher under poly house treatments. Heaviest fruits were in treatments of colony added with pupa or larval frame at 10 days and colony permanently inside (26.26, 26.22 and 26.21 g/fruit). Minimum fruit yield and income was in control (14.96 tonnes/ha, Rs 14.96 lakhs/ha) and maximum in bee colony added with a pupa or larva frame at 10 days (33.82 and 33.54 T/ha) and colony permanently inside (33.32 T/ha) with marginally lower yields in colony with 2-way entrance (32.65 T/ha). Bitter gourd flowering initiated in 31-32 days with prolonged duration of 81-83 days under enclosure compared to open fields (41 and 71 days). Floral visitors comprised of 17 species and Hymenoptera was most abundant taxa (63.95%) comprising four non-Apis bees (28.37%) and four honey bees (26.00%) followed by Lepidoptera (30.56%). A. mellifera foraging rate was higher at 0800 and 1100 h (7.4 and 7.3 flowers/minute) and in all bee colony treatments (7.0-7.4/minute). Foraging speed was higher in bee treatments (4.5-4.9 seconds/flower). Staminate flowers produced maximum DNS at 0600 hours (0.318 mg/flower) and pistillate at 1000 h (0.966 mg). Maximum DNS production was in hand pollination (0.941 mg/flower) and minimum in control treatments (0.821 mg). Fruit dimensions were higher in colonies with addition of either pupa or larva frame at 10 days (151.2 x 49.7 mm each) and colony permanently inside (150.5 x 49.1 mm). Similar observations were for fruit volume, weight, TSS, acidity and other qualitative traits. In control, meagre yield (4.06 T/ha) and total income (Rs. 20,277/ha) were obtained. In treatment of bee colony added with a pupa frame recorded maximum yield and income (31.17 T/ha and Rs. 6,23,327 /ha) along with addition of larva frame (30.99 T/ha and Rs. 6,19,993/ha) followed by colony with 2-way entrance (26.44 T/ha and Rs. 5,28,883/ha). Nectar and honey stores were maximum in colony with 2-way entrance (60.4, 15.2 inches2/colony) and minimum in colonies added with pupa frame (48.0, 9.5) or larva frame at 10 days (48.0, 9.3 inches2/colony). Pollen stores were higher in treatments of colony replacement at 21 days, colony with addition of pupa frame at 10 days and colony permanently inside (30.3, 29.1 and 28.5 inches2/ colony). Maximum brood was in colony added with larva frame at 10 days (115.9 inches) followed by addition of pupa frame and colony with 2-way entrance (110.1 and 109.4 inches). Studies recommend employing treatments of colony added with either pupa or larva frame at 10 day intervals and colony with 2-way entrance for efficient pollination of strawberry and bitter gourd under enclosures.
