KUBERAPPA, G. C.KHAJA RUBINA, S.2017-07-052017-07-052010-07-05Th-9607http://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/handle/1/5810024297Pollinators diversity with special reference to role of honey bees in quantitative and qualitative improvement of cucumber, Cucumis sativus L. var Hassan Local was carried out during 2010 at vegetable seed production plot, Division of Horticulture, University of Agricultural sciences, GKVK, Bangalore. At flowering stage, cucumber was visited by twenty eight species of insects, of which twenty species belonged to Hymenoptera, two to Diptera, four to Lepidoptera and two to Coleoptera. Of the total pollinators visited cucumber, honey bees constituted 84.88 per cent, whereas other pollinators constituted 15.11 per cent. The peak pollen and nectar foraging activity was observed between 1100 to 1300 h. The quantity of nectar and total soluble sugar was gradually increased with the advancement of the time and reached maximum at 1500 h in both male and female flowers. The percent flower drop, fruit set, fruit weight, fruit volume, fruit length, number of seeds/ fruit and seed weight were maximum in ten bee visits per flower. Impact of honey bees pollination on quantitative and qualitative parameters in cucumber such as per cent flower drop, fruit set, fruit weight, fruit volume, fruit length, number of seeds/fruit, seed weight, moisture content, ash content, germination percentage and seedling vigour index were maximum in open pollination plots, followed by plots caged with A.cerana, A.florea and T.iridipennis.ennullThesis