Assessing the RoleAssessing the Role of of

Honey Bees in a Field Honey Bees in a Field of of

Asiatic CottonAsiatic Cotton ((Gossypium arboreum L.Gossypium arboreum L.) )

by A. S. Tanda,by A. S. Tanda, Department of Entomology, Department of Entomology,

Punjab Agricultural University,Punjab Agricultural University,

Luhiana-141004 INDIA Luhiana-141004 INDIA

ABSTRACTABSTRACTFlowers of the Asiatic Cotton (Gossypium Flowers of the Asiatic Cotton (Gossypium arboreum L.) were visited by honey bees, arboreum L.) were visited by honey bees, wild bees, scoolids, and butterflies. wild bees, scoolids, and butterflies.

Honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) and A. Honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) and A. cerana indica F.) increased the boll retention cerana indica F.) increased the boll retention rate by 7 to 12% through pollination.rate by 7 to 12% through pollination.

There was also an improvement in the There was also an improvement in the quality of the cottonquality of the cotton. .

INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION to:to:

Assessing the Role of Honey Bees

in a Field of Asiatic Cotton

Cotton & BeesCotton & Bees

Important fiber crop Important fiber crop of Punjab, Indiaof Punjab, India

Role of Asiatic Cotton:Role of Asiatic Cotton:Roles of Honey Roles of Honey Bees:Bees:improving the quantity and quality of cotton by:intra pollination of intra pollination of this species of cotton this species of cotton Intervarietal Intervarietal pollination of this pollination of this species of cottonspecies of cotton

(Tanda, 1976; Tanda (Tanda, 1976; Tanda and Goyal, 1978, 1979a-and Goyal, 1978, 1979a-d).d).

Other Cotton Other Cotton Species:Species:

American cottonAmerican cotton

((G. hirsutumG. hirsutum L.) L.)

is also grown for is also grown for commercial commercial

purposes in the southern purposes in the southern district of Punjabdistrict of Punjab

In the present communication, In the present communication, studies have been conducted to studies have been conducted to gather evidence:gather evidence:

to assess the honey bee's efficiency in a to assess the honey bee's efficiency in a field of Asiatic cotton field of Asiatic cotton on the behavior and effect on boll on the behavior and effect on boll retentionretentionon the qualitative characteristicson the qualitative characteristics

NOTE: NOTE: These studies were carried out at Punjab These studies were carried out at Punjab Agricultural University, Luhiana, and at Nakodar, two Agricultural University, Luhiana, and at Nakodar, two Asiatic cotton-growing localities of the Punjab.Asiatic cotton-growing localities of the Punjab.

REPORT TO

FOLLOW

METHODS:METHODS:For insect visitation, quadrats (2 × 2 m) were marked; Insect visitors were watched during peak hours

(9-11 a.m.) of the day Twenty observations (10+10 in each locality) were made for this purpose For counting the flower visitation per trip, individual foragers were followed as they arrived in the field until they left the fieldTotal number of flowers visited by a forager per minute was noted with the help of a stop

watch (see Tanda and Goyal, 1979c)

BEE POLLINATED BEE POLLINATED FLOWERSFLOWERS

by Apis mellifera L. or A. cerana indica Fby Apis mellifera L. or A. cerana indica F Pollen grain deposition by honey bees Pollen grain deposition by honey bees (A. mellifera L. and A. c. indica F.)(A. mellifera L. and A. c. indica F.)

on the stigmas was assured by on the stigmas was assured by visual cum eye lens in 50 flowers, visual cum eye lens in 50 flowers,

in the field, and were marked in the field, and were marked accordingly.accordingly.

SELF-POLLINATING SELF-POLLINATING FLOWERSFLOWERS

Apices of the corollae of anotherApices of the corollae of anotherset of 50 flowers were tied withset of 50 flowers were tied withordinary thread allowing only self ordinary thread allowing only self pollination to occurpollination to occur

Transpired simultaneously with Transpired simultaneously with the bee pollinated flowers.the bee pollinated flowers.

OPENOPEN POLLINATED POLLINATED FLOWERSFLOWERS

Additionally another set of Additionally another set of newly opened flowers was newly opened flowers was tagged and left untreated to tagged and left untreated to receive pollination naturally receive pollination naturally in the openin the open

(Tanda and Goya (Tanda and Goya 1978)1978)

TESTING METHODTESTING METHOD Upon opening of mature bolls: Upon opening of mature bolls:

(1)cotton from each boll was collected (1)cotton from each boll was collected

(2) dried in the sun for one day(2) dried in the sun for one day

(3)weighed separately after drying(3)weighed separately after drying

The cotton collected from each boll was also The cotton collected from each boll was also tested for quality using the following criteria: tested for quality using the following criteria:

(1)mean fiber length(1)mean fiber length

(2)ginning turn-out(2)ginning turn-out

(3)mean fiber length(3)mean fiber length

RESULTS:

These findings are the results of:

(1) Number of bee visits per flower(2) Pollination efficiency of bees (3) Number of flower visits (4) Effect on quantity & quality of

Asiatic cotton

*See TABLE 1 Below

Bee Species Max. # of Flowers Visited Per Trip

Time Visited

Per Minute

A. c. indica F. 124.10

per trip ¾

5.7

flowers p/m

A. dorsata F. 94.35 5.5

flowers p/m

A. mellifera L 86.60 4.6

flowers p/m

TABLE 1

The following chart (CHART 1) contains the average data found per insect group for each local.Note that the group “honey bees” includes: A. mellifera, A.c. indica, A. c. indica, A. florea

CHART 1 to follow

GRAPH 1

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Luhiana Nakodar

Honey BeesWild BeesScolidsButterflies

The proceeding graph (GRAPH 2) will document the effect of the three different types of pollination on boll retention among cotton crops.

Effects of bee pollination on boll retention and qualitative characteristics of Asiatic

cotton (G. arboreum), FLOWERS: Apis mellifera A. c. indica, Self

pollination

Open Pollinated

boll-retention rate 62% 57 30 50

seed cotton

weight per boll 1.8g 1.7 1.6 1.7

a mean fiber

length 16.3mm 16.2 15.5 15.8

halo length 18.1mm 18.1 17.0 17.1

ginning turn-out (%lint)

34.3% 34.2 33.2 33.7

seed index 4.3g% 4.2 3.6 4.0

General NotesThe C.D. (critical difference) at 5%, —, 0.07, 0.53, 1.09, 0.79, 0.29, respectively. In all the tests, the quality of cotton produced in bagged bolls pollinated by bees was significantly superior to that of cotton produced in bag without bees. However, the difference obtained with A. melliferaand A. c. indica bees was not significant. Similar results have been obtained by McGregor (1976) and Tanda and Goyal (1979b) in cage in which bees were confined.

Free, J.B., (1976). Insect Pollination of Crops, Academic Press: London. 544 pp. Goyal, N.P. and A.S. Tanda. (1978) Effect of Bee Pollination on Boll Retention in

Gossypium Arboreum Linn. Seed Farms. Vol. 4, Issue 3, pp 45-46.Goyal, N.P. and A.S. Tanda. (1979) Insect pollination in Asiatic Cotton. Journal of

Agricultural Research, Vol. 18 Issue 3. pp 64-72.Goyal, N.P. and A.S. Tanda. (1979) Pollen Dispersal by Insects in Desi Cotton(Gossypium arboreum Linn.) Seeds Farms, Vol. 5. Issues 5-8. pp 56-59.Goyal, N.P. and A.S. Tanda. (1979) Preliminary Observations on the Effect of

Intervarietal Bee Pollination of Desi Cotton (Gossypium arboreum Linn.)Indian Journal Entomology, Vol. 41, Issue 3. pp 281-282.Goyal, N.P. and A.S. Tanda. (1979) Some Observations on the Behavior of Apis

mellifera Linn. and Apis cerana indica Workers in a Field of Desi Cotton(Gossypium arboreum Linn.) American Bee Journal, Vol. 119. Issue 2. pp 106.McGregor, S. E., (1976) Insect Pollination of Cultivated Crops. U.S. Govt. Printing

Office :Wasghington, D.C. 400 pp.Tanda, A.S. (1976) Studies on the Role of Insect Pollination in Desi Cotrton

(Gossypium arboreum L.) Punjab Agricultural Univ: Ludhiana. 73 pp.

Works Cited