Influence of bumble bee pollination on quantitative and qualitative parameters of kiwifruit

Abstract

Bumble bees are the most efficient pollinators not only for the wild plants, but also for pollination services, used in both outdoor and greenhouse horticulture and orchards. In this experiment the influence of the bumble bee (Bombus haemorrhoidalis Smith) (Hymenoptera: Apidae) was analyzed and compared to honeybee pollination, hand-pollination, open-pollination and control (crop without pollinators) kiwifruit grown under insect proof nylon cages. Buzz pollination resulted in higher fruit set (79.43%), longer fruits (59.56 mm/fruits), higher fruit breadth (40.58 mm/fruit), heavier fruits (68.14 g/fruit), higher total fruit yield (8.14 kg/vine), higher healthy fruits (94.60%), higher seed number (560.13 seeds/fruit) and test weight (1.67 g/1000 seed) in kiwifruit and accounted an increase of 46.05, 41.53, 37.00, 180, 191.75, 107.33, 25.34 and 57.54 per cent, respectively over control. Only A grade and B grade fruits were yielded in bumble bee pollinated fruit vines. Chemical parameters viz. TSS, TSS/acidity ratio, total sugars, reducing sugars and non-reducing sugars of kiwifruits were also found effected with buzz pollination. In kiwifruit, buzz pollination was observed as better mode of pollination next to handpollination. Bumble bee (B. haemorrhoidalis) pollination proved superior over control (crop without pollinator), open/natural pollination and equally good (at par) to hand-pollination, with respect to all quantitative as well as qualitative parameters. The preliminary present studies indicate that bumble bee pollination is helpful to enhance the quality and quantity of kiwifruit and will definitely increase farmers’ income.