To evaluate Apis mellifera adansonii Latreille impact on fruit and seed yields of Gossypium hirsutum L., its foraging and pollinating activities were studied in Ngaoundere for two seasons. Observations were made on 34...To evaluate Apis mellifera adansonii Latreille impact on fruit and seed yields of Gossypium hirsutum L., its foraging and pollinating activities were studied in Ngaoundere for two seasons. Observations were made on 340 flowers each year and divided in three treatments. The treatments included unlimited flowers access by all visitors; bagged flowers to deny all visits and limited visits by Apis mellifera adansonii only. The worker bees seasonal rhythm of activity, its foraging behaviour, its pollination efficiency, the fruiting rate, the number of seeds per fruit and the percentage of normal seeds were evaluated. Results show that this bee foraged G. hirsutum flowers throughout the whole blooming period. This bee species intensely harvested pollen and nectar. The mean foraging speed was 9.41 flowers per rain in 2009 and 8.41 flowers per min in 2010. The fruiting rate, the number of seeds per fruit and the percentage of normal seeds of unprotected flowers were significantly higher than those of flowers protected from insects. Through its pollination efficiency, Apis mellifera adansonii provoked a significant increment of the fruiting rate by 60.84% in 2009 and 36.48% in 2010, as well as the number of seeds per fruit by 94.16% in 2009 and 31.41% in 2010, and the percentage of normal seeds by 94.23% in 2009 and 33.49% in 2010. The installation ofA. m. adansonii colonies close to G. hirsutum fields could be recommended to increase fruit, seed and honey yields, and pollen production as a hive product in the region.展开更多
文摘To evaluate Apis mellifera adansonii Latreille impact on fruit and seed yields of Gossypium hirsutum L., its foraging and pollinating activities were studied in Ngaoundere for two seasons. Observations were made on 340 flowers each year and divided in three treatments. The treatments included unlimited flowers access by all visitors; bagged flowers to deny all visits and limited visits by Apis mellifera adansonii only. The worker bees seasonal rhythm of activity, its foraging behaviour, its pollination efficiency, the fruiting rate, the number of seeds per fruit and the percentage of normal seeds were evaluated. Results show that this bee foraged G. hirsutum flowers throughout the whole blooming period. This bee species intensely harvested pollen and nectar. The mean foraging speed was 9.41 flowers per rain in 2009 and 8.41 flowers per min in 2010. The fruiting rate, the number of seeds per fruit and the percentage of normal seeds of unprotected flowers were significantly higher than those of flowers protected from insects. Through its pollination efficiency, Apis mellifera adansonii provoked a significant increment of the fruiting rate by 60.84% in 2009 and 36.48% in 2010, as well as the number of seeds per fruit by 94.16% in 2009 and 31.41% in 2010, and the percentage of normal seeds by 94.23% in 2009 and 33.49% in 2010. The installation ofA. m. adansonii colonies close to G. hirsutum fields could be recommended to increase fruit, seed and honey yields, and pollen production as a hive product in the region.
