Utilization of Indian Dammar Bee (Tetragonula iridipennis Smith) as a Pollinator of Bitter Gourd

Sourabh Bisui,Ujjwal Layek,Prakash Karmakar

doi:10.5586/aa.7316

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to determine the pollination deficit in bitter gourd (<em>Momordica charantia</em> L.) and the effect of the use of Indian dammar bee as pollinator on the yield. Diverse native visitors were recorded during the blooming period. Among those honeybees, stingless bee, solitary bees, and butterflies are legitimate visitors; all of them showed a selective preference for male flowers (flower sex type selection index ranged from 0.41 to 0.62). The plant species showed a pollination deficit in nature (coefficient of pollination deficit, D = 0.20), resulting in low fruit set in an open-pollination system. However, the value was significantly increased by the supplementary pollination services of a managed dammar bee colony. Furthermore, the quality of the fruits also improved in hand-pollinated and managed bee-pollinated systems in comparison to an open pollination system. Therefore, it is generally recommended that farmers use Indian dammar bee colonies in their agricultural land to increase the quantity and quality of the yield of bitter gourd.

Highlights

Bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) is widely cultivated in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world, including India, Malaysia, China, Thailand, Japan, Brazil, and Central and South America (Shan et al, 2012; Walters & Decker-Walters, 1988)
Natural pollinators have been drastically reduced by several anthropogenic drivers like habitat fragmentation, use of pesticides, climate change, and introduced pathogens (Goulson et al, 2015; Kovacs-Hostyanszki et al, 2011; Potts et al, 2010)
The diversity, species composition, and abundance of pollinating insects vary from region to region, and documenting pollinators and their effect on yield in bitter gourd is important

Summary

Introduction

Bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) is widely cultivated in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world, including India, Malaysia, China, Thailand, Japan, Brazil, and Central and South America (Shan et al, 2012; Walters & Decker-Walters, 1988). Fruits and seeds have important pharmacological uses, with antidiabetic, antihelminthic, antimalarial, antiulcerogenic and immunomodulatory effects (Ahmed et al, 1998; Matsuda & DeFronzo, 1999; Raza et al, 2000). Stingless bees are important pollinating agents for many native plant species (Roubik, 1995). Many species of stingless bees contribute to the pollination of commercially important crops (Heard, 1999; Kukutani et al, 1993; Maeta et al, 1992). The dammar bee, Tetragonula iridipennis Smith is the most abundant stingless bee in India including West Bengal. This bee species forages for diverse angiosperm flora with a high degree of floral fidelity (Layek & Karmakar, 2018)

Results

Discussion

Conclusion