Nagaland University identifies stingless bee species for agriculture
Tetragonula iridipennis and Lepidotrigona arcifera boost pollination efficiency.
Pollination by stingless bees improves yield and quality of chilli crops.
Researchers at Nagaland University have identified stingless bee species that can be used to increase quality and quantity of agricultural yield through pollination, according to officials. The stingless bee species identified are Tetragonula iridipennis Smith and Lepidotrigona arcifera Cockerell.
The research has been published in several reputed, peer-reviewed journals, including International Journal of Farm Sciences.
According to Avinash Chauhan, Scientist and Principal Investigator (AICRP Honeybees and Pollinators), Department of Entomology, School of Agricultural Sciences, Nagaland University, “Stingless bees could be used for pollination without fear of being stung. They are known for their popular medicinal honey and pollination potential, which paves the way formulation of crop pollination calendars to benefit all stakeholders. The honey produced by the bees during the experiments also provided extra income besides good crop production.”
“Our team found that chilli crop, when pollinated by these bees, increases the crop production and quality as compared to crop where pollination is not accomplished. For supplementing the pollination deficit in chilli, stingless bees and honeybee species like A dorsata, A florea and other wild bees like halictid bees, syrphid bees and Amegiella bees need to be conserved,” Chauhan added.
In king-chilli the per cent fruit set was increased to 29.46 per cent over non pollinated crop (21.00 per cent). Likewise in Chilli (Capsicum annum), the fruit set and healthy fruits were increased by 7.42 per cent and 7.92 per cent over non-pollinated crop. Similarly, seed weight which is an indicator of viability or germination increased by 60.74 per cent when pollinated by stingless bees.
This is the maiden attempt to work out the pollination potential of stingless bees and quality production of honey, which led to increased income and sustainable livelihood. Earlier, it was difficult to use honeybees for pollination of crops (inadequate pollination) due to their natural attributes.
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