In search of the best pollinators for canola (Brassica napus L.) production in Pakistan

Ali, Mudssar, Saeed, Shafqat, Sajjad, Asif and Whittington, Andrew E. (2011) In search of the best pollinators for canola (Brassica napus L.) production in Pakistan. Applied Entomology and Zoology, 46 (3). pp. 353-361. ISSN 0003-6862

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Abstract

To discover the pollinator community of canola (Brassica napus L.) and the best pollinators for canola production, an experiment was performed at the research farm of Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan. The insect pollinator community was composed of 35 species in 3 orders and 14 families. Most of the bees (Hymenoptera) and a butterfly species (Lepidoptera) foraged for nectar, whereas all the flies (Diptera) foraged either for pollen or both nectar and pollen. Eight major pollinators were tested for their pollination efficiency. The nectar-robbing behavior of many species made it difficult to judge the efficiency of an insect on the basis of visitation rate and stay time; therefore, the amounts of pollen deposited and pollen harvested per visit were also measured. The single visit efficiency in terms of the number of seeds per pod revealed that Apis dorsata, A. florea, and Halictus sp. were superior for canola pollination, having Spears’ values of 1.62, 1.55 and 1.73, respectively. With the increase in the number of seeds per pod, seed weight per pod also increased, confirming the importance of these three pollinator species in canola production.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Article also available through the link provided
Keywords:	Canola, Effective pollinators, Reproductive success
Divisions:	Business and Law
Depositing User:	Ms Kerry Kellaway
Date Deposited:	11 Dec 2018 14:08
Last Modified:	27 Jan 2020 15:25
URI:	https://marjon.repository.guildhe.ac.uk/id/eprint/17285
Related URLs:	https://link.sp ... 3355-011-0051-0 (Publisher URL)

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