Comparative performance of honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) and blow flies (Phormia terronovae) in onion (Allium cepa L.) seed setting
2011
Munawar, M.S. (National Agricultural Research Centre, Islamabad (Pakistan). Honeybee Research Inst.) | Raja, S. (National Agricultural Research Centre, Islamabad (Pakistan). Honeybee Research Inst.) | Niaz, S. (Vegetables Research Inst., AARI, Faisalabad (Pakistan)) | Sarwar, G. (PMAS Arid Agriculture Univ., Rawalpindi (Pakistan))
Effect of honeybee and blowfly pollination on onion (Allium cepa L.) seed production was studied at National Agricultural Research Centre, Islamabad. Pakistan during 2005-06. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three treatments (caged plants with honeybee, caged plants with blow flies and caged plants without pollinators-control) and four replications each. Number of seed sets from 10 umbels, one from each replication were counted and weighed. The number of seed sets in caged plants with honeybees was maximum as compared to plants caged with blow flies and control. The same treatment also produced maximum seed weight as compared to other treatments. The results revealed that onion seed setting is dependent on insect pollination. The percentage of seed set for first treatment i.e. the plants caged with honeybees ranged from 62-93 with mean number of 80.7 plus minus 0.93 (mean plus minus SE).
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