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Yield Improvement of Solanum nigrum L. (Solanaceae) through Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Pollination Efficiency in Dang (Ngaoundere, Cameroon)
Abstract
Bees are vital for crop pollination, increasing both the quantity and quality of fruits, nuts, seeds, and vegetables. This research highlights the effect of Apis mellifera pollination efficiency on Solanum nigrum yields during the 2020 and 2021 cropping seasons. Four treatments were applied during pollination. They consisted of self-pollinated flowers, open-pollinated flowers, and flowers that received just a single visit from A. mellifera or no visitors at all after a delay in their exposure. Floral activity parameters of A. mellifera were assessed, and the relevant fruit and seed yields were compared between treatments. This study found that A. mellifera was the most common among the flower-visiting insects recorded on S. nigrum, with a mean relative visit frequency of 38.44%. The daily rhythm of floral activity among workers was shown to be from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a peak in the 8-9 a.m. time frame. The mean density value found was 348 individuals/1000 flowers, the mean time of a floral visit was 31.31 sec, and the mean foraging speed was 8.7 flowers/minute. In addition, A. mellifera increased the fruiting rate and the rate of normal seeds in S. nigrum by 15.41% and 8.49%, respectively. This improvement of S. nigrum mainly depends on the effective presence of A. mellifera in the field of the Solanaceae.
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References
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DOI: 10.33687/ijae.013.03.5963
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