Floral Visitors of Different Crops As Recorded from an Agro-Ecosystem Near Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan (India)
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR) ISSN (Online): 2319-7064 Impact Factor (2012): 3.358 Floral Visitors of Different Crops as Recorded from an Agro-Ecosystem near Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan (India) Sima, Dheeraj Bhati1, Meera Srivastava2 Laboratory of Entomology, Post Graduate Department of Zoology, Government Dungar College, Bikaner 334001, Rajasthan, India Abstract: The relationship between pollinators and flowering plants is one of the mutually beneficial relationships in the natural world. The loss of a pollinator could cause the collapse of an ecosystem. During the present study an attempt has been made to record the floral visitors of different crops from an agro-ecosystem near Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan, India. The crop field comprised of different crops during the study period and included pearl millet, cotton, sorghum, cluster beans and mung bean during April to October, while, during November to March the major crops in the agricultural fields were mustard, rye, wheat, barley, gram and fenugreek. In all, 50 insect species belonging to 25 families and 7 orders were observed on flowers of various crops cultivated in the agro-ecosystem. Further, of these, based on number 9 were frequent and 41were rare visitors. Keywords: Floral visitors, agro-ecosystems, Crops, Rajasthan 1. Introduction 2. The Study Area and Methodology Insects are the most diverse and abundant of all terrestrial The state of Rajasthan is the largest state of Indian republic animals. They play a very important role in the ecosystem located between 23º3' to 20'13 N latitude and 69º30' to due to their vast diversity of form, function and life-style; 78º17'C longitudes and the area under study falls in the their considerable biomass; and their interaction with plant Indian desert near Jhunjhunu situated in Rajasthan, India. life, other organisms and the environment. They aerate the The crop field comprised of different crops during the study soil, pollinate blossoms, and control insect and plant pests; period and included pearl millet, cotton, sorghum, cluster they also decompose dead materials, thereby reintroducing beans and mung bean during April to October, while, during nutrients into the soil. Insects have a direct impact on November to March the major crops in the agricultural fields agricultural food production as on one side they act as were mustard, rye, wheat, barley, gram and fenugreek. pollinators while on the other act as pests. The relationship between pollinators and flowering plants is one of the As the study concentrated on insect visitors, therefore, the mutually beneficial relationships in the natural world. The flowering period in different crops was also recorded. The loss of a pollinator could cause the collapse of an ecosystem. flower status whether solitary or in the form of inflorescence Pollinators are also required for the successful proliferating and the colour and size of flowers were also documented. It communities and wildlife habitats. Estimates suggest that was also noted that whether the flowers released scent or not approximately 73 percent of the world's cultivated crops are (Table 2.). Visit of a particular insect species to a specific pollinated by some varieties of bees, 19 percent by files, 6.5 flower was documented and expressed as number of percent by bats, 5 percent by wasps, 5 percent by beetles, 4 visits/man/h. The insect visitors to different flowering crops percent by birds and 4 percent by butterflies, indicating that were surveyed and collected every week from November most of the plant species rely on insects for pollination. 2011 to October 2013. For the study, the field area was Looking into the importance of insect pollinators, divided into five stations from where the insects on flowers agricultural practices must be designed to incorporate the were collected. Sweep net was used for insect collection. protection and sustainable management of pollinators. The insects collected by the above method were transferred to killing bottles, killed and preserved. Large winged insects Over the last few decades the perception has been growing were put to dry preservation by pinning them in insect among pollination biologists that pollinators have declined boxes, while smaller insects were preserved in 70% alcohol. in numbers resulting in decreased seed and fruit set in the The fauna were sorted out group wise and help from the plants that they service. Threats to pollinators include habitat Section of Entomology, Department of Agriculture, Bikaner reduction, use of pesticides and other agrochemicals, and Desert Regional Station of the Zoological Survey of invasive species, fungal, protozoan and bacterial diseases, India, Jodhpur was also taken for identification and for modern agricultural practices etc. The present study was confirmation. Besides, the reference collection in the therefore planned to observe and document insect visitors on Department of Zoology, Dungar College was also consulted. various crops cultivated in an agro-ecosystem near Jhunjhunu , Rajasthan ( India). 3. Results and Discussion During the present study, different insects visiting flowers were documented and have been presented in Table 1. In all, 50 insect species belonging to 25 families and 7 orders were Volume 3 Issue 9, September 2014 www.ijsr.net Paper ID: 16061402 Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY 1732 International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR) ISSN (Online): 2319-7064 Impact Factor (2012): 3.358 observed on flowers of various crops cultivated in the agro- hymenopterans on the flowers of L. cylindrica. According to ecosystem. Further, of these, based on number 9 were Hodges & Baxendale (2007) cucumber flowers are frequent and 41were rare visitors. exclusively pollinated by honeybees and it takes at least 9 honeybee visits / flower to pollinate cucumber adequately. During April to October the inflorescence of pearl millet Carrillo et al. (2007) observed honeybees as pollinators of C. was noted to be visited by 20 insects (P. nasutus, C. pictus, melo. Singh et al. (2006) reported that most of the insect A. ferruginea, C. vestalis, C. fieldii, E. hecabe, D. pollinators of Brassica crops belong to Apis species. A. chrysippus, M. separata, H. fasclies, S. exigua, E. mellifera, A. dorsata and A. cerana as floral visitors of zinckenella, Tephrina sp. Oncocephalus sp., A. cerana, A. mustard were also observed by Povada et al. (2004). melliferea, A. dorsata, A. florea, Delta sp., C. Honeybees are efficient pollinators of B. campestris were quinquefasciatus and Stichopogon sp.); 2 on cotton (C. also observed by Langride & Goodmen (1975); Mohar & fieldii and E. hecabe); 8 on sorghum (D. chrysippus, C. Jay (1988) and Perveen et al. (2000) and therefore, support fieldii, E. hecabe, M. separata, H. recurvalis, Tephrina sp., the present findings. A. dorsata and C. quinquefasciatus); 12 on cluster beans (C. vestalis, C. fieldii, H. recurvalis, N. viridula, D. cingulatus, Sekhar & Gowda (2006) noted bees on brinjal flowers from X. violacea, A. cerana, A. mellifera, A. dorsata, E. farternus, November to July. According to Tootland & Mathews C. quinquefasciatus and Euconocephalus sp.); 14 on mung (1998) flower density was much more important than bean (O. catta, O. bonasus, Adoretus sp., P. nasutus, temperature, humidity, time of day and season in explaining Myllocerus sp., C. vestalis, C. fieldii, E. hecabe, L. boeticus, variation in bee numbers, total numbers of flowers visited, D. chrysippus, X. violacea, A. cerana, A. mellifera and C. the number of flowers visited by individual bees and the quinquefasciatus.). total number of visits / flowers. Singh et al. (2006) suggested most of the insect pollinators of Brassica crops belong to During November to March the inflorescence of mustard Apis species. Heithans (1974) observed a positive was found to be visited by most number of insects (30) relationship between bee and floral abundance. Change in which included C. septempunctata, M. sexmaculatus, major weather factors such as temperature and RH might be Myllocerus sp., C. pomona, C. vestalis, C. fieldii, E. hecabe, responsible for the difference in visitation rate of honeybee A. aurota, D. chrysippus, L. boeticus, J. orithya, M. was suggested by Selva Kumar et al. (1996). Bee foraging separata, A. ipsilon, S. exigua, H. recurvalis, C. medinalis, activity is highly influenced by prevailing weather factors U. pulchella, Tephrina sp., L. erysmi, X. fenestrata, X. have also been reported by Szabo (1980), Sihag & Abrol violacea, A. cerana, A. mellifera, A. dorsata, A. florea, (1986), Abrol (1987). This could be true for the present Polistes sp., C. megacephala, C. rufifacies, C. study also. quinquefasciatus and C. carnea; followed by 17 on rye C. septempunctata, M. sexmaculatus, Myllocerus sp., C. According to Cervencia & Bargonia (2000) the most vestalis, C. fieldii, E. hecabe, L. boeticus, D. chrysippus, E. common flower visitors of cucumber included X. chorna and insulana, M. separata, A. ipsilon, Tephrina sp., A. cerana, X. X. philippinensis. Earlier Xylocopa bees as pollinator of violacea, A. dorsata, A. florea, and C. quinquefasciatus; 17 cucurbit crop were also identified by Njorage et al. (2004) also on wheat (C. septempunctata, M. sexmaculatus, which corroborate the present findings. Thapa (2006) and Myllocerus sp., C. vestalis C. fieldii, E. hecabe, D. Hannan (2007) also reported Xylocopa as insect pollinators chrysippus, J. orithya, L. boeticus, Tephrina sp., X. violacea, of Brassica. X. virginica as floral