POLLINATION EFFICIENCY AND ROLE OF MANAGED HONEYBEES (APIS MELLIFERA L.) IN YIELD RESPONSE OF CANOLA UNDER RAINFED CONDITIONS TASLEEM AKHTAR 07-arid-168 Department of Entomology Faculty of Crop and Food Sciences Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi Pakistan 2019 i POLLINATION EFFICIENCY AND ROLE OF MANAGED HONEYBEES (APIS MELLIFERA L.) IN YIELD RESPONSE OF CANOLA UNDER RAINFED CONDITIONS by TASLEEM AKHTAR (07-arid-168) A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Entomology Department of Entomology Faculty of Crop and Food Sciences Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi Pakistan 2019 ii iii iv v vi vii DEDICATION I Dedicate This Humble Effort to My Parents for Their Encouragement and Tremendous Love for Me viii CONTENTS Page List of Tables x List of Figures xi Acknowledgments xix ABSTRACT xx 1. INTRODUCTION 1 2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE 6 2.1 POLLINATOR FAUNA OF CANOLA 7 2.2 ABUNDANCE OF APIS MELLIFERA ON CANOLA 10 2.3 FORAGING BEHAVIOR IN TERMS OF VISITATION 10 FREQUENCY OF APIS MELLIFERA 2.4 IDENTIFICATION AND QUANTIFICATION OF FLORAL 12 SOURCES OF APIS MELLIFERA 2.5 IMPACT OF WEATHER CONDITIONS ON FORAGING RATE 13 OF APIS MELLIFERA 2.6 IMPACT OF BEEHIVES DISTANCE ON FORAGING RATE OF 15 APIS MELLIFERA 2.7 EFFECT OF HONEYBEE POLLINATION ON QUALITATIVE 15 AND QUANTITATIVE PARAMETERS OF CANOLA 3. MATERIALS AND METHODS 18 3.1 STUDY AREA 18 3.2 SOWING OF CROP 18 3.3 IDENTIFICATION OF ALL POLLEN SOURCES DURING 18 ix BLOOMING PERIOD OF BRASSICA NAPUS FROM FORAGERS OF APIS MELLIFERA 3.3.1 Identification of Pollen Sources Transported by Apis mellifera 18 3.3.2 Pollen QuantificationTransported by Apis mellifera 20 3.4 DETERMINATION OF COLONY LEVEL POLLINATION 20 EFFICIENCY OF APIS MELLIFERA ON BRASSICA NAPUS CROP 3.4.1 Colony Foraging Rate 21 3.4.2 Impact of Weather Factors on Foraging Rate of Apis mellifera 21 3.4.3 Colony Condition of Apis mellifera 21 3.4.4 Data Analysis 21 3.5 CONTRIBUTION OF POLLINATION BY MANAGED APIS 22 MELLIFERA IN YIELD OF BRASSICA NAPUS 3.5.1 Visitation Frequency of Managed Apis mellifera 22 3.5.2 Pollinators Diversity 22 3.5.3 Pollination Efficacy 23 3.5.3.1 Agro morphological parameters 23 3.5.3.1.1 Number of pods plant -1 23 3.5.3.1.2 Number of seeds plant-1 23 3.5.3.1.3 Seed weight pods -100 23 3.5.3.2 Seed quality parameters 23 3.5.3.2.1 Oil contents (%) 23 3.5.3.2.2 Protein contents (%) 24 x 3.5.3.2.3 Fatty acid profile 24 3.5.3.2.4 Germination rate (%) 24 3.5.4 Data Analysis 24 3.6 EFFECT OF BEEHIVES DISTANCE ON COLONY LEVEL 25 POLLINATION EFFICACY OF APIS MELLIFERA ON BRASSICA NAPUS 3.6.1 Colony Foraging Rate of Apis mellifera 25 3.6.2 Colony Condition of Apis mellifera 25 3.6.3 Impact of Weather Factors on Foraging Rate of Apis mellifera 26 3.6.4 Data Analysis 26 4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 27 4.1 IDENTIFICATION OF POLLENS COLLECTED FROM 27 BODIES OF APIS MELLIFERA DURING BLOOMING PERIOD OF BRASSICA NAPUS 4.1.1 Identification of Pollen Sources 27 4.1.2 Quantification of Pollens Transported by Apis mellifera Workers 29 4.2 DETERMINATION OF COLONY LEVEL POLLINATION 38 EFFICIENCY OF APIS MELLIFERA ON BRASSICA NAPUS CROP 4.2.1 Colony Foraging Rate 38 4.2.2 Impact of Weather Condition on Foraging Rate 41 4.2.3 Colony Condition 45 4.3 CONTRIBUTION OF POLLINATION BY MANAGED APIS 56 MELLIFERA IN YIELD OF BRASSICA NAPUS xi 4.3.1 Visitation Frequency of Managed Apis mellifera 56 4.3.2 Diversity and Abundance of Insect Pollinators on Brassica napus 63 4.3.3 Pollination Efficacy 77 4.3.3.1 Agro- morphological parameters 77 4.3.3.1.1 Total number of pods plant-1 77 4.3.3.1.2 Total number of seeds plant-1 77 4.3.3.1.3 Seed weight 100 pods -1 78 4.3.3.2 Seed quality parameters 84 4.3.3.2.1 Oil contents (%) 84 4.3.3.2.2 Protein contents (%) 84 4.3.3.2.3 Oleic acid (%) 84 4.3.3.2.4 Linolenic acid (%) 85 4.3.3.2.5 Germination rate (%) 85 4.4 IMPACT OF BEEHIVES DISTANCE ON COLONY LEVEL 89 POLLINATION EFFICIENCY OF APIS MELLIFERA ON BRASSICA NAPUS 4..4.1 Colony Foraging Rate 89 4.4.2 Colony Condition with Different Beehives Distance from Brassica 98 napus 4.4.3 Correlation of Weather Factors with Foraging Rate of Apis mellifera 111 CONCLUSION 123 SUMMARY 124 LITERATURE CITED 132 APPENDICES 157 xii List of Tables Table No. Page 4.1.1 Different floral sources visited by Apis mellifera during Brassica 30 napus blooming period at URF Koont, Gujar Khan during 2015. 4.1.2 Total numbers of pollen sources visited by Apis mellifera recorded 36 during blooming period of Brassica napus at URF Koont, Gujar Khan during 2015. 4.1.3 Weekwise Percentage of polleniferous flora of Apis mellifera during 42 blooming period of Brassica napus at URF Koont, Gujar Khan during 2015. 4.2.1 Correlation between weather factors and colony foraging rate of Apis 58 mellifera during Brassica napus blooming period at URF Koont, Gujar Khan during 2015. 4.3.1 Abundance (%) and foraging behavior of Brassica napus (insect 80 visitors) at URF Koont, Gujar Khan during 2015. 4.3.2 Overall foraging activity of Brassica napus (insect visitors) at 82 different time intervals at URF Koont, Gujar Khan during 2015. 4.4.1 Correlation between weather factors and Apis mellifera colony 121 foraging rate for Brassica napus L. at URF Koont, Gujar Khan during 2016. xiii List of Figures Figure No. Page 4.1.1 Overall Percentage of pollens collected from different plants by 44 Apis mellifera foragers during blooming period of Brassica napus at URF Koont, Gujar Khan during 2015. 4.2.1 Colony foraging rate (Mean± SE) of Apis mellifera at different 46 timeintervals on 06-01-2015 (1st week of study) throughout blooming period of Brassica napus at URF Koont, Gujar Khan during 2015. 4.2.2 Colony foraging rate (Mean± SE) of Apis mellifera at different 47 time intervals on 20-01-2015 (3rd week of study) throughout blooming period of Brassica napus at URF Koont, Gujar Khan during 2015. 4.2.3 Colony foraging rate (Mean± SE) of Apis mellifera at different 48 time intervals on 27-01-2015 (4th week of study) throughout blooming period of Brassica napus at URF Koont, Gujar Khan during 2015. 4.2.4 Colony foraging rate (Mean± SE) of Apis mellifera at different 49 time intervals on 03-02-2015 (5th week of study) throughout blooming period of Brassica napus at URF Koont, Gujar Khan during 2015. 4.2.5 Colony foraging rate (Mean± SE) of Apis mellifera at different 50 time intervals on 10-02-2015 (6th week of study) throughout blooming period of Brassica napus at URF Koont, Gujar Khan xiv during 2015. 4.2.6 Colony foraging rate (Mean± SE) of Apis mellifera at different 51 time intervals on 17-02-2015 (7th week of study) throughout blooming period of Brassica napus at URF Koont, Gujar Khan during 2015. 4.2.7 Colony foraging rate (Mean± SE) of Apis mellifera at different 52 time intervals on 10-03-2015 (10th week of study) throughout blooming period of Brassica napus at URF Koont, Gujar Khan during 2015. 4.2.8 Colony foraging rate (Mean± SE) of Apis mellifera at different 53 time intervals on 17-03-2015 (11th week of study) throughout blooming period of Brassica napus at URF Koont, Gujar Khan during 2015. 4.2.9 Colony foraging rate (Mean± SE) of Apis mellifera at different 54 time intervals on 24-03-2015 (12th week of study) throughout blooming period of Brassica napus at URF Koont, Gujar Khan during 2015. 4.2.10 Average of nine weeks of colony foraging rate of Apis mellifera 55 at different time intervals during blooming period of Brassicanapus at URF Koont, Gujar Khan during 2015. 4.2.11 Temperature (ͦC), relative humidity (%) and rainfall (mm) along 59 with colony foraging rate of Apis mellifera during blooming period of Brassica napus at URF Koont, Gujar Khan during 2015. xv 4.2.12 Brood population area (cm2) per colony of Apis mellifera in 61 blooming period of Brassica napus at URF Koont, Gujar Khan during 2015. 4.2.13 Stored food area (cm2) per colony of Apis mellifera in blooming 62 period of Brassica napus at URF Koont, Gujar Khan during 2015. 4.3.1 Visitation frequency (Mean ± SE) of Apis mellifera on 06-01- 66 2015 (1st weekly interval) on Brassica napus at URF Koont, Gujar Khan during 2015. 4.3.2 Visitation frequency (Mean ± SE) of Apis mellifera on 20-01- 67 2015 (3rd weekly interval) on Brassica napus at URF Koont, Gujar Khan during 2015. 4.3.3 Visitation frequency (Mean ± SE) of Apis mellifera on 27-01- 68 2015 (4th weekly interval) on Brassica napus at URF Koont, Gujar Khan during 2015. 4.3.4 Visitation frequency (Mean ± SE) of Apis mellifera on 03-02- 69 2015 (5th weekly interval) on Brassica napus at URF Koont, Gujar Khan during 2015. 4.3.5 Visitation frequency (Mean ± SE) of Apis mellifera on 10-02- 70 2015 (6th weekly interval) on Brassica napus at URF Koont, Gujar Khan during 2015.