Chemonics International, Inc. 1717 H Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006 Phone: 202.955.3300 Fax: 202.955.3400 www.chemonics.com BEE POLLINATION IN OIL PALM A MANUAL FOR OIL PALM FARMERS IN NIGERIA APRIL 2017 This Publication was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development Prepared by MARKETS II Project AID-620-C-12-00001 USAID MARKETS II 2 Bee Pollination in Oil Palm- A manual for Oil Palm farmers in Nigeria Developed for use by MARKETS II Project APRIL 2017 USAID MARKETS II 3 Foreward This manual is designed to help oil Palm farmers work more efficiently and make more strategic decisions concerning Oil Palm crop production. The fact that bees are important in the pollination of many species of plants is not new, but the fact that honeybees are becoming indispensable in our agricultural economy may be considered as relatively new. Value of the bees in pollination exceeds by ten to twenty times their value in the production of honey and other products. The manual benefitted from the input and insights of participants in a package of practice development workshop in Calabar, Nigeria, hosted and facilitated by staff from MARKETS II Project. Special appreciation also goes to the team who participated in the manual development process – including:Bassey Archibong, Abiodun Amoo, David Musa,Nsiak Akpan Lawrence,Martin Atori,Ekpe Inyang,Joy Ekara,Nnadimele Roseline,EjirogheneAgbigbe,SholuadeAdejoke,Chuks Izuh,Okerenwogba Ruth Blessing Essien,Osagie Omoregie,Chief Akpet Nyambi,Johnson Oluwaseun,Bobade Bayo,Shado Evans,Glory Odu-Oji,Kings;ey Ojeah A wide range of stakeholders participated in the development of this curriculum, but special acknowledgement is due Bargong Farms Limited on their contribution in designing and producing photographs and materials included in the development of this BeePollination Manual. The manual development process was spearheaded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded MARKETS II project. Compiled by – Abiodun Amoo Edited by – Bassey Archibong USAID MARKETS II 4 INTRODUCTION What is Pollination? Pollination is the transfer of pollen grains from anthers to the stigma. Once the pollen gets into contact with the stigma fertilization occurs. USAID MARKETS II 5 Pollination is an important production in plants. Flowering plants require pollination to produce seed or fruit. Pollen is a vital food for the brood of the honeybee. The bee needs it in the hive, but the flower also needs the bee to fertilize it. The bright colour and sweet odour of the flower combine to attract insects. The honeybee, which has a powerful sense of smell and a keen sense of sight, is easily attracted to the flower. In the process of gathering both nectar and pollen, it incidentally transfers some pollen from the flower's male organs, the anthers, to its female organ, the stigma. The pollen germinates, and penetrates to the plant's ovaries, where the seeds are formed. Why Pollination Honeybees render to mankind several services including pollination of crops. In most part of the world, some beekeepers move their hives over several kilometers away and make considerable charges for pollination service. Farmers need the honeybees. It is important for the farmer to ensure that he has sufficient population of bees on his farm for adequate pollination. By doing so, the farmer will enjoy better crop yields in addition to honey, wax and other products Note: Pollination is NOT a random activity and CANNOT be left to assumption (biotic agents). It must be approached as a critical indispensable component of modern agriculture if the farmers want to gain food security within a short period. Uses of Bee for Pollination The honey bee has a powerful sense of smell and a keen sense of sight. It is easily attracted to the flower. Pollen is a vital food for the brood of the honeybee. The bee needs it in the hive, but the flower also needs the bee to fertilize it. The bright color and sweet smell of the flower combine to attract bees and other insect. In the process of gathering both nectar and pollen, it incidentally transfers some pollen from the flower's male organs, the anthers, to its female organ, the stigma. The pollen penetrates to the plant's ovaries, where the seeds are formed The honeybee is the only insect that can successfully be moved from farm to farm. It is estimated that five average colonies (about 50 000 bees each) can work a two-hectare plantation. This is achieved by moving colonies and siting them close to the farm. USAID MARKETS II 6 The challenges and opportunities in Beekeeping & pollination service delivery in Nigerian are both a function of mind set and poor training. Being a new agricultural ‘and chiefly animal husbandry activity, potential farmer/beekeepers require substantial amounts of encouragement to back mentoring and strengthening of capacity. Pollination Process Bees are attracted to the vertically oriented sterile stamen, sometimes resembling a petal, as in the flower of oil Palm, and use it for landing. The dorsal part of the thorax of the honey bee brushes against the style, thereby smearing the style with pollen grains as the bees probes and descends toward the base of the staminodes, after landing on the inner surface of a sterile stamen, sometimes resembling a petal, as in the flower of an oil Palm. The fact that style pollination generally results in more fruit set than stigma pollination makes the honey bee efficient pollinating candidates. Note: The honey Bee starts its foraging activity between 5:00 and 5:15 a.m. Flight usually depends on the weather and temperature. The honeybee will not leave the hive if the temperature is below 14°C or if the wind speed is above 30 kilometers per hour. To be effective, therefore, pollination should USAID MARKETS II 7 take place in warm, clear weather. Note: Too much heat has the same adverse effect as too much cold. If the weather is hot, dry and windy, the flower's stigma may dry out, so that pollen deposited does not germinate. Pollen may also not be available in conditions of continuous rainfall, since flowers are usually scarce during the rainy season. Note: Areas of frequent rainfall offer few flowers for bee activity. Anatomy of the Oil Palm Flower (Physical Structure) Oil palm is a long-lived single stemmed palm which bears, like the majority of palm species, a single vegetative shoot apical meristem maintained throughout the lifetime of the plant. Under favourable climatic conditions, this meristem is continuously active, producing a new leaf primordium approximately every 2 weeks in mature palms. The leaf takes 2–3 years to develop from initiation to the time when leaflets unfold in the centre of the palm crown. The flowering (the complete flower head of a plant including stems, stalks, bracts, and flowers) are formed throughout the year in the axils of their under, opposite or beneath the leaves. Oil Palm specie is monoecious, producing separate male and female flowers on the same palm in alternation, although mixed sex flowers are occasionally observed. Whereas the male flowers bears individual staminate flowers, the female flowers produces floral triads consisting of a pistillate flower flanked by two accompanying staminate flowers. The latter develop up to, and including, the appearance of four microspores in the pollen sac, after which no further development occurs and the natural detachment of parts of a plant, typically USAID MARKETS II 8 dead leaves and ripe fruit takes place before the pistillate flower reaches maturity. In the non- reproductive part of the flower, and structure that forms an envelope surrounding the sexual organs, consisting of the calyx (sepals) and the corolla (petals) of oil palm flowers, sepals and petals are of a similar petaloid appearance, particularly in the pistillate flower. The reproductive organs of staminate flowers are composed of six stamens with connate filaments surrounding a pistillode, whereas pistillate flowers display rudimentary stamen and a gynoecium of three carpels. Anatomy of Oil Palm Flower USAID MARKETS II 9 Anatomy of the Bee Honeybees (Apis mellifera) Like all insects, the honeybee has three main parts: head, thorax and abdomen. 1. THE HEAD Triangular in shape, the head has five eyes, a pair of antennae, and mouth parts consisting, among other organs, of two mandibles, the proboscis, etc. a) The eyes: Bee eyes consists of a pair of compound eyes and three small simple eyes, called the ocelli. The compound eyes are composed of several thousands of simple light-sensitive cells, called ommatidia, which enable the bee to distinguish light and color and to detect directional information from the sun's ultraviolet rays. Depending on the work they do, some bees eyes (example the drone) are larger than those of others (the worker or the queen bee. They assist Bee(drone) to locate the queen as he pursues her during the mating flight. b) The antennae are a pair of sensitive receptors whose base is situated in the small socket-like membranous areas of the head wall. They move freely in every direction. The antennae's functions are to feel or touch and to smell, and thus to guide the bee outside and inside the hive, to differentiate floral and pheromone odors, and to locate hive intruders. USAID MARKETS II 10 c) The mandibles are a pair of jaws suspended from the head and parts of the bee's mouth. The insect uses them to chew wood when redesigning the hive entrance, to chew pollen and to work wax for comb-building. They also permit any activity requiring a pair of grasping instruments. d) The proboscis: Unlike the proboscis of all other sucking insects, that of the honeybee is not a permanent functional organ; it is improvised temporarily by assembling parts of the maxillae and the labium to produce a unique tube for drawing up liquids such as sweet juices, nectar, water and honey.