ICAR-National Research Centre on Seed Spices, Ajmer, Rajasthan, 305206, India.
All India Coordinated Research Project on Honeybees, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India.
Sci Rep. 2022 Jul 30;12(1):13134. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-17397-4.
Dill seeds (Anethum graveolens L.) is the most valuable medicinal seed spice crop of Apiaceae. It bears small yellow flowers in the form of umbels. Being a cross-pollinated crop, floral visitors play vital role in pollination and seed sets. Hence, the present study was conducted at the ICAR-National Research Centre on Seed Spices, Ajmer (Rajasthan), India to discover the pollinator's community, foraging behaviour and abundance of most frequent pollinators and different modes of pollination on seed yield and quality of this seed spice crop. The insect visitors community of dill seeds was composed of 28 insect species belonging to 14 families of 6 orders. Most of floral visitors started their foraging activity at 8.00 h, reached peak activity between 12.00 and 14.00 h and their activity ceased at 18.00 h. Apis florea, A. dorsata, A. mellifera, solitary bee, Halictus sp. and two unidentified species of Hymenoptera; Episyrphus balteatus (DeGeer), Episyrphus sp., Eristalis sp and two other Musca species of Diptera were identified as potential and regular floral visitors of dill seeds. The highest seed yield of 1505.63 kg/ha was recorded in the treated plots provided with only 10% jaggery solution and was at par with the open pollination. A lower seed yield of 1432.5 kg/ha was recorded in plots pollinated only with A. mellifera inside insect cages. Open pollination with 10% jaggery solution spray increased the seed yield of dill seed crop by 57%, one-thousand seed test weight by 96% and the essential oil content by 27% over control plots. These results show that managed pollination is a much better way to enhance yields and quality of dill seed crop than other treatments including only honeybee-based pollination.
莳萝籽（Anethum graveolens L.）是伞形科最有价值的药用种子香料作物。它开小黄花，呈伞形花序。作为异花授粉作物，传粉者在授粉和结实中起着至关重要的作用。因此，本研究在印度拉贾斯坦邦艾哈迈达巴德的印度农业研究理事会-国家种子香料研究中心进行，旨在发现传粉者群落、访花行为以及最频繁的传粉者的丰度，以及不同的授粉方式对这种种子香料作物的种子产量和质量的影响。莳萝种子的昆虫访客群落由 28 种昆虫组成，隶属于 6 个目 14 科。大多数访花者在 8.00 时开始觅食活动，在 12.00 至 14.00 时达到活动高峰，18.00 时停止活动。发现 Apis florea、A. dorsata、A. mellifera、独居蜂、Halictus sp. 和两种未鉴定的膜翅目；Episyrphus balteatus (DeGeer)、Episyrphus sp.、Eristalis sp. 和两种其他双翅目苍蝇被鉴定为莳萝种子的潜在和常规传粉者。在仅提供 10%糖蜜溶液的处理地块中，记录到最高种子产量为 1505.63 kg/ha，与开放授粉相当。在带有昆虫笼的 A. mellifera 进行授粉的地块中，记录到的种子产量较低，为 1432.5 kg/ha。在开放授粉的基础上，喷洒 10%糖蜜溶液可使莳萝种子作物的产量增加 57%，千粒重增加 96%，精油含量增加 27%，比对照地块效果更好。这些结果表明，与包括仅基于蜜蜂授粉的其他处理方法相比，管理授粉是提高莳萝种子作物产量和质量的更好方法。
