Assessment of Various Bee Attractants on Apis florea Fabricius and Their Influence on Seed Yield of Niger [Guizotia abyssinica (L.f.) Cass]

Abstract

A research study was conducted in Kharif 2021 at the PC Unit Sesame and Niger experimental farm in the College of Agriculture, Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh to study bee attractants on Apis florea attractiveness and seed yield of niger crops, using a Randomized Block Design consisting of nine treatments and three replications. Research found that during 10% and 50% flowering stages of the crop, Apis florea visit was numerically the highest with rose water 10% (12.83 individual/m2/5min) and sugar solution 10% (14.33 individual/m2/5min) treatments, respectively. The population of Apis florea was received from controlled conditions were 2.67 and 3.75 individual/m 2 /5min at 10% and 50% flowering stage, respectively. This was followed by water spray (4.75 and 5.83 individual/m 2 /5min) at 10% and 50% flowering stage, respectively. The foliar spray of rose water 10%, sugar solution 10%, and flower extract of M. longifolia 10% solution were found significantly superior over others in respect to record higher seed yield and with a recorded seed yield of 6.90q, 6.70 q, and 6.30 q/ha seed yield, respectively.