Evaluating the Effectiveness of Honey Bee (Apis mellifera. L) on Qualitative and Quantitative Parameters of Almond (Prunus amygdalus, Bastch) in Kashmir Himalayas

Abstract

Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are two union territories (UTs) known for their natural beauty, and exemplary growing standards of horticulture crops on a national and international scale. Being a temperate state it has ample opportunity for the development of all sorts of all crops, including tropical, subtropical fruits and also temperate fruits such as apple, pear, peach, almonds, etc. Almond (Prunus amygdalus, Bastch) is one of the main cash crop in karewa landscapes of Kashmir, and is highy dependent on pollinators, due to its self incompatibility. Honey bees (Apis mellifera. L) were key pollinators in almond, even in pollinator independent varieties (self-fertile) due to positive effect of bee disturbance on fruit setting. The study was conducted to assess the impact of Apis mellifera L.and other native insect pollinators on quantitative and qualitative parameters of almond viz., fruit set, nut length, nut width, nut thickness, nut weight, kernel length, nut width, nut thickness, nut weight, kernel length, kernel width, kernel thickness, kernel weight, nut yield and kernel recovery. The results revealed that natural pollination augmented with Apis mellifera resulted in the highest values across all measured parameters, indicating its superior effectiveness in enhancing almond productivity and quality. This was followed by natural pollination, which also contributed positively, though to a lesser extent. In contrast, pollination exclusion (bagging treatment) led to zero fruit set due to the absence of insect pollinators and the self-incompatible nature of almond, underscoring the essential role of insect-mediated pollination in almond cultivation.