Evaluation of Various Bee Attractants on the Foraging Behavior of Indian Honey Bee (Apis cerana indica) and their Impact on the Seed Yield of Niger [Guizotia abyssinica (L.f.) Cass]

Abstract

Experiment was done at the PC Unit Sesame and Niger Experimental Farm, College of Agriculture, Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. The study took place in during Kharif 2022. A total of nine treatments with three replications were arranged for the experiment using Randomized Block Design to check whether there was a result of bee attractants regarding attraction by Apis cerana indica and their effects on seed production of niger crops. The number of Apis cerana indica visits was found the highest at both the 10% and 50% blooming stages at which Madhuca longifolia flower extract 10% and rose water were 10% (16.50 Apis cerana indica/m2/5min), with 17.50 and 12.17 Apis cerana indica/m2/5min, respectively. This was followed by rose water 10% with 16.50 and (sugar solution 50%) 10.08 Apis cerana indica/m2/5min, respectively. The population of Apis cerana indica was received from controlled condition 5.67 and 2.92 Apis cerana indica/m2/5min at 10% and 50% flowering stage, respectively. This was followed by water spray (7.08 and 4.42 Apis cerana indica/m2/5min) at 10% and 50% flowering stage, respectively. The foliar spray of flower extract of Madhuca longifolia, sugar solution 10% and rose water 10% were found significantly superior over others in respect to record higher seed yield and recorded 6.90 q and 6.70 q/ha seed yield, respectively.