Comparative Efficacy of Bee Pollination Methods on Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) Productivity in Field and Caged Conditions

Mamatha D *

Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture, Raichur- 584 104, India.

Badari Prasad P R

Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture, Gangavathi- 583 227, India.

Basavaraj Kadanavar

Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture, Gangavathi- 583 227, India.

Raghavendra Yaligar

Department of Entomology, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Gangavathi- 583 227, India.

Shekhar Patil

Dept of Horticulture, College of Agriculture, UAS, Raichur- 584 104, India.

*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.


Abstract

Pollination is essential for fruit set, yield and quality in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.). This study evaluated seven pollination methods during the summer and winter seasons of 2024–25 at the Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture, Gangavathi, Karnataka, India. The treatments comprised open pollination, hand pollination, Apis cerana indica pollination, Tetragonula iridipennis pollination, combined bee pollination, bee-attractant application and pollinator exclusion. The experiment was conducted in a randomised block design with seven treatments and three replications. Combined bee pollination produced the highest yield in both seasons, recording 314.44 q/ha in winter and 311.17 q/ha in summer. This was followed by A. cerana pollination, with 296.21 and 286.86 q/ha, and T. iridipennis pollination, with 266.66 and 262.29 q/ha, in winter and summer, respectively. Bee-attractant application produced intermediate yields of 218.89 and 246.83 q/ha, while open pollination recorded 213.33 and 210.07 q/ha and hand pollination recorded 173.33 and 170.13 q/ha. Pollinator exclusion resulted in the lowest yields, at 95.67 q/ha in winter and 73.27 q/ha in summer. Overall, the findings indicate that managed bee pollination, particularly the combined use of A. cerana and T. iridipennis, was associated with improved cucumber productivity under the evaluated conditions.

Keywords: Pollination, bee attractant, productivity, combined bee pollination.


How to Cite

D, Mamatha, Badari Prasad P R, Basavaraj Kadanavar, Raghavendra Yaligar, and Shekhar Patil. 2026. “Comparative Efficacy of Bee Pollination Methods on Cucumber (Cucumis Sativus L.) Productivity in Field and Caged Conditions”. Archives of Current Research International 26 (8):868-77. https://doi.org/10.9734/acri/2026/v26i82099.

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