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Insect pollinators of eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) in the Indian Himalayas and their role in enhancement of fruit quality and yield

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Abstract

Although eggplant is self-fertile and self-compatible crop, it needs assistance of insects for buzz pollination. In the present study, floral biology of “Shyamili” variety was examined and the flowers were classified into three types, wherein, 62.63 ± 5.53% of the flowers were true flowers with long style, followed by rudimentary flowers with short style (24.74 ± 2.32%) and flowers with medium style (12.26 ± 0.97%). The optimum time period for stigma receptivity and pollen germination was recorded between 8.30 and 10.30 h, during which the activity of insect pollinators was at peak. A total of 29 insect species visiting eggplant flowers and the pollination behaviour of three insect pollinators (Bombus haemorrhodalis, Apis cerana indica and Apis mellifera) actively foraging on eggplant flowers was analysed. B. haemorrhodalis spent significantly higher amount of time per flower (34.33 ± 4.54 s), whereas, A. mellifera was swift flyer and visited significantly higher number of flowers per unit time (6.67 ± 1.03). In case of yield-related parameters, the flowers pollinated by interaction of two pollinators (A. c. indica + B. haemorrhodalis) recorded the best quality fruit (fruit length, girth and weight), yield per unit area and per cent yield increase over closed control. Moreover, artificial introduction of insect pollinators shortened the crop cultivation period by reducing the time required for fruit set and final harvest. Further studies are required to utilise both domestic ATED and wild bees simultaneously for commercial eggplant production and ecological engineering of the fields to create a suitable microclimate for survival and reproduction of wild bees.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are thankful to Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and ICAR-VPKAS, Almora for the financial assistance and providing facilities for conducting experiments successfully. We are also grateful to our Senior Technical Assistant Mr. Jaiprakash Gupta for his untiring support during field and laboratory studies.

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  1. Crop Protection Section, ICAR-Vivekananda Parvatiya Krishi Anusandhan Sansthan, Almora, Uttarakhand, 263601, India

    Amit Umesh Paschapur, A. R. N. S. Subbanna, Nirmal Kumar Hedau, Krishna Kant Mishra & Lakshmi Kant

  2. Department of Zoology, Kumaun University- SSJ Campus, Almora, Uttarakhand, 263601, India

    Sunaullah Bhat

  3. ICAR-Indian Institute of Oil Palm Research, Pedavagi, West Godavari, Andhra Pradesh, India

    A. R. N. S. Subbanna

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Paschapur, A.U., Bhat, S., Subbanna, A.R.N.S. et al. Insect pollinators of eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) in the Indian Himalayas and their role in enhancement of fruit quality and yield. Arthropod-Plant Interactions 16, 349–360 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11829-022-09902-3

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