Flower visitors of chili pepper (Capsicum frutescens L.) in West Bengal and assessing yield enhancement by stingless bee (Tetragonula pagdeni Schwarz) pollination

IF 1.7 3区生物学 Q2 MULTIDISCIPLINARY SCIENCES

The Science of Nature Pub Date : 2026-09-18 DOI:10.1007/s00114-026-02167-3

Ujjwal Layek, Trisha Bhandari, Joydeb Maji, Prakash Karmakar

{"title":"Flower visitors of chili pepper (Capsicum frutescens L.) in West Bengal and assessing yield enhancement by stingless bee (Tetragonula pagdeni Schwarz) pollination","authors":"Ujjwal Layek, Trisha Bhandari, Joydeb Maji, Prakash Karmakar","doi":"10.1007/s00114-026-02167-3","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div>Amid growing concerns over the decline of pollinator populations, understanding the diversity of pollinators is essential for optimising crop yields. The wild pollinators of chili pepper (Capsicum frutescens) in West Bengal, India, have not yet been fully documented, and the potential of stingless bees as commercial pollinators remains insufficiently explored. This study aimed to identify the floral visitors of chili pepper and to assess the pollination efficiency of stingless bees (Tetragonula pagdeni). Bees (including honeybees, solitary bees, and stingless bees), butterflies, and wasps were observed visiting chili flowers. The most abundant and effective pollinators were Lasioglossum cavernifrons, Nomia (Hoplonomia) elliotii, Nomia strigata, and Tetragonula pagdeni. The crop species exhibited a high dependence on pollinators for yield, and pollination by managed stingless bees significantly enhanced both the quality and quantity of the yield. Therefore, the management of stingless bee pollination represents a promising approach for yield optimisation of chili pepper in sustainable agricultural systems.</div>","PeriodicalId":794,"journal":{"name":"The Science of Nature","volume":"113 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7000,"publicationDate":"2026-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"The Science of Nature","FirstCategoryId":"6","ListUrlMain":"https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00114-026-02167-3","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"MULTIDISCIPLINARY SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Amid growing concerns over the decline of pollinator populations, understanding the diversity of pollinators is essential for optimising crop yields. The wild pollinators of chili pepper (Capsicum frutescens) in West Bengal, India, have not yet been fully documented, and the potential of stingless bees as commercial pollinators remains insufficiently explored. This study aimed to identify the floral visitors of chili pepper and to assess the pollination efficiency of stingless bees (Tetragonula pagdeni). Bees (including honeybees, solitary bees, and stingless bees), butterflies, and wasps were observed visiting chili flowers. The most abundant and effective pollinators were Lasioglossum cavernifrons, Nomia (Hoplonomia) elliotii, Nomia strigata, and Tetragonula pagdeni. The crop species exhibited a high dependence on pollinators for yield, and pollination by managed stingless bees significantly enhanced both the quality and quantity of the yield. Therefore, the management of stingless bee pollination represents a promising approach for yield optimisation of chili pepper in sustainable agricultural systems.

查看原文本刊更多论文

西孟加拉邦辣椒（Capsicum frutescens L.）的访花者及其对无刺蜜蜂（Tetragonula pagdeni Schwarz）授粉增产的评估

随着人们对传粉媒介数量减少的担忧日益增加，了解传粉媒介的多样性对于优化作物产量至关重要。印度西孟加拉邦的野生辣椒（Capsicum frutescens）传粉者尚未得到充分的记录，无刺蜜蜂作为商业传粉者的潜力仍未得到充分的探索。本研究旨在鉴定辣椒的访花昆虫，并评价无刺蜜蜂的授粉效率。观察到蜜蜂（包括蜜蜂、独居蜜蜂和无刺蜜蜂）、蝴蝶和黄蜂访问辣椒花。最丰富和最有效的传粉者是洞状巨囊藻（Lasioglossum cavernifroni）、褐花野蝇（Nomia）、野蝇（Nomia strigata）和pagdeni Tetragonula。该作物品种对传粉媒介的依赖程度较高，管理无刺蜜蜂的授粉显著提高了产量的质量和数量。因此，无刺蜜蜂授粉管理代表了可持续农业系统中辣椒产量优化的一种有前途的方法。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

The Science of Nature 综合性期刊-综合性期刊

CiteScore

3.40

自引率

0.00%

发文量

审稿时长

4-8 weeks

期刊介绍： The Science of Nature - Naturwissenschaften - is Springer''s flagship multidisciplinary science journal. The journal is dedicated to the fast publication and global dissemination of high-quality research and invites papers, which are of interest to the broader community in the biological sciences. Contributions from the chemical, geological, and physical sciences are welcome if contributing to questions of general biological significance. Particularly welcomed are contributions that bridge between traditionally isolated areas and attempt to increase the conceptual understanding of systems and processes that demand an interdisciplinary approach.