Demonstration of Honeybee pollination effect on seed yield and yield components of Nigella sativum L. in mid land of Bale zone, South-eastern Ethiopia
Keywords:
Nigella sativumNigella sativum, Honeybees, Pollination, Seed, YieldAbstract
Abstract
Honeybee is the most important provision for ecosystem pollination services. This demonstration activity was carried out in the Goro district, Bale zone southeast Oromia region to demonstrate the effect of honeybee pollination on seed yield and related yield of Nigella sativum L. for two consecutive years (2022 to 2023). The demonstration of the study had three treatments; which included crops caged with honeybees, crops caged without insect pollinators, and kept open to all insect pollinators with four replications. The experimental design was arranged in a randomised complete block design. All collected data were statistically ANOVA using Gen-Stat software. Training was provided for a total of 38 participants from which 30 of them were 30 beekeepers, 4 of them agriculture office experts, and 4 development agents on honeybee pollination service. A mini field day was organized for demonstration of honeybee pollination services on-farm at 25% of flowering stage crops. Different stakeholders were involved for consecutive two years including 4 experts from the agricultural office, 4 development agents, and 35 beekeepers who participated in a demonstration of honeybee pollination services. Beekeepers who decided to produce black cumin can earn a profit of 162386.5 birr crop caged with honeybee colony; 142583 birr open pollination and 103913.2 birr crops caged without honeybee colony per hectare obtained in a single production season. Among treatments, there was a significant honeybee pollination effect on the number of capsules per plant at (p<0.05). The highest number of capsules per plant was observed in crops caged with honeybees (17.27) followed by open-pollinated crops (14.43), whereas crops excluded from insect pollinators showed the least (11.14). There was a significant difference regarding the number of seeds per capsule at (p<0.05). The highest number of seeds per capsule was obtained in crops caged with honeybee colony (69.85), crops caged without insect pollinators observed (51.72) whereas, the lowest number of seeds per capsule was observed (46.17). The highest thousand of seed weight (3.48 gm) was found in crops kept for all insect pollinators, while the lowest thousand seed weight (2.94 gm) in plots excluded from insect pollinators (2.4 gm.). There was a significant difference regarding seed yield at (p<0.05) treatments of crops caged with honeybee colonies from crops caged without all insect pollinators. The highest seed yield (16.47 Qt/ha)) was found in crops caged with honeybees, crops kept for all insect pollinators (14.85 Qt/ha) while the lowest seed yield (11.69 Qt/ha) was found in plots without insect pollinators. The result revealed that crops caged with honeybees had 28.72 % seed yield advantages over crops excluded from insect pollinators. Hence, it is crucial to have a sufficient number of beehive colonies close to the field Nigella sativum throughout the flowering seasons. Further demonstration could be required to pre-scaling up based on financial profitability and farmers who do not own honeybee colonies could rent honeybee colonies placed to nearby fields of Nigella sativum.
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