Vol. 6, Issue 9, Part B (2020)
Assessment of bee visitation rates on its influence on pod and seed set in beans in Borabu sub-county, Western Kenya
Assessment of bee visitation rates on its influence on pod and seed set in beans in Borabu sub-county, Western Kenya
Author(s)
Nyanumba N Lilian, Karanja NH Rebecca and Gikungu Mary
Abstract
Most agricultural crops rely on pollinators, particularly bees for pollination services. Smallholder farmers in Africa commonly use maize and bean intercropping in order to achieve the optimum yields hence providing them with significant food security and economic impacts. This study sought to assess how bee visitation rates influences pod and seed set in beans in Nyansiongo, Borabu Sub county. One administrative sub location was purposively selected. Three plots were selected at equal 1km distance along a 200m transect laid in that sub location. Three sample plots each of 100m x 100 m were established along transects. Observation of bee visitation rate was done from 0730hrs to 1230hrs. Thirty bean plants were selected randomly. Selected flowers were numbered and marked using a masking tape. Thirty flowers were caged using a stiff net before flowers opened and 30 others were also marked and left open. Mature and dried up pods were harvested for analysis of pod size, weight and number of seeds per pod in the caged and un-cagged pollination treatments. Data obtained were analyzed using one way ANOVA. There was no significant difference between number of pods in closed and open pollination, p>0.05. However, there was a significant difference in seed weight of caged and uncaged bean plants, p<0.05. There was a significant difference between the caged and uncaged bean plants, p<0.05 and seed weight, p<0.05. There was an increase in crop quality and yields due to bee pollination. This confirms that bees enhance yield of beans by improving the quality and quantity.
How to cite this article:
Nyanumba N Lilian, Karanja NH Rebecca, Gikungu Mary. Assessment of bee visitation rates on its influence on pod and seed set in beans in Borabu sub-county, Western Kenya. Int J Appl Res 2020;6(9):88-93.