Polination efficiency of the stingless bee, Heterotrigona itama (HYMENOPTERA: APIDAE) on chilli (Capsicum annuum) in greenhouse

Abstract

Chili (Capsicum annuum) is one of the important cultivated crops in Malaysia and is a source of income for thousands of Malaysian farmers. Even though chili flowers are self-pollinated, the anthers need to be shaken to allow effective pollen release. Many researchers found that pollination by stingless bees can increase fruit size and weight, pericarp volume, high percentage of seed per fruits and fastens harvesting time. This study aimed to investigate and determine the quality of chili produced by three different pollination treatments; (1) self-pollination, (2) hand-cross pollination and (3) stingless bees (Heterotrigona itama) pollination. Results showed that chilies produced from pollination by the stingless bees, H. itama and hand-cross pollination were significantly heavier, longer and containing greater number of seeds per fruit than self-pollinated chilies. Overall results showed that the effects of stingless bee pollination on chili production was similar to the chilies produced from hand-cross pollination. Thus, it can be concluded that besides manual pollination, H. itama can be considered as an effective pollinator for the chilies grown in greenhouse. This study provides important information on the potential use of H. itama as an alternative pollinator for crop pollination purpose.