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org (E-ISSN 2348-1269, P- ISSN 2349-5138)

DIVERSITY STUDY OF INSECT

POLLINATORS OF RABI CROPS
CULTIVATED IN SURROUNDING AREAS OF
BARPETA TOWN IN ASSAM, INDIA

1
Bhaskar Jyoti Das, 2Kaushik Paul, 3Nabanita Baruah, 4*Binoy Kumar Basumatary
1
PG Student, School of Bio-Sciences and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
2
PG Student, Department of Biotechnology, Bodoland University, Kokrajhar, Assam, India
3PG Student, Department of Zoology, Science College, Kokrajhar, Assam, India
4
Associate Professor, Department of Zoology, Madhab Choudhury College, Barpeta, Assam, India

Abstract: Pollination is a vital process of our ecosystem promoting the yielding of many food crops. The process of pollination
mainly banks on animal pollinators out of which insect population constitutes a major part. In this research study, the diversity of
insect pollinators associated with Rabi crops in the crop fields of Barpeta town was assessed and studied. Barpeta is a district in
Assam which is mainly agriculture based, supporting the daily income of many inhabitants from farming. Pollinators were
intensively searched in crop fields and proper identification was done. They were captured with the help of sweep nets, hand-picking
and sticky traps. Lepidopterans were found to be more diverse followed by Hymenopterans. Dipterans as well as Coleopterans
showed less diversity. The foraging activity of hoverflies and bees were maximum in the morning and afternoon, whereas butterflies
showed maximum activity during the afternoon.

Keywords- Pollination, diversity, insect pollinators, Rabi crops, foraging activity

I. INTRODUCTION
Pollination is regarded as an imperative service to our ecosystem which supports the yielding of many edible crops [1]. From
previous studies, it has been reported that Pollinators support the production of 35% food crops at global level comprising of highly,
moderately and slightly pollinator dependent crops [2]. Approximately 75% of crops all over the world relies upon pollination by
animals out of which majority is composed of insect pollinators [3]. Insect pollinators profit the worldwide crop, yielding, the value
of which has been evaluated to reach 153 billion in 2005, accounting 9.5% of agricultural crops as human food [4]. Majority of insects
contributing to pollination fall under three orders i.e. Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera and Diptera [5] [6].
Among the Hymenopterans, Honeybees are the preeminent insect pollinators succeeded by wasps and flies [6]. They are
responsible for pollination of major crops, especially in the seeded species. As a general practice, many Honeybee species are usually
conserved and employed for bringing out pollination of different crops across the world. Previously 10 species of honeybees are
reported in Asia which can be utilized for carrying out pollination in different agricultural lands. A native Honeybee species of Asia
is Apis dorsata generally occurring in the Himalayan foothills and northern parts. They are of great value due to their ability of
producing organic honey. Apis florea, commonly called as the little bee due to its small size. This bee is of utmost importance for
pollinating crops like cumin, ajwain, fennel, dill, coriander, etc. Apis mellifera are golden colored, quiet and medium sized honey
bees which support pollination of crops like Nigella, coriander, fenugreek and many other agricultural crops [4]. Many previous
studies reported the dynamic contribution of wild bees in increasing crop productivity. It has been stated that both species richness
and abundance are equally important factors for promoting efficient pollination. However, it was documented that in contrast to
species abundance, richness of the species was found to be a better pollination indicating factor [7].
Many studies were conducted on managed and wild bees for their compelling pollination services but the considerations of non-
bee species for pollinating crops have been less explored. Earlier studies showed that Lepidopterans, Dipterans, Formicidae and
Coleopterans provided invaluable service of pollination by pollinating 25-50% of the total visited flowers during their foraging
activity [8].
Earlier conducted studies demonstrated that not only the number of pollinators influences the pollination service but also the
pollinator diversity has a significant effect in increasing the chance of pollination [9]. Studies showed that diversity of bees were
strongly associated with the diversity of wild plants. The population of wild bees recorded on the studied habitats depicted highly
diverse wild plant species thus indicating that richness of the plant species plays a key role in sustaining pollination diversity [10]. It
has been earlier reported that the pollination service is strongly related to diversity of the pollinators. It also relies upon the species-
specific traits that ensures fair use of floral resources by the insect pollinators [11]. Previously it has been reported that the
reproductive rate of plants was influenced by the diversity of the pollinators considering the number of seeds for each fruit. And for
diversity of both the plants and pollinators, fruits number per plant was given due consideration [12]. Pollination competence of
specific plants also depends on the foraging behavior, size of the visitor and inter-plant movements [13]. Colored flowers captivate
more number of insect pollinators. Also, nectar volume, pollen numbers and phenology of flowers play influential roles in luring
more number of insect pollinators [14]. Clusters of flowers entice more pollinators and supports pollen out-crossing by butterflies

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with minimal movements. Foraging behavior of insects allows them to transmit a blend of out-cross pollen and self-pollen thus
strongly assisting the fertilization process. The abundance of insect pollinators is directly proportional to the out-crossing rate [13].
Traditionally it has been considered that interaction of plant and pollinators rely upon mutualism, where both plant and the pollinator
obtain profit from the interaction. Also, some previous studies have put light on the antagonistic interaction between pollinator and
plant where the pollinator gain benefits by consuming floral resources of the plant, risking its fitness and reproductive capability. Not
only in an insect pollinated agroecosystem, insect pollinators are also important for the wind pollinated crop fields [15].
Insect pollinators also serve as bioindicators to keep an eye on the environmental stress caused due to the introduction of parasites,
diseases, predators, competitors and various physical and chemical factors, especially pesticides effect and habitat alterations. The
presence of pollinators offers a unique way to monitor the health of an ecosystem [16]. In Urban regions insect pollinators aid in
carrying out the fertilization process of the plant species present in parks, fruits and vegetables in home gardens and other plants
which are dependent on the bees. Earlier studies reported that wild bees were the leading insect pollinators for bringing out pollination
services in the green spaces of cities [17].
In Mexico, it was reported that insect pollinators have tremendous effect on the production of coffee plants which was supported
by higher fruit sets in open pollinated fields. Also, it has been seen that the management practices of the farmers influenced the
diversity of the insect pollinators. Hence, it has been suggested that by development of healthy management practices the insect
pollinators diversity could be favored which can lead to better crop yields and would support biodiversity conservation [18].
Pollinators played a remarkable role in increasing the quantitative traits of onions such as volume, weight, length, etc. in the openly
pollinated fields [19]. It was clearly observed by earlier studies that insect pollinators increased the quantity and seed production of
cross-pollinated cumin crops [20]. A higher fruit set was achieved in Bael fruit with the help of insect pollinators by establishing
colonies of honey bees by the cultivators [21]. Also, it was seen that insect pollinators supported the production rate of Sunflowers
by increasing the fertilized seed numbers for each plant [22]. Insect pollinators were reported to play a pivotal role in increasing the
seed set numbers in Camphor basil [23].
In this research study, we aimed to assess the diversity of insect pollinators taking part in pollination of Rabi crops such as
mustard, paddy, sesame, pulses and other vegetables like carrot, pea, cabbage, etc., growing in the surrounding agricultural fields of
Barpeta town in Assam.

II. METHODOLOGY
2.1. Place of study

The study was conducted at Barpeta Town located in Assam, India. Barpeta district, occupying 3245 sq. ft. of total area also
shares international boundaries with Bhutan from the northern side. Climatic conditions of Barpeta remain mild and pleasant
throughout the year. The summer season begins from March and ends in May, followed by monsoon season from June to September.
This is followed by winter season from October to February. The general topography of Barpeta district ranges from high lands to
low-lying plains. The district has attained a noteworthy position in production of different varieties of fruits and crops such as paddy,
oil seed, pulses, wheat, potato, etc. Agriculture is the primary source of income to most of the inhabitants Barpeta. A large section of
Barpeta’s population is engaged in the agriculture sector. Rabi crops in Barpeta are generally sown after the end of monsoons,
preferably during the month of November and are harvested in the months of April or May.

2.2. Selection and survey of Agriculture Fields

Field studies were performed in crop fields in and around Barpeta town. A total of three major fields were surveyed extensively
which were supporting the production of crops including:
• Paddy
• Mustard
• Sesame
• Other vegetables (peas, cabbage, carrot, etc.)
• Pulses
At least 1 hour of survey was done, 2 days a week for a period of 3 months of almost 20 square meters of area. The study conducted
during months of January, February and March (2017).

2.3. Collection and Identification

Insect pollinators were searched intensively in the crop fields. Active sampling techniques were employed for the collection of
insects such as swipe nets and hand-picking method. Sticky traps as means of passive technique was also used for trapping pollinators.
The insects were identified on the spot, and the unidentified species were brought to the College laboratory for identification. The
species were preserved in 70% alcohol and in dry envelopes. Identification of the species was done up to generic and species level.
The role of the insects in pollination was studied with the help of cited reference literature.
III. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Table. 1. List of insect Pollinators along with their Common name, Family & Order, associated with various Rabi crops in
agricultural fields of Barpeta town, Assam

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S. No. Scientific name Common name Family Order

1. Colias erate Eastern pale clouded yellow
2. Pieris rapae White butterfly Pieridae
3. Pieris canidia Indian cabbage white
4. Danaus genutia Common tiger
5. Danaus chrysippus Plain tiger
Lepidoptera
6. Caligo illioneus Owl butterfly Nymphalidae
7. Enodia anthedon Northern Pearly Eye
8. Danaus plexippus Monarch butterfly
9. Melanitis leda Common evening brown
10. Papilio polytes Common mormon Papilionidae
11. Zizina otis Lesser grass blue Lycaenidae
12. Apis mellifera European honey bee
13. Apis dorsata Giant honey bee
Apidae Hymenoptera
14. Xylocopa Carpenter bee
15. Apis florea Dwarf honey bee
16. Vespula germanica Wasp Vespidae
17. Eupeodes corollae Hoverfly Syrphidae Diptera
18. Coccinella magnifica Ladybug Coccinellidae Coleoptera

Fig. 1. Photographs of pollinators taken during our research study

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Fig. 2. Distribution of total number of Insect pollinator species in each order

Fig. 3. Distribution of Insect pollinator orders in Family level

Table. 2. Dominant Insect pollinators recorded from the observations made in agricultural fields of Barpeta town, Assam

Species (common name) Order Total records

Apis mellifera (European honey bee) Hymenoptera 51
Apis florea (Dwarf honey bee) Hymenoptera 46
Danaus chrysippus (Plain tiger) Lepidoptera 23
Pieris canidia (Indian cabbage white) Lepidoptera 19
Eupeodes corollae (Hoverfly) Diptera 12
Papilio polytes (Common Mormon) Lepidoptera 11
Danaus genutia (Common tiger) Lepidoptera 9

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In this study, we found that a total of 18 identified species belonging to 8 families of 4 orders have been recorded to act as Insect
pollinators in the agricultural fields of Barpeta Town (Table. 1). Some pictures of the observed pollinators during our study were
shown in Fig. 1. The most diverse order of insect pollinators was found to be Lepidoptera (11 species), followed by Hymenoptera (5
species). Minimal diversity was observed from orders Diptera and Coleoptera, each consisting of single insect species (Fig. 2).
The detailed chart of insect pollinators according to family level (Fig. 3) showed that among the Lepidopterans, 3 species belonged
to family Peridae, 6 species belonged to family Nymphalidae and family Papilionidae and Lycaenidae got single insect species.
Among the Hymenopterans, 4 species belonged to family Apidae and 1 species belonged to family Vespidae. The orders Diptera and
Coleoptera have got single species of insects falling under the families Syrphidae and Coccinellidae respectively.
The most prominent pollinating insects were found to be Apis mellifera (51 individuals), followed by Apis florea (46 individuals),
Danaus chrysippus (23 individuals), Pieris canidia (19 individuals), Eupeodes corollae (12 individuals), Papilio polytes (11
individuals) and Danaus genutia (9 individuals) (Table. 2).
Our findings clearly indicated that Lepidopterans were the most diverse insect pollinators in fields of Barpeta town area of Assam,
supporting the previous work of Rader et al (2016). The large body of butterflies aids the sticking of pollen to the legs and proboscis
when they visit flowers for nectar. During their visit to another flower the pollen sheds from it and falls in the pistil. Thus, it ensures
effective transfer of pollen during each visit. This makes butterflies a very effective pollinator of crops [14].
Hymenopteran species were the most abundant and second most diverse pollinators supporting pollination of crops in the region.
Honeybees are the excellent indicators of the environmental quality as their intensive foraging behavior allows them to sense presence
of food within 3 kilometers from their hives [24]. In our study, individuals of Apis mellifera actively took part in the task of pollination.
They have got special values in crop pollination as they can be managed according to flowering duration and crops need. They are
of a great commercial importance because of their foraging habits and higher honey production capacity [25]. Apis florea forages on
small flowers because they support convenient landing. Apis florea and Apis dorsata plays a prominent role in pollination of many
seed species and horticultural crops [4].
The diversity of the dipterans was less but keeping in mind their total record of 12 individuals, it can be said that they were also
capable crop pollinators. The foraging activity of hoverflies and bees were maximum in the morning and afternoon. Whereas
butterflies showed maximum activity during afternoon session supporting the earlier study of Siregar et al (2016) [26].

IV. CONCLUSION
From our above study it was evident that Lepidopterans were the most diverse pollinating insects found in areas of Barpeta Town,
followed by Hymenopterans which has got the maximum number of crop visitors. Although Dipterans and Coleopterans showed less
diversity, their contribution to pollination cannot be neglected. The decline in pollinators diversity and availability could result in
grievous threats to crop pollination by reducing the crop yields. Hence, conservation of pollinator species and employment of effective
crop management techniques that encourage the foraging activity of the pollinators must be adopted by the people for increasing crop
production in the vicinity of Barpeta as well as other regions.

V. ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The authors would like to express their sincere gratitude to the whole staff of Dept. of Zoology, Madhab Choudhury College for
providing constant support, encouragement and guidance throughout the study. The authors are grateful to Madhab Choudhury
College, Barpeta, Assam, for giving the infrastructural facility for carrying out the study.

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