EVALUATION OF YIELD COMPONENT TRAITS OF HONEYBEE-POLLINATED (Apis mellifera L.) RAPESEED CANOLA (Brassica napus L.)

Recent introduction of hybrid varieties raises the question if bees (Apis mellifera L.) contribute as pollinator agents in developing the full yield potential of rapeseed (Brassica napus L.). In order to evaluate the yield achieved by B. napus cv. Artus pollinated by A. mellifera testing was carried out in the district of Freire, La Araucan a Region, Chile. This consisted in isolating or excluding rapeseed plants from pollinators with exclusion cages. Treatments applied were total exclusion (T1), partial exclusion (T2) and free pollination (T0) with a density of 6.5 hives ha(-1), in order to determine the following yield components traits: grains per silique, siliques per plant, 1000 grain weight and yield. The experimental design used was randomized complete blocks with three treatments and three replicates. Results obtained show that the parameter least affected by bee intervention was the grains per silique variable. In contrast, siliques per plant and 1000 grain weight parameters presented significant differences, contributing to a yield greater than 5 t ha(-1); which represented a figure 50.34% higher than in the treatment without bees. It may be concluded that the inclusion of bees in crops is fully justified as a production tool

Evaluation of yield component traits of Honeybee-Pollinated (Apis mellifera L.) Rapeseed Canola (Brassica napus L.)

Recent introduction of hybrid varieties raises the question if bees (Apis mellifera L.) contribute as pollinator agents in developing the full yield potential of rapeseed (Brassica napus L.). In order to evaluate the yield achieved by B. napus cv. Artus pollinated by A. mellifera testing was carried out in the district of Freire, La Araucanía Region, Chile. This consisted in isolating or excluding rapeseed plants from pollinators with exclusion cages. Treatments applied were total exclusion (T1), partial exclusion (T2) and free pollination (T0) with a density of 6.5 hives ha-1, in order to determine the following yield components traits: grains per silique, siliques per plant, 1000 grain weight and yield. The experimental design used was randomized complete blocks with three treatments and three replicates. Results obtained show that the parameter least affected by bee intervention was the grains per silique variable. In contrast, siliques per plant and 1000 grain weight parameters presented significant differences, contributing to a yield greater than 5 t ha-1; which represented a figure 50.34% higher than in the treatment without bees. It may be concluded that the inclusion of bees in crops is fully justified as a production tool

Evaluación de parámetros de rendimiento del raps ( Brassica napus L.) polinizado por abejas ( Apis mellifera L.).

Recent introduction of hybrid varieties raises the question if bees ( Apis mellifera L.) contribute as pollinator agents in developing the full yield potential of rapeseed ( Brassica napus L.). In order to evaluate the yield achieved by B. napus cv. Artus pollinated by A. mellifera testing was carried out in the district of Freire, La Araucania Region, Chile. This consisted in isolating or excluding rapeseed plants from pollinators with exclusion cages. Treatments applied were total exclusion (Tl), partial exclusion (T2) and free pollination (TO) with a density of 6.5 hives ha -1 , in order to determine the following yield components traits: grains per silique, siliques per plant, 1000 grain weight and yield. The experimental design used was randomized complete blocks with three treatments and three replicates. Results obtained show that the parameter least affected by bee intervention was the grains per silique variable. In contrast, siliques per plant and 1000 grain weight parameters presented significant differences, contributing to a yield greater than 5 t ha -1 ; which represented a figure 50.34% higher than in the treatment without bees. It may be concluded that the inclusion of bees in crops is fully justified as a production tool.La reciente introducción de variedades híbridas plantea la interrogante de la contribución que pueda tener la presencia de abejas ( Apis mellifera L.) como agentes polinizadores para desarrollar en pleno el potencial productivo del raps ( Brassica napus L.). Con el objetivo de evaluar el rendimiento alcanzado por B. napus cv. Artus polinizado por A. mellifera, se realizó un ensayo en la localidad de Freire, Región de La Araucanía, Chile. Éste consistió en aislar o excluir las plantas de raps de los polinizadores mediante el uso de jaulas excluidoras. Los tratamientos consistieron en la exclusión total (T1), exclusión parcial (T2) y libre polinización (T0) con una densidad de 6,5 colmenas ha-1 , con el fin de determinar los siguientes componentes del rendimiento: granos por silicua, silicuas por planta, peso de los 1000 granos y rendimiento. El diseño experimental utilizado fue de bloques completos al azar con tres tratamientos y tres repeticiones. Los resultados obtenidos mostraron que el parámetro menos afectado por la intervención de la abeja fue la variable granos por silicua. En contraste, los parámetros silicuas por planta y peso de los 1000 granos experimentaron diferencias significativas contribuyendo a una producción que superó 5 t ha-1 , lo que significa un aumento de un 50,34% comparado con el tratamiento sin presencia de abejas. Estos resultados permiten concluir que la inclusión de las abejas en los cultivos está plenamente justificada como una herramienta de producción