EFFECTS OF HONEY BEE DENSITY AND HIVE DISTANCE FROM AVOCADO (Persea americana) POLLEN DONOR ON FRUIT SETTING OF AVOCADO TREE: THE CASE OF DARRA OTILCHO DISTRICT, SIDAMA REGION, ETHIOPIA

Abstract

Pollination is an essential ecosystem service that enables plant reproduction. Avocado is one of at least 105 crops that receive yield benefits from animal pollination. This study determines the effects of honey bee density and hive distance from avocado pollen donor on the number fruit per tree, weight of individual fruit and total weights of fruits per tree. The research was carried out in Darra Otilcho district, Sidama region, Ethiopia. Data was collected through household interview from purposively selected household to know the perception of farmers on pollination and pollinator. For experimental work, four avocado orchards with three replications, totally twelve orchards were selected, each one with an area of 1.5hectare. The treatments were:1)three beehives/1.5ha,2)two beehives/1.5ha,3)one beehive/1.5ha, and 4)control without beehives with three levels of foraging distance ( 50m, 100m, and 150m from the hives) with12 treatments in nested design. The treatments of three and two beehive/1.5ha obtained significant difference compared to the control, with a honey bee per tree of 15.2, 8.7, 6.0 and 2.9, rate of pollination 70, 47.8, 47.8 and 41.1%, efficiency of pollination 16.6, 8.8, 7.2 and 5.4 respectively. As well as total number of fruit per tree 392.2, 309.6, 245.2 and 193.2, average weight of individual fruit 215.3, 204.0, 193.4 and 188.4gm and total weight of fruit per tree, 84.5, 63.1, 47.4 and 36.4 kg for treatments 4, 3, 2, and 1, obtained significant differenceres respectively. The results obtained show that an increase in the density of honeybees per tree, increased the rate of pollination, efficiency of pollination, and total number of fruit per tree as well as average weight of fruit per tree and total weight of fruit per tree. This study recommended three beehives/ha to be introduced in the avocado orchard for effective pollination and increase of avocado yield.