Visitation Frequency of Pollinators to Selected  Plant Species (Guizotia Abyssinica, Lupinus Albus,  Brassica Carinata, Guizotia Scabra, and Pisum  Sativumi In Fagita Lekoma District, Awi Zone,  Amhara Region, Ethiopia

MESERET, YENEW

dc.contributor.author	MESERET, YENEW
dc.date.accessioned	2024-10-24T08:11:32Z
dc.date.available	2024-10-24T08:11:32Z
dc.date.issued	2024-09
dc.identifier.uri	http://ir.bdu.edu.et/handle/123456789/16068
dc.description.abstract	Pollinators play a crucial role in the reproductive success of many flowering plants, including food crops. The overall aim of this study was to assess visitation frequency of pollinators to five selected plant species (Guizotia abyssinica L.F., Brassica carinata A.Br, Guizotia scabra Vis. Chiov, Lupinus albus L., and Pisum sativum L.). It was conducted using observation and questionnaire methods in the Fagita-Lekoma Woreda, Awi Zone, Ethiopia. First, a reconnaissance survey was done to determine the sampling method and identify sampling plots in the farm fields. Random sampling technique was established to collect pollinator visitation frequency data by using 88 sample plots with a size of 3 m by 3 m for five plant species between October and February 2015 E.C. The abundance of pollinators, environmental factors (e.g., temperature, humidity, and wind speed), the use of herbicides, and the color of the flowers were recorded in each plot. Pollinator count data was analyzed according to host plants visited, habitats, flower color, and herbicide spray status using one-way analysis of variance and means separated using the Tukey’s HSD test at α = 0.05. Pollinator abundance and weather variables were analyzed using correlation analysis and association between habitat, host plants, and pollinators using principal component analysis. The findings revealed that bees were the most abundant flower-visiting insect groups regardless of the plant (flower) species, accounting for about 79% of all the visitors, followed by Lepidoptera (butterflies) (11.7%) and Dipteran (9.3%). From various habitats, crop fields were most frequently visited than other plant habitat; for example, an average of 34.75±3.41 bees, 6.25±1.11 butterflies, and 4.75±0.83 flies per plot, but the numbers of pollinators were low on meadows and riverine habitats. Herbicide-sprayed plant species had significantly fewer abundant pollinators than non-sprayed ones. The flower visitation frequency was highest in the morning than afternoon. Pollinator groups—bees, butterflies, and flies—were significantly positively correlated with each other (p < 0.05) and with temperature and wind speed but negatively with humidity. As many as 50% of the of the interviewed farmers and agriculture experts believed that flower color and environmental factors attracted pollinators, and 13% to 23% of them believed that herbicides and vegetation cover positively affected pollinators’ visitation frequency of plant species at the time of pollination. The environmental and anthropogenic factors had a significant impact on the flower visitor frequency. Sustainable management of the pollinator population and keeping their habitat healthy could be a prerequisite for bumper crop production and food security. Keywords/phrases: Pollinator Visitation; Plant-Pollinator Interaction; Crop/Weed Plants; Pollinator Factors	en_US
dc.language.iso	en	en_US
dc.subject	Biology	en_US
dc.title	Visitation Frequency of Pollinators to Selected Plant Species (Guizotia Abyssinica, Lupinus Albus, Brassica Carinata, Guizotia Scabra, and Pisum Sativumi In Fagita Lekoma District, Awi Zone, Amhara Region, Ethiopia	en_US
dc.type	Thesis	en_US