Impact of Farm Design on Plant-pollinator Interaction in Brinjal (Solanum Melongena)

Abstract

Pollinators are crucial in agricultural crop production as a large variety of crops including horticultural and vegetable crops depend essentially on insect pollination. Unfortunately over the past decades, the pollinator population in the agricultural system has declined across the globe due to over use of synthetic chemical pesticides. Disruption of ecosystem service provided by pollinators due to pollinator decline in chemical intensive cropping systems has assumed a global dimension. This paper addresses how farming practices and designs affect the diversity of pollinators. In this study the relationship between pollinator density and brinjal (Solanum melongena, Fam. Solanacae) productivity was evaluated in a chemical intensive vegetable cropping system in North 24 Parganas, West Bengal, India (hot sub-humid to humid eco-region; Lat 22°22’ 26, N Lon 88°21’ 26 E). By comparing pollinator density and fruit set between ecological farm and chemical intensive farm, it was investigated whether pesticide application affects pollinator visitation and in such a scenario what was the impact on brinjal production. Visitation rate of pollinators (butterflies and bees) was significantly higher in ecological farm as compared to the conventional farm (Mann Whitney U test, p < 0.001).