Efficiency of European honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) Over bee attractants in pollination and seed yield of coriander, Coriandrum sativum L

The efficiency of different pollination treatments was tested for yield parameters in coriander. Results revealed that, A. mellifera pollinated crop recorded highest number of seeds per umbel (23.31), seed size (58.15 mm³), filled seeds (93.66%), 1000 seed weight (15.33 g), seed yield (634.47 g/20 m²), seed germination (79.33%) and seedling vigour (1014.07) which was followed by Citral-E treated plots. The plots where 5% solutions of jaggery, sugar, sugarcane juice sprayed separately, and open pollination are not differ from each other for yield parameters but significantly differed from A. mellifera pollinated and Citral-E treated plots. Whereas minimum was found in treatments without pollinators (16.39, 43.39 mm³, 74.08%, 9.53 g, 201.30 g/20 m², 59.33% and 485.69, respectively). The study found out that A. mellifera pollinated plots resulted in better yield parameters than others. This emphasizes more to conserve and utilize European bees which apart from being efficient pollinators act as productive insects and most importantly they maintain ecological balance in the agro-ecosystems.