Diversity and Abundance of Pollinator Fauna on Buckwheat

Research was conducted during rabi 2021–22 at the University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, India on buckwheat Fagopyrum Esculentum Moench. Visual counts of insect visitors were performed at five randomly selected 1m² spots during four daily time periods across three flowering stages (50%, 75%, and 90%). Collected specimens were analysed for relative abundance, Simpson index (1-D), and Shannon- Wiener diversity index (H). Insects from four orders visited buckwheat flowers, with Hymenoptera dominating (92.4%). Little bee (Apis florea Fabricius) was most abundant (45.9%), followed by Indian bee, Apis cerana indica Fabricius (25.8%), Rock bee, Apis dorsata Fabricius (13.3%), and stingless bee, Tetragonula sp. (7.4%). Dipterans comprised 3.9%, Lepidopterans 1.9%, and Coleopterans 1.8%. Pollinator activity peaked between 13:00-14:00h, with total visits increasing from 50% to 90% flowering. Both diversity indices increased with advancing flowering stages (Shannon-Wiener: 1.32 to 1.42; Simpson: 0.67 to 0.70), indicating that progressive flowering positively influences pollinator diversity.