Response of Honeybees and Other Pollinators to Attractant Application in Carrot (Daucus carota L.)

cris.virtual.author-orcid0000-0003-3794-5780
cris.virtual.author-orcid#PLACEHOLDER_PARENT_METADATA_VALUE#
cris.virtualsource.author-orcidd40a8feb-2b83-4fb7-a88a-982ad0483524
cris.virtualsource.author-orcid#PLACEHOLDER_PARENT_METADATA_VALUE#
dc.abstract.enCarrot (Daucus carota) is one of the most important vegetable crops, and as a cross-pollinated species, it relies on insect pollinators for successful seed set. However, carrot flowers are not highly attractive to honeybees (Apis mellifera), which are the main managed pollinators. During the 2023–2024 season, a field experiment was conducted on commercial carrot seed plantations to evaluate the effect of a pollinator attractant on pollinator abundance and its impact on seed yield. Pollinating insects were observed during the carrot flowering period, between 20 May and 22 July, and their response to spraying with the attractant Biopolin® (ICB Pharma) was assessed. A total of nine observations were conducted, and carrot seed yield was analyzed, including germination capacity. The application of the attractant increased the number of pollinating insects by 24 individuals/m2/10 min, from 57 to 81 individuals/m2/10 min. The dominant groups were honeybees and Rhagonycha fulva, with the latter becoming increasingly abundant as flowering progressed. Both honeybees and other pollinators (wild pollinators) showed higher visitation rates on attractant-treated plots. The treated plots also produced higher seed yield and greater thousand-seed weight. The results confirm the effectiveness of using attractants in commercial carrot seed production to enhance pollinator activity and improve yield parameters.
dc.affiliationWydział Rolnictwa, Ogrodnictwa i Biotechnologii
dc.affiliation.instituteKatedra Agronomii
dc.contributor.authorŚwitek, Stanisław
dc.contributor.authorGackowski, Dominik
dc.date.access2026-04-08
dc.date.accessioned2026-04-14T07:07:29Z
dc.date.available2026-04-14T07:07:29Z
dc.date.copyright2026-02-09
dc.date.issued2026
dc.description.abstract<jats:p>Carrot (Daucus carota) is one of the most important vegetable crops, and as a cross-pollinated species, it relies on insect pollinators for successful seed set. However, carrot flowers are not highly attractive to honeybees (Apis mellifera), which are the main managed pollinators. During the 2023–2024 season, a field experiment was conducted on commercial carrot seed plantations to evaluate the effect of a pollinator attractant on pollinator abundance and its impact on seed yield. Pollinating insects were observed during the carrot flowering period, between 20 May and 22 July, and their response to spraying with the attractant Biopolin® (ICB Pharma) was assessed. A total of nine observations were conducted, and carrot seed yield was analyzed, including germination capacity. The application of the attractant increased the number of pollinating insects by 24 individuals/m2/10 min, from 57 to 81 individuals/m2/10 min. The dominant groups were honeybees and Rhagonycha fulva, with the latter becoming increasingly abundant as flowering progressed. Both honeybees and other pollinators (wild pollinators) showed higher visitation rates on attractant-treated plots. The treated plots also produced higher seed yield and greater thousand-seed weight. The results confirm the effectiveness of using attractants in commercial carrot seed production to enhance pollinator activity and improve yield parameters.</jats:p>
dc.description.accesstimeat_publication
dc.description.bibliographyil., bibliogr.
dc.description.financepublication_nocost
dc.description.financecost0,00
dc.description.if3,6
dc.description.number4
dc.description.points100
dc.description.versionfinal_published
dc.description.volume16
dc.identifier.doi10.3390/agriculture16040400
dc.identifier.eissn2077-0472
dc.identifier.urihttps://sciencerep.up.poznan.pl/handle/item/8081
dc.identifier.weblinkhttps://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/16/4/400
dc.languageen
dc.relation.ispartofAgriculture (Switzerland)
dc.relation.pagesart. 400
dc.rightsCC-BY
dc.sciencecloudnosend
dc.share.typeOPEN_JOURNAL
dc.subject.enattractant
dc.subject.encarrot
dc.subject.enlandscape
dc.subject.enpollination
dc.subject.enseed production
dc.titleResponse of Honeybees and Other Pollinators to Attractant Application in Carrot (Daucus carota L.)
dc.typeJournalArticle
dspace.entity.typePublication
oaire.citation.issue4
oaire.citation.volume16