Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer
Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Vol. 13 No. sp9 (2026): Recent Advances in Agriculture

Field evaluation of pollination efficiency of Asiatic hive bee, Apis cerana under cyantraniliprole and tolfenpyrad treatments in watermelon ecosystem

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.16471
Submitted
1 July 2026
Published
05-10-2026

Abstract

Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai) is a highly pollinator-dependent crop in which honey bees play a vital role in ensuring successful fruit set and yield. However, insecticide applications during the flowering period may adversely affect honey bee foraging and pollination efficiency. The present study evaluated the pollination efficiency of Apis cerana under cyantraniliprole and tolfenpyrad treatments in the watermelon ecosystem. Pollen and nectar foraging activity declined markedly in insecticide-treated plots on the 1st, 3rd and 5th days after spraying, with the greatest reduction observed on the first day. From the 7th day onward, foraging activity showed an increasing trend, while outgoing forager activity appeared similar across treatments. Tolfenpyrad (3.92 ± 0.17 fruits vine-1; 41.65 t ha-1) and cyantraniliprole (3.85 ± 0.26 fruits vine-1; 41.44 t ha-1) under bee-colony conditions produced significantly higher fruit set and yield than their corresponding treatments without bee colonies (p < 0.001), whereas the water spray control without bee colony recorded the lowest yield (20.37 t ha-1) highlighting the critical role of managed bee pollination in enhancing watermelon productivity. These findings indicate that, under the conditions of this study, the integration of managed A. cerana colonies with the judicious use of cyantraniliprole (90 g a.i. ha-1) and tolfenpyrad (150 g a.i. ha-1) can sustain pollination services and improve watermelon productivity.

References

  1. 1. Zafar S, Amjad A, Waseem M, Sultan MT, Israr M, Manzoor MF, et al. Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus L.): A functional food with potential therapeutic by-products. Cogent Food Agric. 2026;12(1):2673601. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311932.2026.2673601
  2. 2. Ikram M, Srinivasan MR, Suganthi A, Saminathan VR, Auxcilia J, Jayakanthan M, et al. Pollinators of cucurbit crops: Diversity, efficiency and conservation challenges. Plant Sci Today. 2025;12:11521. https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.11521
  3. 3. Delaplane KS, Mayer DF. Crop pollination by bees. Wallingford, United Kingdom: CABI Publishing; 2000:1–344. https://doi.org/10.1079/9780851994482.0000
  4. 4. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. FAOSTAT [Internet].
  5. 5. Breeze TD, Bailey AP, Balcombe KG, Potts SG. Pollination services in the UK: How important are honeybees? Agric Ecosyst Environ. 2011;142(3–4):137–43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2011.03.020
  6. 6. Rader R, Cunningham SA, Howlett BG, Inouye DW. Non-bee insects as visitors and pollinators of crops: Biology, ecology and management. Annu Rev Entomol. 2020;65:391–407. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-ento-011019-025055
  7. 7. Porto RG, De Almeida RF, Cruz-Neto O, Tabarelli M, Viana BF, Peres CA, et al. Pollination ecosystem services: A comprehensive review of economic values, research funding and policy actions. Food Secur. 2020;12(6):1425–42. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-020-01043-w
  8. 8. Chaand D, Sharma D, Ganai SA, Norboo T, Sharma S. Effect of colony strength on colony build up and foraging activity of Apis mellifera L. J Entomol Zool Stud. 2017;5(6):1369–73.
  9. 9. Njoroge N, Gemmill B, Bussmann R, Newton LE, Ngumi VW. Diversity and efficiency of wild pollinators of watermelon (Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Mansf.) at Yatta, Kenya. J Appl Hortic. 2010;12(1):35–41. https://doi.org/10.37855/jah.2010.v12i01.07
  10. 10. Khalifa SA, Elshafiey EH, Shetaia AA, El-Wahed AAA, Algethami AF, Musharraf SG, et al. Overview of bee pollination and its economic value for crop production. Insects. 2021;12(8):688. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects12080688
  11. 11. Su XL, Hua QY, Chen YF, Jiang XS, Xi WJ, Zhao DX, et al. Behavior of Apis cerana cerana and Apis mellifera ligustica as pollinator for long-season cultivated watermelon in tunnel greenhouse under summer high temperature condition. 2017:104–10.
  12. 12. Theisen-Jones H, Bienefeld K. The Asian honey bee (Apis cerana) is significantly in decline. Bee World. 2016;93(4):90–97. https://doi.org/10.1080/0005772X.2017.1284973
  13. 13. Edelson JV, Duthie J, Roberts W. Watermelon seedling growth and mortality as affected by Anasa tristis (Heteroptera: Coreidae). J Econ Entomol. 2002;95(3):595–97. https://doi.org/10.1603/0022-0493-95.3.595
  14. 14. Archana BR, Pujar K, Chethan T, Hiremath KM, Arpitha KC, Varma H. Influence of insecticide application on pollinators and predatory arthropods in watermelon agroecosystem. Arch Curr Res Int. 2024;24(9):161–6. https://doi.org/10.9734/acri/2024/v24i9878
  15. 15. Srivani G, Kumar GS, Djanaguiraman M, Priya RS, Sharmila R, Arthanari PM, et al. Unraveling pesticide impacts on pollinators: A global challenge for sustainable crop protection. Sci Nat. 2026;113(2):38. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-026-02086-3
  16. 16. Sparks TC, Nauen R. IRAC: Mode of action classification and insecticide resistance management. Pestic Biochem Physiol. 2015;121:122–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pestbp.2014.11.014
  17. 17. El Agrebi N, Steinhauer N, Tosi S, Leinartz L, de Graaf DC, Saegerman C. Risk and protective indicators of beekeeping management practices. Sci Total Environ. 2021;799:149381. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149381
  18. 18. Gill RJ, Ramos-Rodriguez O, Raine NE. Combined pesticide exposure severely affects individual- and colony-level traits in bees. Nature. 2012;491(7422):105–8. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature11585
  19. 19. Desneux N, Decourtye A, Delpuech JM. The sublethal effects of pesticides on beneficial arthropods. Annu Rev Entomol. 2007;52(1):81–106. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.ento.52.110405.091440
  20. 20. El-Din HS, Helmy WS, Al Naggar Y, Ahmed FS. Chronic exposure to a field-realistic concentration of Closer® SC (24% sulfoxaflor) insecticide impacted the growth and foraging activity of honey bee colonies. Apidologie. 2022;53(2):22. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13592-022-00937-2
  21. 21. Malhat F, Kasiotis KM, Shalaby S. Magnitude of cyantraniliprole residues in tomato following open field application: Pre-harvest interval determination and risk assessment. Environ Monit Assess. 2018;190(3):116. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-018-6496-7
  22. 22. Wang W, Chen H, Gao D, Long J, Long H, Zhang Y. Dissipation and dietary risk assessment of thiacloprid and tolfenpyrad in tea in China. Agronomy. 2022;12(12):3166. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12123166
  23. 23. Fantke P, Gillespie BW, Juraske R, Jolliet O. Estimating half-lives for pesticide dissipation from plants. Environ Sci Technol. 2014;48(15):8588–602. https://doi.org/10.1021/es500434p
  24. 24. Fantke P, Juraske R. Variability of pesticide dissipation half-lives in plants. Environ Sci Technol. 2013;47(8):3548–62. https://doi.org/10.1021/es303525x
  25. 25. Chandrasekar S, Marimuthu M, Angappan S, Pernamallur SA, Kaithamalai B, Pagalahalli SS. Effects of neonicotinoid residues in Apis cerana indica bees and bee products: LC-MS/MS analysis and dietary risk assessment in a sunflower field study. Ecotoxicol. 2025;1–16. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-025-02857-0
  26. 26. Henry M, Beguin M, Requier F, Rollin O, Odoux JF, Aupinel P, et al. A common pesticide decreases foraging success and survival in honey bees. Science. 2012;336(6079):348–50. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1215039
  27. 27. Tsvetkov N, Samson-Robert O, Sood K, Patel HS, Malena DA, Gajiwala PH, et al. Chronic exposure to neonicotinoids reduces honey bee health near corn crops. Science. 2017;356(6345):1395–7. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aam7470
  28. 28. Dinter A, Samel A. Cyantraniliprole: Pollinator profile of the novel insecticides under laboratory, semi-field and field conditions. 2015:28–49.
  29. 29. Stanley J, Sah K, Jain SK, Bhatt JC, Sushil SN. Evaluation of pesticide toxicity at their field recommended doses to honeybees, Apis cerana and A. mellifera, through laboratory, semi-field and field studies. Chemosphere. 2015;119:668–74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2014.07.039
  30. 30. Chandana TP, Muthuswami M, Krishnamoorthy SV, Suganthi A. Evaluation of insecticides against major pests of watermelon [Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. and Nakai]. Biochem Cell Arch. 2021;21(2).

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.