Technological Innovations in Major World Oil Crops, Volume 2 Volume 1 || Biochemistry of Fatty Acids

This review provides a description on basic and applied aspects of the major oil crops – their pollination requirements, pollinators and improvement in quality and quantity through pollination. The important oil crops include brassica, linseed, niger, safflower, sesame, sunflower, groundnut, soybeans, castor beans, coconut, oil palms and olive. Pollination results in enhanced production, improving yield in oil content and even self-compatible crops show enhanced yields when cross-pollinated. For each crop, information is provided on the importance of pollination, important pollinators and their role in crop production. Pollination management and safety of pollinators from the harmful effects of pesticides is discussed in the context of declining pollinator biodiversity.

Pollination in Oil Crops: Recent Advances and Future Strategies

Sunflower plants, cv Anhandy, freely visited by insects (control) were compared to plants protected from insects. Two flower isolation methods were used: covering the plants with net cages (width 3m, lenght 4m, height 2m) and bagging the flowers with gauze. The number, the weight and the percentage of seed setting were significantly higher (P<0.05) in the visited plants (579.28; 41.17g and 82.37%; 456.97; 23.44g 79.70%, in two trials) than in plants protected by cages (81.53; 2.23g and 1.16% in the first trial and 111.92; 3.16g e 28.49%, in the second). The number and the weight of no seed settings were significantly higher (P<0.05) in the plants covered with cages (416.29 and 6.58g; 375.25 and 5.04g in two trials) than in the control (142.69 and 1.71g; 182.38 and 2.53g). The percentage of seed setting in the bagged flowers with gauze was intermediate to the control plants and the covered plants. (64.56% in the first trial and 68.61%, in the second). It is concluded that the sunflower, cv Anhandy, presents a significant increase of seed production due to visits of pollinating insects, mainly honey bees. Cage is the most indicated method to protect plants from pollinating insects.

AUMENTO NA PRODUÇÃO DE SEMENTES DE GIRASSOL (Helianthus annuus) PELA AÇÃO DE INSETOS POLINIZADORES

This bibliography of the literature on species of honeybees native to Asia is an extension of the recently published bibliographies on Apis andreniformis (Hepburn and Hepburn 2009), Apis cerana (Hepburn and Hepburn 2006), Apis dorsata and Apis laboriosa (Hepburn and Hepburn 2007a), Apis florea (Hepburn and Hepburn 2005) and Apis koschevnikovi (Hepburn and Hepburn 2007b). It was compiled from nearly 3,550 references, written by about 3,000 authors and published in over 700 different periodicals, conference proceedings, theses, reports, books and patents covering the period 1787–2009. The bibliography was prepared by obtaining all references to Asian honeybees published in Zoological Record (1864–2003) and Apicultural Abstracts (1950–2004) as well as the species-specific bibliographies of other workers cited in the Hepburn bibliographies. Subsequently, copies of most of the original publications were obtained, and the references cited therein were traced in continuous iterations into the past until no new references were found. For the period 2005–2009, particular use was made of the website Google Scholar, which is supported by various other citation websites, the most reliable of which are the British Library (BL Direct), US National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health (http://www.pumed.gov), Institut de l’Information Scientifique et Technique of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (INIST-CNRS) and Ingenta, a division of Publishing Technology plc (http://www.ingentaconnect.com). Recent references in Chinese are available at the website Wanfang Data, an affiliate of the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, but unfortunately, the citations are incomplete. Oddly enough, Google often gives more download choices for citations of the same article than does Google Scholar. In some cases, incomplete citations (particularly in Chinese) are given because complete information could not always be obtained, and they are marked with an asterisk. Similarly, several citations were

Bibliography of the Asian Species of Honeybees

Tenebrio molitor is one of the main stored product pests. This study characterized oregano essential oil (OEO) by gas chromatography (GC/FID and GC/MS) and assessed its insecticidal properties against T. molitor. Mortality, survival, respiration, and behavioral response in larva, pupa, and adult of this insect were determined. The major components of OEO were carvacrol (25.6%), p-cymene (12.3%), linalool (8.71%), thymol (7.22%), γ-terpinene (7.21%), caryophyllene oxide (4.67%), α-pinene (2.71%), and eucalyptol (2.69%). OEO caused high contact toxicity in larvae (LD50 = 3.03 µg insect–1), pupae (LD50 = 5.01 µg insect–1), and adults (LD50 = 5.12 µg insect−1) of T. molitor. Survival rates were 100% in larvae, pupae, and adults of T. molitor not treated with OEO, declining to 65–54%, 38–44%, 30–23%, and 6–2% in insects treated with LD25, LD50, LD75, and LD90, respectively. Low respiration rates of T. molitor at different developmental stages was observed after OEO exposure. Additionally, OEO exposure affects behavioral avoidance response and causes repellency in larvae and adults. These findings show that OEO exerts insecticidal and repellent effects against T. molitor, suggesting a potent alternative to synthetic insecticides for controlling the beetle.

Origanum vulgare Essential Oil against Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae): Composition, Insecticidal Activity, and Behavioral Response.

SummaryIn 1975 and 1976 bee visitors on ‘Armaveric’ sunflower were Andrena fulvicrus, Apis dorsata, A. florea, Ceratina viridissima and Xylocopa dissimilis especially during early and middle parts of the day. Studies on bagged and open seed heads, and on those sprayed with phosphamidon, showed the need for insect pollination for a high yield of good quality seed.

Muhammad Fiaz

Papers

Insect Pollination of Sunflower (Helianthus Annuus) in Pakistan

Behavioral and ultrastructural effects of novaluron on Aedes aegypti larvae.