Full Length Research Paper

Pollination of the broad bean (Vicia faba L.var. major) (Fabaceae) by wild bees and honey bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) and its impact on the seed production in the Tizi-Ouzou area (Algeria)

Malika Aouar-sadli¹*, Kamel Louadi² and Salah-Eddine Doumandji³

¹Laboratoire d’Entomologie. Département de Biologie, Faculté des Sciences Biologiques et des sciences Agronomiques, Université Mouloud Mammeri Tizi-Ouzou 15000, Algérie.

²Laboratoire de Biosystématique et d’écologie des Arthropodes, Faculté des Sciences de la Nature, Université Mentouri Constantine, DZ-25000, Algérie.

³Institut National Agronomique El Harrach, Alger, Algérie

*Corresponding author: E-mail: aouarmalika@yahoo.fr .

 Tel: 213 75 50 58 53. Fax: 213 26 21 68 19.

Accepted 19 February, 2008.

   Abstract

An experiment conducted with caged plots confirmed the large seed yield of Vicia faba L. in the presence of pollinating insects during the flowering season of the year 2003. The plants that were accessible to pollinators provided more pods per plant, more seeds per pods; the pods were longer and the seeds were heavier than the encaged plants. Among the pollinating insects of Vicia faba, in the Tizi Ouzou area (Algeria), the wild bee Eucera pulveracea Dours was the most abundant and seemed to be the most effective pollinator. His visits were all able to fertilize the flowers. On the contrary, several floral visits of the honey bee Apis mellifera L. and all visits of Xylocopa violacea were “nectar robbery” through the holes made by the bumblebees at the base of the corolla. The floral visits of Eucera pulveracea L. were also faster (10 visits per minute).

Key  words:  Wild bees, Vicia faba, pollination, yield, foraging behaviour, Eucera pulveracea, Apis mellifera.