Exploring the Rich Diversity of Insect Pollinators in Cucumber, Cucumis sativus L.

Exploring the Rich Diversity of Insect Pollinators in Cucumber, Cucumis sativus L. | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Exploring the Rich Diversity of Insect Pollinators in Cucumber, Cucumis sativus L. Liyaqat Ayoub, RUKSHANDA HANIF, MUNAZAH YAQOOB, JAMEELA RASOOL, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4552574/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract In India, an enormous and significant group of vegetables known as cucurbits are widely cultivated. Numerous vine crop species with a creeping growth habit, such as chow-chow, bitter gourd, ash gourd, cucumber, watermelon, and pumpkin, are members of the Cucurbitaceae family. Of the 20 cucurbits grown in India One of the earliest vegetables to be grown worldwide is the cucumber, Cucumis sativus L. (Family: Cucurbitaceae), which is grown in tropical and subtropical regions. It is indigenous to Asia and Africa and is commonly referred to as "Laerr" in Kashmir. Cucumbers are extensively cross-pollinated, with insects being the primary pollinators. The plant draws a wide variety of insect species, which makes pollination more successful. To investigate the diversity and abundance of pollinators involved in cucumber pollination, a study was conducted entitled as “Exploring the Rich Diversity of Insect Pollinators in Cucumber, Cucumis sativus L.’’ was carried out at Experimental Farm, of Division of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, SKUAST-K Wadura during the year, 2021. The study revealed presence of total 15 insect species under orders viz ., Diptera (6), Hymenoptera (5), Lepidoptera (2), Odonata (1) and Coleoptera (1) on cucumber flowers. Among all pollinators/visitors, Eristalis arbustorum had maximum relative abundance (0.121), diversity indices in terms of Shannon-Weiner diversity index (0.256) and species evenness (0.094). Highest species richness was recorded in Diptera (0.979) which was followed by Hymenoptera (0.783), Lepidoptera (0.196), Odonata (0.000) and Coleoptera (0.000). Figures Figure 1 INTRODUCTION Cucumber is a creeping vine with cylindrical fruits that grows a trellis from its roots in the ground. It is an annual crop that is susceptible to cold, with huge, bold, tough leaves that can grow up to 6 feet long. This summertime staple is cultivated for its juicy fruits, which are then utilised for pickles and salads (kumar et al. 2011 ). Cucumber seeds are used in sweets and its oil serves as a tonic for brain It has high levels of iron, calcium, thiamine, niacin, vitamin C, and dietary fibre (Gopalan et al.1999). Three distinct varieties of rough, yellow flowers are produced by the cucumber plant: staminate, or male flowers, pistillate, or female flowers, and hermaphrodite, or flowers containing both male and female structures. The blooms are not wind- or self-pollinated because the male and female flowers are present independently on the same plant. Since the pollen grains are sticky and massive, they require an outside source to move them from one flower to another (Scholefield and Sedgley 2005 ). Insect pollination is therefore crucial to the fruit set and growth of blooming plants (Corbet et al. 1991 ). Numerous factors affect the quality and productivity of cucumber crops. Successful pollination is among the most crucial factors. Generally, uniform, flawlessly formed fruits with even maturity are ensured by adequate pollination (McGregor, 1976). Fruit does not develop correctly when pollination is insufficient (Hodges and Baxendale 1991 ). Insufficient pollination results in little or malformed fruit and a low yield of marketable fruits. Insects of the Hymenoptera, Diptera, and other orders are the principal pollinators of cucumbers. The production of high-quality fruits and vegetables depends on proper insect pollination. The primary cucumber pollinators are honeybees (Conner and Martin 2010). Furthermore, a variety of insect species, including syrphids and beetles, frequently visit the blossoms. The developmental processes of the crop rely heavily on insect-mediated pollination, which improves seed quality and production by promoting uniform maturation and early harvest. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study " Exploring the Rich Diversity of Insect Pollinators in Cucumber, Cucumis sativus L " was conducted in the field during 2021 at the Division of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, SKUAST-K Wadura, which is located at an altitude of 1610 meters above mean sea level between 34˚20' north latitude and 74 ˚ 24' east longitude. The Japanese Green Long cucumber seedlings were acquired from UTP, SKUAST-K, Urban Technological Park. The seedlings were placed in a single plot (5×7 m 2 ) at a distance of 1×1 m, following the guidelines in the suggested package of practice. Observations of different insect pollinators visiting cucumber blooms were documented on ten randomly chosen plants. At four-day intervals, readings were taken twice a day, from 10.0 to 12.0 and 15.0 to 17.0 hours. The observations were started on the date the crop began to flower by 10% and continued until 90% of the crop had finished flowering. The relative abundance of the main pollinators visiting the plant /5 minutes was worked out as: Relative Abundance (Pi) = Ni/N Ni = Number of individuals of a single species N = Total number of pollinators visiting the crop Utilising sweep netting, pollinators of insects that visited the cucumber flower were captured. Insect collection started as soon as flowers appeared and continued until ninety percent of the flowering phase was finished. Various diversity indices were also calculated, including the Species Diversity Index, which was determined using the Shannon-Wiener formula as outlined by Shannon and Wiener (1963). Shannon-Weiner diversity index (H) = ∑Pi In Pi Where, Pi = Relative abundance of insect pollinators In Pi = Natural logarithm of relative abundance Species evenness index: It was calculated by using following formula (Pielou, 1969): j = H/In(S) Where, H = Shannon-Weiner diversity index S = Number of species In (S) = Natural logarithm of Number of Species Species richness index (d): It was calculated by using following formula (Pielou, 1975) d = S-1/In N Where, S = Number of species In N = Natural logarithm of total number of pollinators visiting the crop RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The list of pollinators/visitors observed on bloom of cucumber ( Cucumis sativus ) during the study period is presented in Table 1 . During the flowering period of cucumber, a total 15 species belonging to five orders were recorded, viz ., Diptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, Coleoptera and Odonata. In Diptera, six species viz ., Eristalis arbustorum, Eristalinus aeneus, E. tenux, and Episyrphus balteatus (Syrphidae), Musca domestica and Chrysomya bezziana (Muscidae) were found to visit bloom of cucumber. Five species viz ., Bombus trifasciatus, Xylocopa vulga, Apis cerana and A. mellifera (Apidae), Lassioglossum marginatum (Halictidea) were found to visit cucumber bloom belonging to order Hymenoptera and followed the order Diptera. Two species viz ., Pieris rapae ( Noctudiae ) and Agrotis ipsilon belonging to order Lepidoptera were found to visit cucumber bloom. Only one species in Coleoptera, Coccinella septempunctata (Coccinellidae) and in Odonata, Ischnura senegalensis (Coenagrionidae) was found to visit bloom of cucumber. Prakash ( 2002 ) also noted the presence of 27 insect species, 16 of which belonged to Hymenoptera order and 4 of which are in the Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, and Diptera order, regularly visit cucumbers while they are in bloom. It was found that more than 82% of all insect pollinators of cucumbers are A. cerana , A. dorsata , Trigona iridepenis , and A. florea. Satheesha ( 2010 ) also observed 15 insect pollinator species visiting bloom of cucumber belonging to order Hymenoptera (6), Diptera (5), coleoptera (1) and Lepidoptera (3). Hanh et al . (2014) too found 24 insect species visiting cucumber flowers at Hissar which constituted 12 hymenopterans, 6 lepidopterans, 3 dipterans, 2 hemipterans and 1 coleopteran. Table 1 List of insect pollinators/visitors on cucumber ( cucumis sativus L.) Pollinator/visitor Scientific name Family Order Lagoon fly Eristalis aeneus Syrphidae Diptera European drone fly Eristalis arbustorum Syrphidae Diptera Common drone fly Eristalis tenux Syrphidae Diptera Marmalade fly Episyrphus bateaus Syrphidae Diptera Old screw worm fly Chrysomya bezziana Muscidae Diptera House fly Musca domestica Muscidae Diptera Carpenter bee Xylocopa vulga Apidae Hymenoptera Bumble bee Bombus trifasciatus Apidae Hymenoptera European honey bee Apis mellifera Apidae Hymenoptera Eastern honey bee Apis cerana Apidae Hymenoptera Sweat bee Lassioglossum marginatum Apidae Hymenoptera Greasy cutworm Agrotis ipsilon Noctuidae Lepidoptera Cabbage butterfly Pieris rapae Pieridae Lepidoptera Ladybird beetle Coccinella septempunctata Coccinellidae Coleoptera Damselfly Ishnura senegalensis Coenagrionidae Odonata The data on relative abundance of pollinators/visitors of cucumber is presented in Table 2 . The perusal of data revealed highest relative abundance of Eristalis arbustorum (0.121) followed by Eristalis tenex (0.109), Apis cerana (0.091), Eristalinus aenus (0.085), Apis mellifera (0.079), Lassioglossum marginatum (0.073), Musca domestica (0.067), Chrysomya bezziana (0.061), Bombus trifasciatus (0.061), Episyrphus balteatus (0.055), Ischnura senegalensis (0.055) Pieris rapae (0.048), Xylocopa valga (0.042), Coccinella septempuntata (0.030) and Agrotis ipsilon (0.024). Our findings are in agreement with the findings of Sagar and Brar ( 2015 ) who found sryphids ( Eristalis balteatus and Schiodan sctellaris ) and other dipterous flies ( Stylia sp., Lyperosia sp., and Stomoxys sp.) predominant, constituting 77.90 per cent of total insect visitors in corriandar ecosystem. Our findings are in agreement with Khan and Riyaz ( 2017 ) who observed a total of 930 individuals of syrphid flies in vegetables like, cucurbitacoues crops, cruciferous crops, and solanaceous crops. They reported Eoseristalis arbustorum as the most distributed species followed by Eristalis interruptus and E. tenux in vegetable ecosystem of Kashmir. Table 2 Relative abundance (Pi) of insect pollinators/visitors on cucumber ( Cucumis sativus L.) Pollinator /visitor Ni N Pi Eristalis arbustorum 20 165 0.121 Eristalinus aeneus 14 165 0.085 Eristalis tenux 18 165 0.109 Epysyrphus balteatus 9 165 0.055 Musca domestica 11 165 0.067 Chrysomya bezziana 10 165 0.061 Bombus trifasciatus 10 165 0.061 Xylocopa vulga 7 165 0.042 Apis cerana 15 165 0.091 Apis mellifera 13 165 0.079 Lassioglossum marginatum 12 165 0.073 Pieris rapae 8 165 0.048 Agrotis ipsilon 4 165 0.024 Coccinella septempunctata 5 165 0.030 Ischnura senegalensis 9 165 0.055 Ni = No. of individuals of a species, N = Total no. of pollinators visiting the crop and Pi = Relative Abundance /plant/5 minutes The data on diversity indices of pollinators/visitors of cucumber is presented in Table 3 . The perusal of data revealed highest Shannon-Weiner diversity Index in Eristalis arbustorum ( 0.256) followed by E. tenex (0.242), Apis cerana (0.218), Eristalinus aeneus (0.242), A. mellifera (0.200), Lassioglossum marginatum (0.191), Musca domestica (0.181), Chrysomya bezziana (0.170), Bombus trifasciatus (0.170), Episyrphus balteatus (0.159), Ischnura senegalensis (0.159), Pieris rapae (0.147) Xylocopa vulga (0.134), Coccinella septempunctata (0.106) and Agrotis ipsilon (0.090). Belamkar and Jasdesh (2014) observed that dipteran and hymenopteran flower visitors had Shanon Diversity Index (H) values of 1.00 and 1.009 when investigating the insect ecology of Gulbarga. The fact that the pollinator diversity index for dipterans and hymenopterans was evaluated collectively rather than separately during the current study may be the cause of the discrepancies in the results. The maximum (2.935) species diversity (H) of syrphid flies was also noted by Khan ( 2017 ) in the Srinagar district of Kashmir's floricultural ecology. The variation in the value could be due to different type of crop during our research investigation. Table 3 Diversity indices of insect pollinators/visitors on cucumber ( Cucumis sativus ) in terms of Shanon-Weiner diversity index (H) and Species evenness (J) Pollinator/visitor Ni N H J Eristalis arbustorum 20 165 0.256 0.094 Eristalis aeneus 14 165 0.209 0.077 Eristalinus tenux 18 165 0.242 0.089 Episyrphus balteatus 9 165 0.159 0.058 Musca domestica 11 165 0.181 0.066 Chrysomya bezziana 10 165 0.170 0.062 Bombus trifasciatus 10 165 0.170 0.062 Xylocopa vulga 7 165 0.134 0.049 Apis cerana 15 165 0.218 0.080 Apis mellifera 13 165 0.200 0.073 Lassioglossum marginatum 12 165 0.191 0.070 Pieris rapae 8 165 0.147 0.054 Agrotis ipsilon 4 165 0.090 0.033 Coccinella septempunctata 5 165 0.106 0.039 Ischnura seneglansis 9 165 0.159 0.058 Ni = No. of individuals of a species, N = Total no. of pollinators visiting the crop, H = Shanon-Weiner diversity index and J = Species evenness The perusal of data in Table 3 indicated highest Species evenness (J) in Eristalis arbustorum (0.094) followed by E. tenex (0.089), Apis cerana (0.080), Eristalinus aeneus (0.077), A. mellifera (0.073), Lassioglossum marginatum (0.070), Musca domestica (0.066), Chrysomya bezziana (0.062), Bombus trifasciatus (0.062), Episyrphus balteatus (0.058), Ischnura senegalensis (0.058), Pieris rapae (0.054) Xylocopa vulga (0.049), Coccinella septempunctata (0.039) and Agrotis ipsilon (0.033). Our study's results, which showed that species evenness for individual species ranged from 0.039 to 0.056, are largely in accordance with those of Stirley and Wilsey (2001), who also noted pollinator species evenness ranging from 0.58 to 0.99. Kyerematen et al. ( 2014 ) also found the insect pollinator species evenness of 0.928 and 0.977, respectively. The data on Species richness (d) of insect pollinators/visitors on cucumber ( Cucumis sativus ) is presented in Table 4 . Highest species richness was recorded in order Diptera (0.979) followed by Hymenoptera (0.783), Lepidoptera (0.196), Coleoptera (0.000) and Odonata (0.000). Our results line up with the findings reported by Parray et al. (2014), who reported that the Diptera in the apple orchards of the Baramulla area of Kashmir had a species richness of 2.00. However, during the current experiment, different types of crops and flora may have contributed to the fluctuation in the value. Table 4 Species richness (d) of pollinators/visitors on cucumber ( Cucumis sativus L.) Order S N d Diptera 6 165 0.979 Hymenoptera 5 165 0.783 Lepidoptera 2 165 0.196 Coleoptera 1 165 0.000 Odonata 1 165 0.000 S = No. of species, N = Total no. of pollinators visiting the crop and d = Species richness CONCLUSION Cucumber, being a highly cross-pollinating crop, attracts a diverse array of insect pollinators, with a total of 15 species observed. These species spanned across five orders: Diptera (6 species), Hymenoptera (5 species), Lepidoptera (2 species), Coleoptera (1 species), and Odonata (1 species). Among these, Eristalis arbustorum emerged as the most common pollinator and possessed the highest Species Evenness and Shanon-Weiner diversity index. The order with the greatest species richness is Diptera, followed by Hymenoptera. These findings highlight the critical role of Diptera and Hymenoptera in the pollination of cucumber crops and underscore the importance of conserving diverse insect pollinator communities to maintain effective pollination services. Declarations AUTHORS CONTRIBUTION STATEMENT All authors have contributed equally to the manuscript CONFLICT OF INTEREST No conflict of interest FINANCIAL SUPPORT The authors did not receive any financial support for the publication of this article ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author expresses gratitude to the Department of Agricultural Entomology at Sheri-e Kashmir University of Agricultural Science and Technology, Kashmir (SKUAST-K), India, for their support and valuable guidance throughout the investigation. References Belamkar NV, Jadesh MA (2014) Preliminary study on abundance and diversity of insect fauna in Gulbarga district, Karnataka, India. IJSR 3(12): 1670 - 1675 Connor LJ, Martin EC (2010) Honey bee pollination of cucumbers. Am Bee J 109: 78-95. Corbet SA, Williams IH, Osbarne JL (1991) Bees and the pollination of crops and wild flowers in the European Community Bee World 72(2): 47-59 Gopalan C, Rama SC, Balasubramanian SC (1999) Insect pollination of some cucurbits in Punjab Indian J. Agric. Sci 48 : 79-83 Hodges L, Baxendale F (1991) Role of insect visits on cucumber ( Cucumis sativus L.) yield. Indian Bee J 4(2): 81-88. Khan AA (2017) Distribution, Relative Abundance, Species Diversity and Richness of Syrphid Flies in Floricultural Ecosystem of Kashmir. IJMAS 6(9): 1539-1552 Khan AA, Riyaz S (2017) Diversity and distribution of syrphid fly communities in temperate fruit orchard of Kashmir, India. IJMAS 6(7): 2794-2805 Kumar AK, Patil MG, Hanchinamani IS Hiremath SV (2011) Successful cucumber production will continue to depend on honey bees in the near future . Am Bee J 125: 623-625. Kyerematen R, Daniel AL, Owusu R, Anderson RS, Baidu YN( 2014) Insect diversity of the muni-pomadze ramsar site: An important site for biodiversity conservation in Ghana. J.Insects 115:425-461 Paray MA, Parey SH, Yaqoob M, Rizwana K, Bhat BH, Saurav G, Rather ZA (2014) The pollinators of apple orchards of Kashmir valley (India) (distributional diversity). Ecol Environ Conserv 20: 471-477. Prakash KB (2002) Pollination potentiality of Indian honey bees viz ., Apis cerana on the production of cucumber ( Cucumus sativus (Linn.). Indian J Entomol 83(3): 305-309. Sagar P, Brar SH (2015) Flower visiting insects of coriander, Coriandrum sativum L. in the Punjab. Indian Bee J 46: 26-27 Satheesha HS (2010) Studies on honey bee pollination in cucumber. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol 28: 277-290. Sedgley M, Scholefield PB (2005) Stigma secretion in the watermelon before and after pollination. Bot Gaz 141(4): 428-434. Stirling G, Wilsey B (2001) Empirical relationships between species richness, evenness and proportional diversity. Am Nat 158(3): 286 - 99 Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4552574","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":347796730,"identity":"bb6aa10f-58bc-4ef5-a542-5e978ceffe42","order_by":0,"name":"Liyaqat Ayoub","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA9ElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACPmYEm43hA4hkJ6CFDaLFAMxmnIEQwaOFAUkLMw+IIqiFncfww5uaP/IGx3vMHtv82iYPdCrjh485+BzGYyw555iB4YYzZ8yNc/tuG7YxMzBLztyGV4uBNA+bAeOGGzlm0rk9txmBWtiYefFrMf7N88/AHqzFsue2PTFazKR52wwSwVoYftxOJEILW5nl3D7j5JlnjpUb9jbcTm5jZmzG6xd+/sObb7z5Jmfbd7x524Mff27bzm9vPvjhIx4tDAwcBgyg6FA4ACQY20AijA341AMB+wOwFnmwuj8EFI+CUTAKRsGIBACBnkpnXoKKqgAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2944-9277","institution":"Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Liyaqat","middleName":"","lastName":"Ayoub","suffix":""},{"id":347796731,"identity":"d2becbae-de79-4c68-8189-adfe5b3affa3","order_by":1,"name":"RUKSHANDA HANIF","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"RUKSHANDA","middleName":"","lastName":"HANIF","suffix":""},{"id":347796732,"identity":"9d29988f-a0bf-4c86-b5c7-f38f53640a15","order_by":2,"name":"MUNAZAH YAQOOB","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"MUNAZAH","middleName":"","lastName":"YAQOOB","suffix":""},{"id":347796733,"identity":"b882d51f-df08-4c4e-9f03-8a69323eefa6","order_by":3,"name":"JAMEELA RASOOL","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"JAMEELA","middleName":"","lastName":"RASOOL","suffix":""},{"id":347796734,"identity":"c84c55a2-2b50-4b9e-8a02-f898dabd295b","order_by":4,"name":"WASEEM AHMAD WAR","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"WASEEM","middleName":"AHMAD","lastName":"WAR","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-06-09 05:56:51","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4552574/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4552574/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":65678014,"identity":"26a358eb-7fc4-4ad5-98f2-76894fef1191","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-10-01 08:22:46","extension":"jpeg","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":1234682,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eDifferent insect pollinators of cucumber (\u003cem\u003eCucumis sativus\u003c/em\u003e L.)\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage1.jpeg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4552574/v1/bd0e3af23e3582223da51902.jpeg"},{"id":66843520,"identity":"251e60b4-a791-4a83-9a2b-0df85accec95","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-10-17 05:27:26","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1669312,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4552574/v1/15a82bfe-ab1d-45c3-8d37-8d660d6e09f9.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"","formattedTitle":"Exploring the Rich Diversity of Insect Pollinators in Cucumber, Cucumis sativus L.","fulltext":[{"header":"INTRODUCTION","content":"\u003cp\u003eCucumber is a creeping vine with cylindrical fruits that grows a trellis from its roots in the ground. It is an annual crop that is susceptible to cold, with huge, bold, tough leaves that can grow up to 6 feet long. This summertime staple is cultivated for its juicy fruits, which are then utilised for pickles and salads (kumar et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e). Cucumber seeds are used in sweets and its oil serves as a tonic for brain It has high levels of iron, calcium, thiamine, niacin, vitamin C, and dietary fibre (Gopalan et al.1999). Three distinct varieties of rough, yellow flowers are produced by the cucumber plant: staminate, or male flowers, pistillate, or female flowers, and hermaphrodite, or flowers containing both male and female structures. The blooms are not wind- or self-pollinated because the male and female flowers are present independently on the same plant. Since the pollen grains are sticky and massive, they require an outside source to move them from one flower to another (Scholefield and Sedgley \u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2005\u003c/span\u003e). Insect pollination is therefore crucial to the fruit set and growth of blooming plants (Corbet et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1991\u003c/span\u003e). Numerous factors affect the quality and productivity of cucumber crops. Successful pollination is among the most crucial factors. Generally, uniform, flawlessly formed fruits with even maturity are ensured by adequate pollination (McGregor, 1976). Fruit does not develop correctly when pollination is insufficient (Hodges and Baxendale \u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1991\u003c/span\u003e). Insufficient pollination results in little or malformed fruit and a low yield of marketable fruits. Insects of the Hymenoptera, Diptera, and other orders are the principal pollinators of cucumbers. The production of high-quality fruits and vegetables depends on proper insect pollination. The primary cucumber pollinators are honeybees (Conner and Martin 2010). Furthermore, a variety of insect species, including syrphids and beetles, frequently visit the blossoms. The developmental processes of the crop rely heavily on insect-mediated pollination, which improves seed quality and production by promoting uniform maturation and early harvest.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"MATERIALS AND METHODS","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe study \u003cb\u003e\"\u003c/b\u003e Exploring the Rich Diversity of Insect Pollinators in Cucumber, \u003cem\u003eCucumis sativus\u003c/em\u003e L \u003cb\u003e\"\u003c/b\u003e was conducted in the field during 2021 at the Division of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, SKUAST-K Wadura, which is located at an altitude of 1610 meters above mean sea level between 34˚20' north latitude and 74 ˚ 24' east longitude. The Japanese Green Long cucumber seedlings were acquired from UTP, SKUAST-K, Urban Technological Park. The seedlings were placed in a single plot (5\u0026times;7 m\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e) at a distance of 1\u0026times;1 m, following the guidelines in the suggested package of practice. Observations of different insect pollinators visiting cucumber blooms were documented on ten randomly chosen plants. At four-day intervals, readings were taken twice a day, from 10.0 to 12.0 and 15.0 to 17.0 hours. The observations were started on the date the crop began to flower by 10% and continued until 90% of the crop had finished flowering. The relative abundance of the main pollinators visiting the plant /5 minutes was worked out as:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRelative Abundance (Pi)\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Ni/N\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNi\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Number of individuals of a single species\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eN\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Total number of pollinators visiting the crop\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eUtilising sweep netting, pollinators of insects that visited the cucumber flower were captured. Insect collection started as soon as flowers appeared and continued until ninety percent of the flowering phase was finished. Various diversity indices were also calculated, including the Species Diversity Index, which was determined using the Shannon-Wiener formula as outlined by Shannon and Wiener (1963).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eShannon-Weiner diversity index (H) = \u0026sum;Pi In Pi\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhere,\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePi\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Relative abundance of insect pollinators\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn Pi\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Natural logarithm of relative abundance\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSpecies evenness index: It was calculated by using following formula (Pielou, 1969):\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ej\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;H/In(S)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhere,\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eH\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Shannon-Weiner diversity index\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eS\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Number of species\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn (S)\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Natural logarithm of Number of Species\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSpecies richness index (d): It was calculated by using following formula (Pielou, 1975)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ed\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;S-1/In N\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhere,\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eS\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Number of species\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn N\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Natural logarithm of total number of pollinators visiting the crop\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"RESULTS AND DISCUSSION","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe list of pollinators/visitors observed on bloom of cucumber (\u003cem\u003eCucumis sativus\u003c/em\u003e) during the study period is presented in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e. During the flowering period of cucumber, a total 15 species belonging to five orders were recorded, \u003cem\u003eviz\u003c/em\u003e., Diptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, Coleoptera and Odonata. In Diptera, six species \u003cem\u003eviz\u003c/em\u003e., \u003cem\u003eEristalis arbustorum, Eristalinus aeneus, E. tenux, and Episyrphus balteatus\u003c/em\u003e (Syrphidae), \u003cem\u003eMusca domestica and Chrysomya bezziana\u003c/em\u003e (Muscidae) were found to visit bloom of cucumber. Five species \u003cem\u003eviz\u003c/em\u003e., \u003cem\u003eBombus trifasciatus, Xylocopa vulga, Apis cerana and A. mellifera\u003c/em\u003e (Apidae), \u003cem\u003eLassioglossum marginatum\u003c/em\u003e (Halictidea) were found to visit cucumber bloom belonging to order Hymenoptera and followed the order Diptera. Two species \u003cem\u003eviz\u003c/em\u003e., \u003cem\u003ePieris rapae\u003c/em\u003e (\u003cem\u003eNoctudiae\u003c/em\u003e) and \u003cem\u003eAgrotis ipsilon\u003c/em\u003e belonging to order Lepidoptera were found to visit cucumber bloom. Only one species in Coleoptera, \u003cem\u003eCoccinella septempunctata\u003c/em\u003e (Coccinellidae) and in Odonata, \u003cem\u003eIschnura senegalensis\u003c/em\u003e (Coenagrionidae) was found to visit bloom of cucumber. Prakash (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2002\u003c/span\u003e) also noted the presence of 27 insect species, 16 of which belonged to Hymenoptera order and 4 of which are in the Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, and Diptera order, regularly visit cucumbers while they are in bloom. It was found that more than 82% of all insect pollinators of cucumbers are \u003cem\u003eA. cerana\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eA. dorsata\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eTrigona iridepenis\u003c/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eA. florea.\u003c/em\u003e Satheesha (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e) also observed 15 insect pollinator species visiting bloom of cucumber belonging to order Hymenoptera (6), Diptera (5), coleoptera (1) and Lepidoptera (3). Hanh \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e. (2014) too found 24 insect species visiting cucumber flowers at Hissar which constituted 12 hymenopterans, 6 lepidopterans, 3 dipterans, 2 hemipterans and 1 coleopteran.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eList of insect pollinators/visitors on cucumber (\u003cem\u003ecucumis sativus\u003c/em\u003e L.)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"4\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePollinator/visitor\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eScientific name\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFamily\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOrder\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLagoon fly\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEristalis aeneus\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSyrphidae\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDiptera\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEuropean drone fly\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEristalis arbustorum\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSyrphidae\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDiptera\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCommon drone fly\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEristalis tenux\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSyrphidae\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDiptera\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMarmalade fly\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEpisyrphus bateaus\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSyrphidae\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDiptera\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOld screw worm fly\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eChrysomya bezziana\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMuscidae\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDiptera\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHouse fly\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMusca domestica\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMuscidae\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDiptera\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCarpenter bee\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eXylocopa vulga\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eApidae\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHymenoptera\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBumble bee\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBombus trifasciatus\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eApidae\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHymenoptera\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEuropean honey bee\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eApis mellifera\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eApidae\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHymenoptera\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEastern honey bee\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eApis cerana\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eApidae\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHymenoptera\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSweat bee\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eLassioglossum marginatum\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eApidae\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHymenoptera\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGreasy cutworm\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAgrotis ipsilon\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNoctuidae\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLepidoptera\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCabbage butterfly\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePieris rapae\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePieridae\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLepidoptera\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLadybird beetle\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCoccinella septempunctata\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCoccinellidae\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eColeoptera\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDamselfly\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eIshnura senegalensis\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCoenagrionidae\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOdonata\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe data on relative abundance of pollinators/visitors of cucumber is presented in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e. The perusal of data revealed highest relative abundance of \u003cem\u003eEristalis arbustorum\u003c/em\u003e (0.121) followed by \u003cem\u003eEristalis tenex\u003c/em\u003e (0.109), \u003cem\u003eApis cerana\u003c/em\u003e (0.091), \u003cem\u003eEristalinus aenus\u003c/em\u003e (0.085), \u003cem\u003eApis mellifera\u003c/em\u003e (0.079), \u003cem\u003eLassioglossum marginatum\u003c/em\u003e (0.073), \u003cem\u003eMusca domestica\u003c/em\u003e (0.067), \u003cem\u003eChrysomya bezziana\u003c/em\u003e (0.061), \u003cem\u003eBombus trifasciatus\u003c/em\u003e (0.061), \u003cem\u003eEpisyrphus balteatus\u003c/em\u003e (0.055), \u003cem\u003eIschnura senegalensis\u003c/em\u003e (0.055) \u003cem\u003ePieris rapae\u003c/em\u003e (0.048), \u003cem\u003eXylocopa valga\u003c/em\u003e (0.042), \u003cem\u003eCoccinella septempuntata\u003c/em\u003e (0.030) and \u003cem\u003eAgrotis ipsilon\u003c/em\u003e (0.024). Our findings are in agreement with the findings of Sagar and Brar (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e) who found sryphids (\u003cem\u003eEristalis balteatus\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eSchiodan sctellaris\u003c/em\u003e) and other dipterous flies (\u003cem\u003eStylia\u003c/em\u003e sp., \u003cem\u003eLyperosia\u003c/em\u003e sp., and \u003cem\u003eStomoxys\u003c/em\u003e sp.) predominant, constituting 77.90 per cent of total insect visitors in corriandar ecosystem. Our findings are in agreement with Khan and Riyaz (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e) who observed a total of 930 individuals of syrphid flies in vegetables like, cucurbitacoues crops, cruciferous crops, and solanaceous crops. They reported \u003cem\u003eEoseristalis arbustorum\u003c/em\u003e as the most distributed species followed by \u003cem\u003eEristalis interruptus\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eE. tenux\u003c/em\u003e in vegetable ecosystem of Kashmir.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRelative abundance (Pi) of insect pollinators/visitors on cucumber (\u003cem\u003eCucumis sativus\u003c/em\u003e L.)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"4\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePollinator /visitor\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNi\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eN\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePi\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEristalis arbustorum\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e165\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.121\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEristalinus aeneus\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e165\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.085\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEristalis tenux\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e165\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.109\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEpysyrphus balteatus\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e165\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.055\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMusca domestica\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e165\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.067\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eChrysomya bezziana\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e165\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.061\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBombus trifasciatus\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e165\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.061\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eXylocopa vulga\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e165\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.042\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eApis cerana\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e165\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.091\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eApis mellifera\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e165\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.079\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eLassioglossum marginatum\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e165\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.073\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePieris rapae\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e165\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.048\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAgrotis ipsilon\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e165\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.024\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCoccinella septempunctata\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e165\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.030\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eIschnura senegalensis\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e165\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.055\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"4\"\u003eNi\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;No. of individuals of a species, N\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Total no. of pollinators visiting the crop and Pi\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Relative Abundance /plant/5 minutes\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe data on diversity indices of pollinators/visitors of cucumber is presented in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e. The perusal of data revealed highest Shannon-Weiner diversity Index in \u003cem\u003eEristalis arbustorum (\u003c/em\u003e0.256) followed by \u003cem\u003eE. tenex\u003c/em\u003e (0.242), \u003cem\u003eApis cerana\u003c/em\u003e (0.218), \u003cem\u003eEristalinus aeneus\u003c/em\u003e (0.242), \u003cem\u003eA. mellifera\u003c/em\u003e (0.200), \u003cem\u003eLassioglossum marginatum\u003c/em\u003e (0.191), \u003cem\u003eMusca domestica\u003c/em\u003e (0.181), \u003cem\u003eChrysomya bezziana\u003c/em\u003e (0.170), \u003cem\u003eBombus trifasciatus\u003c/em\u003e (0.170), \u003cem\u003eEpisyrphus balteatus\u003c/em\u003e (0.159), \u003cem\u003eIschnura senegalensis\u003c/em\u003e (0.159), \u003cem\u003ePieris rapae\u003c/em\u003e (0.147) \u003cem\u003eXylocopa vulga\u003c/em\u003e (0.134), \u003cem\u003eCoccinella septempunctata\u003c/em\u003e (0.106) and \u003cem\u003eAgrotis ipsilon\u003c/em\u003e (0.090). Belamkar and Jasdesh (2014) observed that dipteran and hymenopteran flower visitors had Shanon Diversity Index (H) values of 1.00 and 1.009 when investigating the insect ecology of Gulbarga. The fact that the pollinator diversity index for dipterans and hymenopterans was evaluated collectively rather than separately during the current study may be the cause of the discrepancies in the results. The maximum (2.935) species diversity (H) of syrphid flies was also noted by Khan (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e) in the Srinagar district of Kashmir's floricultural ecology. The variation in the value could be due to different type of crop during our research investigation.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab3\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 3\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDiversity indices of insect pollinators/visitors on cucumber (\u003cem\u003eCucumis sativus\u003c/em\u003e) in terms of Shanon-Weiner diversity index (H) and Species evenness (J)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"5\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePollinator/visitor\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNi\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eN\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eH\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJ\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEristalis arbustorum\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e165\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e0.256\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e0.094\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEristalis aeneus\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e165\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.209\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.077\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEristalinus tenux\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e165\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.242\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.089\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEpisyrphus balteatus\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e165\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.159\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.058\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMusca domestica\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e165\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.181\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.066\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eChrysomya bezziana\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e165\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.170\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.062\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBombus trifasciatus\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e165\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.170\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.062\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eXylocopa vulga\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e165\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.134\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.049\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eApis cerana\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e165\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.218\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.080\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eApis mellifera\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e165\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.200\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.073\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eLassioglossum marginatum\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e165\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.191\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.070\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePieris rapae\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e165\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.147\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.054\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAgrotis ipsilon\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e165\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.090\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.033\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCoccinella septempunctata\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e165\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.106\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.039\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eIschnura seneglansis\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e165\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.159\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.058\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"5\"\u003eNi\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;No. of individuals of a species, N\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Total no. of pollinators visiting the crop, H\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Shanon-Weiner diversity index and J\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Species evenness\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe perusal of data in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e indicated highest Species evenness (J) in \u003cem\u003eEristalis arbustorum\u003c/em\u003e (0.094) followed by \u003cem\u003eE. tenex\u003c/em\u003e (0.089), \u003cem\u003eApis cerana\u003c/em\u003e (0.080), \u003cem\u003eEristalinus aeneus\u003c/em\u003e (0.077), \u003cem\u003eA. mellifera\u003c/em\u003e (0.073), \u003cem\u003eLassioglossum marginatum\u003c/em\u003e (0.070), \u003cem\u003eMusca domestica\u003c/em\u003e (0.066), \u003cem\u003eChrysomya bezziana\u003c/em\u003e (0.062), \u003cem\u003eBombus trifasciatus\u003c/em\u003e (0.062), \u003cem\u003eEpisyrphus balteatus\u003c/em\u003e (0.058), \u003cem\u003eIschnura senegalensis\u003c/em\u003e (0.058), \u003cem\u003ePieris rapae\u003c/em\u003e (0.054) \u003cem\u003eXylocopa vulga\u003c/em\u003e (0.049), \u003cem\u003eCoccinella septempunctata\u003c/em\u003e (0.039) and \u003cem\u003eAgrotis ipsilon\u003c/em\u003e (0.033). Our study's results, which showed that species evenness for individual species ranged from 0.039 to 0.056, are largely in accordance with those of Stirley and Wilsey (2001), who also noted pollinator species evenness ranging from 0.58 to 0.99. Kyerematen et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e) also found the insect pollinator species evenness of 0.928 and 0.977, respectively.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe data on Species richness (d) of insect pollinators/visitors on cucumber (\u003cem\u003eCucumis sativus\u003c/em\u003e) is presented in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e. Highest species richness was recorded in order Diptera (0.979) followed by Hymenoptera (0.783), Lepidoptera (0.196), Coleoptera (0.000) and Odonata (0.000). Our results line up with the findings reported by Parray et al. (2014), who reported that the Diptera in the apple orchards of the Baramulla area of Kashmir had a species richness of 2.00. However, during the current experiment, different types of crops and flora may have contributed to the fluctuation in the value.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab4\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 4\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSpecies richness (d) of pollinators/visitors on cucumber (\u003cem\u003eCucumis sativus\u003c/em\u003e L.)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"4\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOrder\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eN\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ed\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDiptera\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e165\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.979\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHymenoptera\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e165\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.783\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLepidoptera\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e165\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.196\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eColeoptera\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e165\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.000\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOdonata\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e165\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.000\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"4\"\u003eS\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;No. of species, N\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Total no. of pollinators visiting the crop and d\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Species richness\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"CONCLUSION","content":"\u003cp\u003eCucumber, being a highly cross-pollinating crop, attracts a diverse array of insect pollinators, with a total of 15 species observed. These species spanned across five orders: Diptera (6 species), Hymenoptera (5 species), Lepidoptera (2 species), Coleoptera (1 species), and Odonata (1 species). Among these, Eristalis arbustorum emerged as the most common pollinator and possessed the highest Species Evenness and Shanon-Weiner diversity index. The order with the greatest species richness is Diptera, followed by Hymenoptera. These findings highlight the critical role of Diptera and Hymenoptera in the pollination of cucumber crops and underscore the importance of conserving diverse insect pollinator communities to maintain effective pollination services.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003ch2\u003eAUTHORS CONTRIBUTION STATEMENT\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eAll authors have contributed equally to the manuscript\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eCONFLICT OF INTEREST\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo conflict of interest\u003c/p\u003e \u003ch2\u003eFINANCIAL SUPPORT\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe authors did not receive any financial support for the publication of this article\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eACKNOWLEDGEMENTS\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe author expresses gratitude to the Department of Agricultural Entomology at Sheri-e Kashmir University of Agricultural Science and Technology, Kashmir (SKUAST-K), India, for their support and valuable guidance throughout the investigation.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBelamkar NV, Jadesh MA (2014) Preliminary study on abundance and diversity of insect fauna in Gulbarga district, Karnataka, India. IJSR\u003cem\u003e \u003c/em\u003e3(12): 1670\u003cstrong\u003e-\u003c/strong\u003e1675\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eConnor LJ, Martin EC (2010) Honey bee pollination of cucumbers. Am Bee J 109: 78-95.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCorbet SA, Williams IH, Osbarne JL (1991) Bees and the pollination of crops and wild flowers in the European Community Bee World 72(2): 47-59\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGopalan C, Rama SC, Balasubramanian SC (1999) Insect pollination of some cucurbits in Punjab Indian J. Agric. Sci\u003cem\u003e \u003c/em\u003e48\u003cstrong\u003e:\u003c/strong\u003e 79-83\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHodges L, Baxendale F (1991) Role of insect visits on cucumber (\u003cem\u003eCucumis sativus\u003c/em\u003e L.) yield. Indian Bee J\u003cem\u003e \u003c/em\u003e4(2): 81-88.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKhan AA (2017) Distribution, Relative Abundance, Species Diversity and Richness of Syrphid Flies in Floricultural Ecosystem of Kashmir. IJMAS\u003cem\u003e \u003c/em\u003e6(9): 1539-1552\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKhan AA, Riyaz S (2017) Diversity and distribution of syrphid fly communities in temperate fruit orchard of Kashmir, India. IJMAS 6(7): 2794-2805\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKumar AK, Patil MG, Hanchinamani IS Hiremath SV (2011) Successful cucumber production will continue to depend on honey bees in the near future\u003cem\u003e. \u003c/em\u003eAm Bee J 125: 623-625.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKyerematen R, Daniel AL, Owusu R, Anderson RS, Baidu YN( 2014) Insect diversity of the muni-pomadze ramsar site: An important site for biodiversity conservation in Ghana. J.Insects 115:425-461\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eParay MA, Parey SH, Yaqoob M, Rizwana K, Bhat BH, Saurav G, Rather ZA (2014) The pollinators of apple orchards of Kashmir valley (India) (distributional diversity). Ecol Environ Conserv\u003cem\u003e \u003c/em\u003e20:\u003cem\u003e \u003c/em\u003e471-477.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePrakash KB (2002) Pollination potentiality of Indian honey bees \u003cem\u003eviz\u003c/em\u003e., \u003cem\u003eApis cerana\u003c/em\u003e on the production of cucumber (\u003cem\u003eCucumus sativus\u003c/em\u003e (Linn.). Indian J Entomol 83(3): 305-309.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSagar P, Brar SH (2015) Flower visiting insects of coriander, \u003cem\u003eCoriandrum\u003c/em\u003e \u003cem\u003esativum\u003c/em\u003e L. in the Punjab. Indian Bee J\u003cem\u003e \u003c/em\u003e46: 26-27\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSatheesha HS (2010) Studies on honey bee pollination in cucumber. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol 28: 277-290.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSedgley M, Scholefield PB (2005) Stigma secretion in the watermelon before and after pollination. Bot Gaz 141(4): 428-434. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStirling G, Wilsey B (2001) Empirical relationships between species richness, evenness and proportional diversity. Am Nat 158(3): 286\u003cstrong\u003e-\u003c/strong\u003e99\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4552574/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4552574/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eIn India, an enormous and significant group of vegetables known as cucurbits are widely cultivated. Numerous vine crop species with a creeping growth habit, such as chow-chow, bitter gourd, ash gourd, cucumber, watermelon, and pumpkin, are members of the Cucurbitaceae family. Of the 20 cucurbits grown in India One of the earliest vegetables to be grown worldwide is the cucumber, Cucumis sativus L. (Family: Cucurbitaceae), which is grown in tropical and subtropical regions. It is indigenous to Asia and Africa and is commonly referred to as \"Laerr\" in Kashmir. Cucumbers are extensively cross-pollinated, with insects being the primary pollinators. The plant draws a wide variety of insect species, which makes pollination more successful. To investigate the diversity and abundance of pollinators involved in cucumber pollination, a study was conducted entitled as \u0026ldquo;Exploring the Rich Diversity of Insect Pollinators in Cucumber, \u003cem\u003eCucumis sativus\u003c/em\u003e L.\u0026rsquo;\u0026rsquo; was carried out at Experimental Farm, of Division of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, SKUAST-K Wadura during the year, 2021. The study revealed presence of total 15 insect species under orders \u003cem\u003eviz\u003c/em\u003e., Diptera (6), Hymenoptera (5), Lepidoptera (2), Odonata (1) and Coleoptera (1) on cucumber flowers. Among all pollinators/visitors, \u003cem\u003eEristalis arbustorum\u003c/em\u003e had maximum relative abundance (0.121), diversity indices in terms of Shannon-Weiner diversity index (0.256) and species evenness (0.094). Highest species richness was recorded in Diptera (0.979) which was followed by Hymenoptera (0.783), Lepidoptera (0.196), Odonata (0.000) and Coleoptera (0.000).\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Exploring the Rich Diversity of Insect Pollinators in Cucumber, Cucumis sativus L.","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2024-10-01 08:22:41","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4552574/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"9a69d963-e27c-403f-82be-eb81fa03b74b","owner":[],"postedDate":"October 1st, 2024","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2024-10-17T05:10:46+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2024-10-01 08:22:41","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-4552574","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-4552574","identity":"rs-4552574","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"qtupq5eGEP_6zYnWcrvyt","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}