ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES OF HONEYBEES TO RESTORER AND CYTOPLASMIC MALE STERILE LINES OF SUNFLOWER

摘要

Basis of discriminatory visits of honeybees to sunflower Cytoplasmic Male Sterile (CMS) line (234A, pollen less) and Restorer line (6D-1, pollen line) making use of Electro Antenno Gram (EAG) response to fresh and day old florets was investigated. Freshly amputed antennae of A. mellifera foraging on restorer line and CMS line, of those in hive and of A. dorsata foraging on restorer lines were used for EAG response studies. Restorer line capitula attracted bees nearly 4 times that of CMS line. The relative EAG response of A. dorsata and A. mellifera was distinctly more to fresh florets than to day old florets. The highest EAG response was in A mellifera bees collected from pollen line and exposed to pollen floret (0.532 mV) while the least was in those collected from CMS line and exposed to CMS floret (0.267 mV). The antennae collected from hive bees when exposed to a day old sloret responded least (0.250 mV) while those collected from foragers of pollen line exposed to fresh florets (0.615 mV) responded the highest .The findings strongly suggested that in A. mellifera floret volatiles helped the bee choose pollen line while in A dorsata visual cue was crucial in choosing pollen line in preference to CMS line.