DOI: 10.5061/dryad.7h44j102q
title: Pollination methods for watermelon (Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.)) fruit setting and yield

description: Pollination is an essential ecosystem function to sustain food security.
 Human made agroecosystem led pollinators to decline which ultimately
 reduced fruit setting and yield of watermelon production. A field
 experiment was conducted at Manahari Rural Municipality from March 2023 to
 July 2023 to study the effect of pollination methods on fruit setting and
 yield of two watermelon varieties. The experiment was laid out in two
 factorial randomized complete block design (RCBD) having two watermelon
 varieties (Saraswati and Vishala) and three pollination methods (bee
 pollination, hand pollination, open pollination, and control) which were
 replicated thrice. The data regarding foraging activity of domesticated
 bee pollinators (Apis cerana F. and Apis mellifera L.) from open field
 condition and yield attributing parameters from experimental plot were
 recorded. In open field condition, Apis mellifera L. recorded the highest
 abundance (5.12 bees/m2/5 min.), foraging speed on male (5.14
 second/flower) and female flower (6.17 second/flower). Apis cerana F.
 recorded the highest foraging rate (9.31 flowers/bee/min.). The foraging
 activity was more active in the morning hours (8-10 a.m.) than at midday
 (12-2 p.m.) and evening hours (4-6 p.m.) for both the bee species. From
 the experimental plot, variety Saraswati recorded highest number of fruits
 per plant (2.52), fruit girth (14.45 cm), fruit weight (1.82 kg), seeds
 per fruit (122.53), and yield per plant (4.91 kg) while highest fruit
 length (18.58 cm) and 1000 seed weight (49.37 g). The highest fruit set
 (74.51%), number of fruits per plant (3.15), healthy fruit (84.83%), fruit
 girth (15.81 cm), fruit weight (2.21 kg), seeds per fruit (141.04), and
 yield per plant (6.98 kg) were recorded in bee pollinated plots. The
 result suggests that the use of A. mellifera bees in the pollination of
 watermelon is useful to increase fruit set, production, and
 productivity. 
description: # POLLINATION METHODS FOR WATERMELON (Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.)) FRUIT
 SETTING AND YIELD- Dumre’s Research Group
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.7h44j102q](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.7h44j102q) ## **Summary of Experiment dataset** This dataset consists of two sheets containing observations from experiments aimed at evaluating the foraging behavior and speed of the pollinator species, as well as the reproductive attributes (including fruit set and yield) of various plant varieties under different pollination conditions. ## **Description of File Structure and Contents** #### **Sheet 1: Foraging Behavior Data** The first sheet captures data related to the foraging behavior of *Apis mellifera* and *Apis cerena* across different time periods within a day. The columns include: * Species: The species of the pollinator observed (e.g., Apis mellifera). * week: The week during which the observations were made. * Days: The specific day of observation within the week. * Abundance: The abundance of the pollinator observed during different time slots (8-10 am, 12-2 pm, 4-6 pm). * Foraging speed Male flower (seconds/flower): The foraging speed observed on male flowers during different time slots (8-10 am, 12-2 pm, 4-6 pm). * Foraging speed female flower (seconds/flower): The foraging speed observed on female flowers during different time slots (8-10 am, 12-2 pm, 4-6 pm). * Foraging rate (flowers/bee/minute): The rate of foraging activity recorded during different time slots (8-10 am, 12-2 pm, 4-6 pm). ### **Sheet 2: Reproductive Attributes Data** The second sheet includes data related to the reproductive attributes of different plant varieties under various pollination conditions. The columns include: * REPLICATION: Replication number of the experiment. * VARIETY: The variety of the plant. (S = Saraswati variety, V = Vishala) * POLLINATION: The type of pollination applied (e.g., controlled, open). C = control; B = bee; H = hand pollination; O = open pollination * no. of female flowers: Number of female flowers observed. * female flowers: Female flowers per plant. * fruit set: Number of fruits set. * fruit set%: Percentage of fruit set. * flower drop: Number of flowers that dropped. * flower pp: Flowers per plant. * fruit pp: Fruits per plant. * healthy fruits: Number of healthy fruits. * hf %: Percentage of healthy fruits. * df%: Percentage of distorted fruits. * weight: Weight of the fruit (kg). * length: Length of the fruit (cm). * girth: Girth of the fruit (cm). * ratio: Ratio of length to girth. * seeds per fruit: Number of seeds per fruit. * 100 seed weight: Weight of 100 seeds (g).  **Other Sources** The data was derived from direct observations and measurements taken during the experimental period.