Pollination role of honeybees in cash crops of the Himalayan region

摘要

It may be understood that like soil, water and nutrients, pollination is also one of the limiting factors of crop productivity. Pollination problem is relatively new problem in the Himalayan region and it needs due attention at this early stage. Apple is only one example of a number of cash crops grown by the Himalayan farmers, which require management of pollination for better production and quality. Vegetable seed production is yet another crucial sector where pollination management is essential.The preferred solution to this problem ties in promoting honeybees for pollination. Using area-based approaches to benefit from the existing diversity of honeybee species in the Himalayan region would be the most practical way. There is also need to change the focus of beekeeping from conventional honey production to crop pollination. In this way, honey becomes a by-product. Crop pollination will also require a large number of honeybee colonies to match the pollination need of crops over large areas. Number of honeybee colonies required in any area may even go beyond the carrying capacity of respective areas. To manage large number of bee colonies, the solution will be either to increase bee forage plants through new plantations or promote migratory'beekeeping as an enterprise. The latter option will also help strengthen upland-lowland linkage. One way to have a number of bee colonies would be to promote bee-pollination entrepreneurship. Another alternative is to encourage farmers needing pollination services to keep a few bee colonies. In doing so, the farmer will not only get better cash income from improved productivity of cash crops but he will also get honey as a by-product. It is however hard to say which option is better. The determining factors will be farmers, markets and institutional capacities in an area.