Efficiency of Selected Pollinator Insects in Pollinating Faba Bean Cultivars and Their Impact on Productivity Under Basrah Governorate Conditions

الملخص

This study was conducted at the Agricultural Research Station of the College of Agriculture, University of Basrah, during the 2024–2025 academic year. The objective was to document the types of pollinator insects visiting the flowers of different faba bean cultivars, which belong to various insect orders.

The results showed that Syrphid flies recorded the highest visitation rate (41.6 visits), significantly surpassing other pollinator species. Among the cultivars, the New Zealand cultivar exhibited the highest average number of visits (34.4 visits).

Regarding the interaction between insect species and cultivars, the Mahali cultivar recorded the highest number of visits by Syrphid flies, reaching 50.1 visits per five minutes. The results also revealed differences in residence time of pollinators on the flowers. Apis mellifera (honeybee) ranked first with an average of 11.4 seconds, whereas Syrphid flies had the shortest duration, averaging 5.8 seconds. When analyzing the interaction between cultivar and insect species, Apis mellifera showed the longest residence time on the Veto cultivar (14.4 seconds), while Syrphid flies had the shortest time on the Mahali cultivar (4.8 seconds).

As for the number of transitions between flowers, Syrphid flies again led with an average of 6.1 transitions, compared to only 2.6 for honeybees. The Mahali cultivar recorded the highest overall transition rate (6.2 transitions), while the New Zealand cultivar had the lowest (2.8 transitions). In terms of the interaction between cultivar and insect species in transitions, Syrphid flies achieved the highest rate on the Mahali cultivar (8.7 transitions), whereas the lowest rate was observed for honeybees on the New Zealand cultivar (1.8 transitions).

These findings indicate that pollinator behavior—including visitation frequency, residence time, and transition rate—is influenced by their nectar and pollen needs, which vary among cultivars due to physiological differences. This highlights the importance of selecting cultivars that are well-adapted to local environmental conditions, promoting beekeeping, and reducing pesticide use to sustain pollinator populations and enhance the productivity of crops that depend on them.