Diversity and Abundance of Pollinator Fauna on Buckwheat

Research was conducted during rabi 2021-22 at the University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, India on buckwheat Fagopyrum Esculentum Moench. Visual counts of insect visitors were performed at five randomly selected 1m² spots during four daily time periods across three flowering stages (50%, 75%, and 90%). Collected specimens were analysed for relative abundance, Simpson index (1-D), and Shannon- Wiener diversity index (H). Insects from four orders visited buckwheat flowers, with Hymenoptera dominating (92.4%). Little bee (Apis florea Fabricius) was most abundant (45.9%), followed by Indian bee, Apis cerana indica Fabricius (25.8%), Rock bee, Apis dorsata Fabricius (13.3%), and stingless bee, Tetragonula sp. (7.4%). Dipterans comprised 3.9%, Lepidopterans 1.9%, and Coleopterans 1.8%. Pollinator activity peaked between 13:00-14:00h, with total visits increasing from 50% to 90% flowering. Both diversity indices increased with advancing flowering stages (Shannon-Wiener: 1.32 to 1.42; Simpson: 0.67 to 0.70), indicating that progressive flowering positively influences pollinator diversity.