EFFICIENCY OF POLLINATION WITH STINGLESS BEE (TETRAGONULA LAEVICEPS) IN AN INTERCROPPING SYSTEM BETWEEN EGGPLANT (SOLANUM MELONGENA) AND BLACK NIGHTSHADE (SOLANUM NIGRUM)

• Main Author: Lusiyani, Nike
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/49658
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

Pollinating insects have an important role in providing ecosystem services in the form of pollination, especially in Angiosperms. One of the largest genera and high economic value in Angiosperms is the genus Solanum. In general, the thing that most influences the productivity and quality of the yields besides pollination is the cultivation system. Intercropping is a cultivation system that has an ecological perspective but still pays attention to economic aspects so it is very suitable to be used as a model of sustainable agriculture. The purpose of this study was to observe the activity and efficiency of wild insects and Tetragonula laeviceps on productivity and also the fruit characters of eggplant (Solanum melongena) and black nightshade (Solanum nigrum) which were grown intercroppingly. Eggplant and black nightshade plants were planted at a spacing of 70 cm x 60 cm in the former rice fields at Desa Sukawangi, Kecamatan Pamulihan, Kabupaten Sumedang. The treatments were divided into three, namely open, tetragonula, and self pollination. The samples used were 10 eggplant and black nightshade plants each with 3 replications of flowers/ flower groups per plant. The visiting activity of bees was observed using the focal sampling method. Observations are made every hour for 5 minutes at 08.00-16.00 WIB (GMT +7) during the pollination period. The data generated in this study were analyzed using the Tukey test with a confidence level of 95% (? = 0.05). The results showed wild insects that visited eggplant and black nightshade flowers were Sphaerophoria scripta, Xylocopa sp., And Formicidae sp., While those who only visited eggplant flowers were Lampides boeticus and black nightshade flowers were Amegilla sp. Open pollination gave the best productivity effect on eggplant with a fruit set value of 75%, while Tetragonula Pollination gave the best productivity effect on black nightshade plants with a fruit set value of 91.89%. Meanwhile, self pollination always gives the lowest fruit set value among the three treatments. On the other hand, all yield quality parameters in the form of mass, length, diameter, and percent brix, the highest value was achieved by open pollination except for percent brix of eggplant plants.