232 Pantnagar Journal of Research [Vol.

19(2), May-August, 2021]

Diversity of insect pollinators and pollination mechanism in sponge gourd, Luffa

cylindrica (L.) Roem
MOHAMMAD SARFRAZ KHAN and GAURAVA KUMAR

Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture, G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology,
Pantnagar-263145 (U.S. Nagar, Uttarakhand)

ABSTRACT: Sponge gourd, Luffa cylindrica (L.) Roem. is a common vegetable crop possessing hermaphrodite flowers.
Investigation was carried out to study the diversity of flower visiting insects, abundance and foraging behaviour of insect pollinators,
floral attributes like anthesis, flower size, anther dehiscence, flower sex ratio and the mechanism of pollen transfer from staminate
to the pistillate flowers on the sponge gourd. A total of 23 species from four insect orders, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, Coleoptera
and Diptera were recorded from the sponge gourd flowers with hymenopteran pollinators contributing to 17 of such species.
Across the 11 species considered as pollinators, 1.67 insects visited 50 flowers per 5 minutes, exhibiting their peak activity
during 8.30 to 10.30 am. The bee species, Tetragonula iridipennis, Apis dorsata, A. cerana and A. mellifera were recorded as
more frequent visitors with a mean abundance of 5.79, 3.84, 2.41 and 1.98 bees/50 flowers/5 min, respectively. Further, Xylocopa
iridipennis visited maximum number of Luffa flowers (range: 12-15) with minimum time spent on a single sitting (5-27 seconds).
Whereas, the stingless bee, T. iridipennis was found to be visiting the least number of flowers (range: 2-5) in a single visit while
spending maximum time on a single flower (110-170 seconds). Significance of commercial cultivation of this summer vegetable
crop for beekeeping has also been discussed.

Key words: Foraging behavior, insect abundance, Luffa cylindrical, staminate flower, pistillate flower, pollination

The vegetable sponge gourd, Luffa cylindrica (L.) (Silva et al., 2012). These flowers open in the early
Roem., family Cucurbitaceae originated in the morning and are open only a day (Singh, 1958). Due
tropics of Africa and South East Asia, is also known to their monoecious inflorescence sponge gourd
as dishrag gourd, loofah gourd, smooth gourd, tooria requires transfer of pollen from the staminate to the
etc (Oboh and Aluyor, 2009; Filipowicz, 2014; pistillate flowers. Several insect pollinators,
Manjunath, 2016). Its fruits are eaten fresh like belonging to different orders have been recorded as
cucumbers, cooked as a vegetable or used in soups. pollinating agents in cucurbitaceous plants (Thapa,
A colourless, odourless and tasteless oil produced 2002; Agarwal and Rastogi, 2010; Bodlah and
from its seeds can also be used in cooking. The Waqar, 2013; Manjunath, 2016). However, the
fibrous material inside the mature sponge gourd fruit pollination in sponge gourd is reported to be
is commercially used for engine filters, doormats, principally assisted by the Apis bees (Collinson,
table mats, mattress or shoulder pad stuffing and for 1976; Meléndez-Ramirez, 2002; Stanghellini et al.,
absorbing sound (Azeez et al., 2013). Furthermore, 2002; Bhattacharyya and Chakraborty, 2014). The
the sponge gourd fruits have been identified as limited bloom period for the respective flower makes
source of several medicinally important groups of the pollinator visitation a limiting factor for the
compounds (Joshi et al., 2004; Azeez et al., 2013; successful reproduction (Stanghellini et al., 1997).
Partap et al., 2012). During rainy periods sponge gourd from its profuse
and continuous blossoming provide good nectar and
Luffa cylindrica is a trailing or climbing annual that pollen source that help the bees for colony build up
has monoecious inflorescences (Singh, 1958; and hence has excellent nutritional value.
Bhattacharyya and Chakraborty, 2014). Its plant Considering the importance of sponge gourd
bears both male- and female flowers which are especially for bees and meager information on its
produced in the leaf axils with 4 to 20 staminate pollinators and pollination mechanism from this
flowers and one pistillate flower in the same axil region, present study was carried out.
[Vol. 19(2), May-August, 2021] Pantnagar Journal of Research 233

MATERIALS AND METHODS Abundance of insect pollinators

The study was conducted at G B Pant University of The data on the abundance of regularly visiting
Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, potential pollinators revealed that irrespective of the
Uttarakhand, India. The observations on insect insect species, 50 flowers of Luffa are visited by an
visitors/pollinators were recorded on ocular basis at average of 1.67 insects per 5 minutes (n= 990; Table
an hourly interval from 5.30 am to 1.30 pm for 10 2). Among the insect pollinators, A. dorsata was
days at full bloom during September- October, 2017. recorded to be first visitor early in the morning at
Diversity of the insect visitors was observed and 5.30 am with an abundance of 0.90 bees/5 min/50
abundance of potential insect pollinators was taken flowers followed by T. iridipennis, A. cerana and
for 5 minutes on 50 flowers at each observational the branded swift skipper with an abundance of 0.40,
hour. Data on the foraging behaviour (number of 1.20 and 1.60, respectively at 6.30 am. The peak
flowers foraged per visit, time spent per flower, floral activity of the insect pollinators was recorded
reward etc.) of insect pollinators, floral attributes between 8.30 to 10.30 am with highest abundance
(flower opening timings, male: female ratio, flower of 3.11 at 9.30 am (Table 2; Figure 1). Irrespective
size, colour) and the mechanism of pollen transfer of the day hours, the stingless bee, T. iridipennis
from staminate to the pistillate flowers were also had the highest abundance of 5.79 bees/5 min/50
recorded. The pistillate flowers were bagged with flowers followed by the branded swift butterfly
muslin cloth to know the pollination requirement. (4.65), A. dorsata (3.84), A. cerana (2.41), A.
mellifera (1.98), M. bicolor (0.64), Anthophora sp.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION (0.34) and X. iridipennis (0.15); respectively. The
abundance of insect pollinators on Luffa flowers
Diversity of insect visitors determines the success rate of the whole crop as the
time of flowering plays a limiting factor in the
A total of 23 insect species visited on sponge gourd pollination of this crop. The maximum diversity of
flowers (Table 1), representing orders Hymenoptera insect pollinators in Luffa crop had been recorded
(17 species), Lepidoptera (1 species), Diptera (2 twice a day by Manjunath (2016) with the two peaks
species) and Coleoptera (3 species). On the basis of during 09-12:00 pm and 01-03:00pm in Bangalore.
frequency of their visit, the insect visitors were This could be due to relatively lower temperature in
divided into regular and occasional visitors. The southern states during flowering period allowing
regular visitors included the bees- Tetragonula longer flower opening time for visitation of insect
iridipennis, Apis dorsata, A. cerana, A. mellifera, pollinators.
Megachile bicolor, Anthophora singulata,
Anthophora sp., Xylocopa iridipennis, X. pectifrons Foraging behavior
and the ants, Camponotus sp. (Hymenoptera);
Branded swift skipper/butterfly, Pelopidas mathias Data on the foraging behavior of the insect
(Lepidoptera); red pumpkin beetle, Raphidopalpa pollinators (Table 3) revealed that during a single
foveicollis and the hadda beetle, Epilachna visit an individual X. iridipennis foraged maximum
dodecastigma (Coleoptera). The diversity index of number of flowers (range: 12-15) with minimum
different pollinator species showed a diverse fauna time spent per flower (range: 5-27s) while an
of insect pollinators in the L. cylindrica crop. The individual of the stingless bee visited minimum
Shannon Wiener diversity index for the regular number of flowers (range: 2-5) with maximum time
flower visiting insect was found to be 1.7649. Insects spent per flower (110-170s for nectar; 330-485s for
from similar four orders have been reported to visit pollen collection). Most insect pollinators foraged
sponge gourd flowers in other states of India male flowers for nectar only, however T. iridipennis
(Agarwal and Rastogi, 2012; Manjunath, 2016) and and Anthophora sp. collected also pollen, besides
Nepal (Thapa, 2002). collecting nectar. Only some of the insect visitors
234 Pantnagar Journal of Research [Vol. 19(2), May-August, 2021]

Table 1: Diversity of insect visitors on sponge gourd flowers

S. Scientific name Common name Family Order Consistency of Role of the
No. visit visitor
1 Anthophora singulata Digger bee Apidae Hymenoptera Regular Pollinator
2 Anthophora sp. Digger bee -do- -do- Regular Pollinator
3 Apis cerana Indian honey bee -do- -do- Regular Pollinator
4 Apis dorsata Rock bee -do- -do- Regular Pollinator
5 Apis mellifera European honey bee -do- -do- Regular Pollinator
6 Tetragonula iridipennis Stingless bee -do- -do- Regular Pollinator
7 Xylocopa austuans Carpenter bee -do- -do- Occasional Pollinator
8 Xylocopa iridipennis Carpenter bee -do- -do- Regular Pollinator
9 Xylocopa pectifrons Carpenter bee -do- -do- Regular Pollinator
10 Ceratina sexmaculata Small carpenter bee -do- -do- Occasional Pollinator
11 Thyreus takaonis Cuckoo bee -do- -do- Occasional Pollinator
12 Megachile anthracina Leaf cutter bee Megachilidae -do- Occasional Pollinator
13 Megachile bicolor Leaf cutter bee -do- -do- Regular Pollinator
14 Megachile disjuncta Leaf cutter bee -do- -do- Occasional Pollinator
15 Nomia sp. Alkali bee Halictidae -do- Occasional Pollinator
16 Camponotus sp. Ant Formicidae -do- Regular Nectar feeder
17 Campsomeriella collaris Scolid wasp Scollidae -do- Occasional Pollinator
18 Pelopidas mathias Branded swift skipper Hespiridae Lepidoptera Regular Pollinator
19 Metasyrphus sp. Syrphid fly Syrphidae Diptera Occasional Pollinator
20 Syrphus corollae Syrphid fly -do- -do- Occasional Pollinator
21 Raphidopalpa foveicollis Red pumpkin beetle Crysomellidae Coleoptera Regular Phytophagous
22 Epilachna dodecastigma Hadda beetle Coccinellidae -do- Regular Phytophagous
23 Mylabris sp. Blister beetle Meloidae -do- Occasional Phytophagous

foraging male flowers for nectar or pollen or both flower and the pollen & the nectar remain available
also visited pistillate flowers for nectar collection. for next 5-7 hrs. The petals of the flowers start
Such insects included T. iridipennis, A. dorsta, A. wilting at about 12.0 noon and all the staminate
cerana, A. mellifera, Anthophora sp. and the branded flowers are shed same day by 6.30-7.00pm evening
swift skipper. All insect pollinators except the while the pistillate flowers though get closed after
carpenter bees, Xylocopa species foraged the flowers pollination but remain attached to the long tubular
either from the top or from the side of the stamens. ovary secreting exudates from the sepals for several
The bees of Xylocopa species collected nectar while days. The daily average ratio of male to female
holding the stamens and sitting on them. The flowers was 20:1.
stingless bees and the ants collected the exudates
from the floral buds. In the monoecious L. cylindrica plant, transfer of
Floral attributes and pollination mechanism

The lemon yellow coloured flowers (both male &

female) start opening early in the morning between
4.30-5.30am and are completely open by 6.0-7.0am,
depending upon the temperature. The diameter of
the staminate flowers varied from 5-10 cm (av. =7.4
cm) while that of the pistillate varied from 7.5-10.5
cm (av. =8.5 cm). The number of staminate flowers
varied from 6 to 24 in a bunch and open for a day
only in a dangling manner. Anther dehiscence and Fig. 1: Mean abundance of pollinators during different day
nectar secretion initiates soon after opening of the hours
[Vol. 19(2), May-August, 2021] Pantnagar Journal of Research 235

Table 2: Abundance of insect pollinators on sponge gourd flowers

Insect species Average number of insects/5min/50 flowers at different day hours Mean*
5.30am 6.30 am 7.30 am 8.30 am 9.30 am 10.30 am 11.30 am 12.30pm 1.30pm
A. singulata 0.00 0.10 0.20 0.00 0.40 0.00 0.20 0.10 0.00 0.11
Anthophora sp. 0.00 0.00 0.80 0.90 0.60 0.40 0.40 0.00 0.00 0.34
A. cerana 0.00 1.20 2.60 3.10 5.20 4.00 2.50 2.00 1.10 2.41
A. dorsata 0.90 2.40 4.70 6.00 6.40 6.50 3.50 2.70 1.50 3.84
A. mellifera 0.00 0.00 2.40 2.90 3.60 3.20 3.40 1.60 0.70 1.98
M. bicolor 0.00 0.00 1.40 1.40 1.50 0.50 0.80 0.20 00 0.64
M. disjuncta 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.20 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.02
T. iridipennis 0.00 0.40 5.00 9.40 11.20 9.00 8.60 7.00 1.50 5.79
X. iridipennis 0.00 0.00 0.30 0.30 0.20 0.30 0.20 0.10 0.00 0.15
X. pectifrons 0.00 0.00 0.10 0.10 0.00 0.00 0.10 0.00 0.00 0.03
P. mathias 0.00 1.60 5.80 7.60 7.80 6.50 6.30 5.00 1.30 4.65
Mean** 0.08 0.47 1.94 2.65 3.11 2.53 2.16 1.57 0.51 1.67#
*Mean of 90 observations (9hrs× 10 days); **Mean of 110 observations (one hr× 10 days× 11 species); #Mean of 990 observations
(9hrs× 10 days× 11 species)

Table 3: Foraging behavior of different insect pollinators on sponge gourd flowers

Insect species No. of flowers foraged Time spent per Floral reward Working position while
per visit (range) flower (sec) foraging in relation to
Staminate Pistillate (range) Nectar Pollen stamens/pistils
A. singulata 6-8 Nil 20-52 + - Top/side
Anthophora sp. 4-7 0-1 15-73 + + Side/top
A. cerana 5-6 0-2 37-84 + - Top/side
A. dorsata 8-10 0-2 45-112 + - Side/top
A. mellifera 6-8 0-1 32-96 + - Side/top
M. bicolor 5-8 nil 30-75 + + Top/side
M.disjuncta 4-5 nil 15-40 + - Top/side
T. iridipennis 2-4 0-1 110-170 (nectar); + + Top/side
330-485 (pollen)
X. iridipennis 12-15 nil 5-27 + - Top
X. pectifrons 7-10 nil 12-23 + - Top
P. mathias 6-7 0-1 126-280 Side/top

pollen from the staminate to the stigma of pistillate when the bees dusted with pollen visit female flowers
flower is essential for the development of the fruits for nectar. Similarly, the branded swift having loose
as none of the five pistillate flowers developed in to pollen grains on legs and the proboscis may also
fruit when covered with the muslin cloth begs before transfer the pollen from male to the female flowers.
their opening. This transfer of the pollen from male The pollination efficiency of these insect visitors
to female flower is performed chiefly by the bees. can be determined by their abundance, number of
Off the 20 species visiting sponge gourd flowers for loose pollen grains carried on their bodies and the
pollen and nectar, only six insect species were frequency In our study, while approaching the
observed to visit both staminate and pistillate pistillate flowers, most individuals of these insect
flowers. Many individuals of these six species too species landed on the petals and collected nectar
were seen to discriminate male from the female ones from the base of the jointed pistils by entering their
and many a times avoided foraging female flowers. body (Tetragonula & Anthophora sp.) or the head
The six species were- the honey bees, A. dorsata, A. (the honey bees) or the proboscis (small branded
cerana, A. mellifera; the stingless bee, T. iridipennis; swift) in the space around and between the pistils
the digger bee, Anthophora sp. and the branded swift and the petals without coming in direct contact with
skipper, Pelopidas mathias. The pollination occurs the jointed stigmas. However, some of the foragers
236 Pantnagar Journal of Research [Vol. 19(2), May-August, 2021]

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