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Climate change effects, including temperature extremes and water stress, cause abiotic stress in plants. These changes directly affect flowering and the flower reward system for pollinators, influencing plant–pollinator interactions and ultimately seed production in flowering plants. Here, we tested the effects of water deprivation on the behavior of various pollinator species, plant–pollinator interactions, and the seed yield of sunflower, Helianthus annuus L. (Asteraceae). Sunflower was sown during four different months (January–April) and subjected to two different water availability levels (well-watered and water-deprived). Pollinator abundance was recorded five times a day (8:00 am, 10:00 am, 12:00 pm, 2:00 pm, and 4:00 pm) from flower heads and the florets. In addition, foraging behavior was also recorded. We found that lowest abundance, visit duration, and visitation rate occurred in April-sown sunflower. The European honey bee Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae) was the most abundant visitor to sunflower, the hover fly Eristalinus aeneus (Diptera: Syrphidae) exhibited the longest visit duration, while Xylocopa sp. (Hymenoptera: Apidae) exhibited the highest visitation rate. The visitation rate of bees was significantly affected by water stress, with more bee visits occurring under well-watered conditions. Additionally, plant parameters, including flower head diameter, head weight, seed number, and seed weight, were significantly lower in the water-deprived treatments in April-sown sunflower. Open flowers without the pollination exclusion cages showed a higher yield, indicating the pollination dependence of sunflower. In conclusion, the plant modifications induced by sowing months and water-deprived conditions may alter pollinator behavior and may ultimately affect sunflower yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The global supply of the primary component of poultry feed, i.e., soybean meal, has dwindled due to an imbalance between demand and supply. Hence, there is an urgent need for exploring some cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative protein sources to ensure sustainable poultry production. The outcomes of the present study exhibited that replacing 12% of soybean meal with either Periplaneta americana or Hermetia illucens improves the growth, blood hematology, gut morphometry, and meat quality of broilers. Consequently, these insects can serve as a viable alternative to traditional protein sources in poultry nutrition, offering a promising solution to meet the rising demand for animal protein, while mitigating the environmental impacts associated with conventional feed ingredients. Insects are becoming increasingly popular as a sustainable and nutritious alternative protein source in poultry feeds, due to their high protein content, low environmental impact, and efficient feed conversion rates. Using insect-based feeds can reduce the need for traditional protein sources like soybean meal (SBM), which often contribute to environmental issues such as deforestation and high water consumption. The current experiments were devised to assess the impacts of the partial replacement of SBM with the American cockroach Periplaneta americana and black soldier fly Hermetia illucens on the performances, hematology, gut morphometry, and meat quality of male broilers (Ross 308). A total of 350, 1-day-old chicks weighing 40.05 ± 0.27 g were divided into 7 dietary treatments (5 pens/treatment and 10 birds/pen) at random, i.e., a 4, 8, or 12% SMB replacement with P. americana and H. illucens. Soybean meal was used as a basal diet and taken as a control. The results indicated that broilers fed on 12% P. americana or H. illucens showed significant improvements (p < 0.05) in feed conversion ratio, live weight, and daily weight gain. Hematological traits significantly improved (p < 0.05). A gut histology showed increased villus height, villus width, crypt depth, and villus height/crypt depth ratios, indicating improved nutrient absorption. Broiler meat fed on 12% P. americana meal had significantly higher redness and yellowness (p < 0.05). Substituting soybean meal with up to 12% P. americana or H. illucens meal in poultry feed can enhance the broilers' growth performance, hematology, gut morphometry, and meat quality. Hence, these findings imply that P. americana or H. illucens meal are viable and constructive alternative protein sources in poultry nutrition, offering a sustainable approach to meet the increasing demand for animal protein across the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pollination in pumpkin (Cucrubita pepo) largely depends on activity of native insect pollinators, especially the bees. In order to explore the pollinator diversity and the best native pollinators for pumpkin production,' an experiment was performed at the research farm of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan. The visitation frequency of the bees across staminate and pistillate flowers, pattern of diurnal and seasonal visitation, efficiency in harvesting and depositing pollen and resultant fruit set per single visit were evaluated. The insect pollinator community was composed of 18 species in 3 orders and 6 families. Nomia sp. Apis dorsata and Halictus sp. were among the most abundant (189, 399, 117 respectively) and efficient pollinators in terms of number of pollen grains harvested (3121.50±199.54, 2090.40±139.03, 798.45±109.39, respectively) and deposited (376.60±23.01, 204.15±20.63, 177.85±16.31, respectively). The single visit fruit set percentage also revealed Nomia sp. (36.66) as the best pollinator followed by the A. dorsata (23.33) and Halictus sp. (20.0). Conserving and enhancing these bee species may boost pumpkin production in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to assess the pollinator community and the best native pollinators for bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L., Cucurbitaceae), an experiment was performed at the Vegetable Research Station in Multan. Pakistan. We measured the abundance of pollinators, their diurnal and seasonal dynamics along with their floral visitation rates and single-visit efficacy in terms of reproductive success. The pollinator community was composed of 15 insect species in 3 orders and 10 families. Bees were the most dominant (435 individuals) floral visitors followed by butterflies (345 individuals) and flies (248 individuals) while moths and wasps were observed occasionally. Apis florea, Parnara guttata and A. dorsata were the most abundant pollinators. A. florea and A. dorsata also exhibited the highest visitation rates and frequencies. Five major pollinators were tested for their single-visit efficacy, showing that A. dorsata was the most effective pollinator, along with A. florea and Eristalinus laetus. Conserving and enhancing these pollinators may boost M. charantia production in Pakistan [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which aims to determine biological traits of Mango Bark beetle (Hypocryphalus mangiferae) which are deemed to be agents of Mango Sudden Death Disease (MSDD) in Pakistan. The study assesses the life cycle of H. mangiferae from reproduction, development and maturation as the cycle possesses a relatively high bearing in the study of MSDD. It mentions that females belonging to H. mangiferae specie prefer diseased and stressed mango trees and bored holes in the main trunk from which saw dust is emitted, an indication that the beetle causes considerable damage on trees. The life cycle of H. mangiferae was noted to be active during the month of May to August. .