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Agricultural practices to improve yields in small-scale farms in Africa usually focus on improving growing conditions for the crops by applying fertilizers, irrigation, and/or pesticides.This may, however, have limited effect on yield if the availability of effec-soil fertility, soil moisture, and/or pollination was limiting watermelon (Citrullus lana-
tus) yields in Northern Tanzania. We subjected the experimental field to common
farming practices while we treated selected plants with extrafertilizer applications,
increased irrigation and/or extra pollination in a three-way factorial experiment. One
week before harvest, we assessed yield from each plant, quantified as the number
of mature fruits and their weights. We also assessed fruit shape since this may af-
fect the market price. For the first fruit ripening on each plant, we also assessed
sugar content (brix) and flesh color as measures of fruit quality for human consump-
tion. Extra pollination significantly increased the probability of a plant producing a
second fruit of a size the farmer could sell at the market, and also the fruit sugar
content, whereas additional fertilizer applications or increased irrigation did not im-
prove yields. In addition, we did not find significant effects of increased fertilizer or
watering on fruit sugar, weight, or color. We concluded that, insufficient pollination
is limiting watermelon yields in our experiment and we suggest that this may be a
common situation in sub-Saharan Africa. It is therefore critically important that small-
scale farmers understand the role of pollinators and understand their importance for
agricultural production. Agricultural policies to improve yields in developing coun-
tries should therefore also include measures to improve pollination services by giving
education and advisory services to farmers on how to develop pollinator-friendly
habitats in agricultural landscapes. |
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