Table 2. Effects of pollen beetles (Carpophilus aterrimus) on cotton yield components and lint fiber quality in transgenic cotton (Bollgard II® Sicot 71BR) under four pollination treatments: bagged flowers without insects, bagged flowers with 3 pollen beetles, bagged flowers with 10 pollen beetles, and uncaged flowers exposed to natural pollinators.
| Measurement (100 flowers) |
Bagged with the beetle number | Unbagged | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 3 | 10 | ||
| Yield quantity | ||||
| Number of bolls | 47 | 26 | 0 | 48 |
| Boll weight (g) | 4.80 | 4.65 | 0 | 5.46 |
| Number of seeds /boll | 25.68 | 24.62 | 0 | 28.75 |
| Mass of lint (g) | 90.8 | 49.0 | 0 | 105.5 |
| Lint fiber quality | ||||
| Length (mm) | 1.17 | 1.15 | - | 1.19 |
| Uniformity (%) | 85.3 | 84.1 | - | 82.9 |
| Strength (g/tex) | 32.8 | 33.1 | - | 34.1 |
| Micronaire | 5.2 | 5.3 | - | 5.3 |