Vol. 9, Special Issue 10, Part E (2025)

Among the various citrus species, one of the commercially important species is acid lime (Citrus aurantifolia Swingle). Poor pollination and fertilization are the major reasons for initial fruit drop. Climate change and intensive agriculture, including pesticide use during flowering, can hinder insect-mediated pollination and ultimately affects the fruit set. Hence, understanding of pollination ecology and the efficacy of various pollination strategies under novel conditions is critical for enhancing fruit yield under precision farming. However, instead of directly evaluating pollination efficiency, many researchers use alternative methods such as manual pollination and pollen sprayers. This study investigated the impact of hand pollination on fruit set and retention in acid lime compared to open pollination. The results showed significant differences in fruit parameters, including fruit set, retention, diameter, length, circumference, and weight. Open pollination yielded the highest fruit set (66%), followed by hand pollination (64%) and natural covered pollination (46%). However, hand pollination with self-pollen resulted in the highest fruit retention at maturity (63.32%), surpassing open pollination (46.07%) and natural self-pollinated flowers (23.66%). Fruit parameters like diagonal fruit circumference (10.56, 7.96, and 11.1 cm), longitudinal fruit circumference (11.08, 8.32, and 20.64 cm), fruit diameter (3.1, 2.76, and 3.3 cm), fruit length (3.54, 3.04, and 3.7 cm), and fruit weight (21.6, 12.2, and 23 g/fruit) were highest in hand pollination followed by open pollination and lowest in natural covered pollinated flowers. These findings suggest that hand pollination can improve fruit yield, particularly in situations where open pollination is hindered by unpredictable weather conditions during flowering.