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International Journal of Innovative Approaches in Agricultural Research 2026, Vol 10(1) 1-12

Potential Use of Essential Oil Nanoemulsions as Bee Attractants in Seed Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) Production

Arıf Şanlı • Fatma Zehra Ok
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Article Type
Research article
Publication Date
May 27, 2026
Pages
1-12
DOI
10.29329/ijiaar.2026.1423.12

Abstract

This study was conducted under field conditions in 2024 to determine the effects of certain essential oils on enhancing the pollination efficiency of honeybees in hybrid sunflower seed production. In the study, nanoemulsions (NEs) of lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus), lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), and sage (Salvia officinalis) essential oils were prepared at a 5% concentration and applied via drone at doses of 1000 and 2000 ppm to the male and female sunflower parent lines at the beginning of the flowering period. At 50% flowering, the highest bee activity was observed in the plots treated with 2000 ppm C. citratus essential oil NE, while bee visits in plots treated with 1000 ppm R. officinalis and S. officinalis essential oil NEs and Tween-80 - chitosan NE were similar to the control. Applications of essential oil NEs resulted in increases of up to 28% in the filled seed ratio, 34% in seed number, and 38% in seed yield. The study concluded that 2000 ppm C. citratus NE enhanced bee activity, thereby improving seed set in sunflowers, and can be practically used in hybrid sunflower seed production.

Keywords: Sunflower Bee activity Attractant Essential oil Nanoemulsion
Cite this article
Şanlı, A. & Ok, F. Z. (2026). Potential Use of Essential Oil Nanoemulsions as Bee Attractants in Seed Sunflower (<em>Helianthus annuus</em> L.) Production. International Journal of Innovative Approaches in Agricultural Research, 10(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.29329/ijiaar.2026.1423.12

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