ABSTRACT
Cotton (Gossypium sp.) is the most important non-food crop in the world, producing natural fiber, edible oil, and seed cake. The United States, China, and India are the major cotton-producing countries in the world. Cotton is commonly regarded as a partially cross-pollinated crop. Cotton flowers attract a wide variety of pollinating insects for nectar and pollen. Open-pollinated flowers have higher average boll weight, fiber weight, and seed number. Although cotton is not directly dependent on bee pollination, bees increase cotton production. Honeybee pollination increases boll set in cotton crops/cotton plants than plants not caged with bees. Caged plots with honeybees had significantly greater total boll mass, total seed mass, and average single-seed weight than caged plots without honeybees.
