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Abstract
Integrating the services of pollinating insects to proliferate fruits is imperative to suffice the multi-faceted uses of jatropha fruits for biofuel, feeds, bio-fertilizer and cosmetics. The role of Apiary Pen Proximity (APP) technology on J. curcas fruiting performance is yet to get empirical research attention. The proximity of Unilorin Apiary Pen (UAP) to Unilorin Jatropha Farms becomes a good area of focus to observe the resultant xenogeny behaviour of honey bees in J. curcas flowering plants. Applying Double Difference (DD) approach to site-based counterfactual model, the study reveals that entomophilous pollination through APP has promoted fruits formation of jatropha plants. The study therefore, suggests that placing apiary pen closed to fruit farms as well as using jatropha as a recovery alternative to amending drought-affecting soils are critical for sustainable fruits production.
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