Opportunities to reduce pollination deficits and address production shortfalls in an important insect‐pollinated crop

Garratt, Michael P. D.; Groot, G.A. de; Albrecht, Matthias; Bosch, Jordi; Breeze, Tom D.; Fountain, Michelle T.; Klein, Alex M.; McKerchar, Megan; Park, M.; Paxton, Robert J.; Potts, Simon G.; Pufal, Gesine; Rader, Romina; Senapathi, Deepa; Andersson, Georg K.S.; Bernauer, Olivia M.; Blitzer, Eleanor J.; Boreux, Virginie; Campbell, Alistair John; Carvell, Claire; Földesi, Rita; García, Daniel García; Garibaldi, Lucas A.; Hambäck, Peter A.; Kirkitadze, Giorgi; Kovács‐Hostyánszki, Anikó; Martins, Kyle T.; Miñarro, Marcos; O’Connor, Rory S.; Radzevičiūtė, Rita; Roquer‐Beni, Laura; Samnegård, Ulrika; Scott, L. Keith; Vereecken, Nicholas J.; Wäckers, Félix; Webber, Sean M.; Japoshvili, George; Zhusupbaeva, Aigul

doi:10.1002/eap.2445

Cited by 35 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…In places where labour is cheap such as some rural areas in Asia, artificial pollination is used to mitigate pollination deficits and improve apple production (Chauhan et al, 2004;Yuan et al, 2016) of a paint brush) and climatic differences could affect the success of artificial pollination (Castro et al, 2016). Hand pollination could suffer from the use of incompatible or otherwise less suitable or low-quality pollen, thus not realizing the full potential of fruit or seed set resulting in a potential underestimation of actual pollination deficits (Aizen & Harder, 2007;Garratt et al, 2021;Wu, Tscharntke, et al, 2021;Wurz et al, 2021). A gradual delivery of pollen by insects may be more effective for fertilizing ovules than the sudden deposition of artificially large amounts of pollen, which may clog stigmas (Ashman et al, 2004).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, orchards and their surroundings should be managed to improve pollinator communities to harness sufficient insect pollination services and ensure economically and ecologically sustainable crop production (Bänsch et al, 2021;Marini et al, 2012;Sheffield et al, 2016). Garratt et al (2021) reported a significant pollination deficit (measured as yield deficits) in orchards from two European countries (the United Kingdom and Germany) growing three varieties (Gala, Hastings and Braeburn). In our study, with data collected from six European countries, we quantitatively identified an average 30% pollination deficit for fruit set in Europe, with no significant differences between European countries (Figure S4).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They based their analyses on data from 11 apple cultivars and orchards from five countries (four in Europe, one in Asia). Hence, the study by Garratt et al (2021) is limited in geographic scope. More data are available in the global literature and new analyses across continents could result in a better geographic overview and more generalized conclusions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Vote counting analysis estimates how many studies report significant effects but does not estimate the size of effect. To estimate effect sizes, Garratt et al (2021) gathered raw datasets on apple pollination and performed a quantitative analysis on pollination services and pollination deficits. They based their analyses on data from 11 apple cultivars and orchards from five countries (four in Europe, one in Asia).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Pollination deficits and contributions of pollinators in apple production: A global meta‐analysis

Olhnuud

Liu

Makowski

et al. 2022

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Apple is one of the most widely cultivated fruit crops world‐wide, and apple yield benefits from pollination by insects. The global decline in wild pollinator populations raises concern about the adequacy of pollination services in apple production. Here, we present a global meta‐analysis of pollination in apple. We assembled from the literature a dataset comprising results of 48 studies across five continents on fruit set and seed set in apple with insect pollination, artificial pollination and pollinator exclusion, and analysed the effects of explanatory factors such as variety and continent. Fruit set was on average 41% lower with open pollination than with artificial pollination, while seed set was 20% lower. These pollination deficits varied across continents and cultivars. Pollination deficits for fruit set were greatest in Asia (63%) followed by Europe (30%), whereas pollination deficits for seed set were greatest in Asia (47%) and South America (40%). Important differences in pollination deficit were also identified between cultivars but these differences were confounded with continent effects. Fruit set and seed set were 71% and 62% higher, respectively, when insects had open access to flowers than when they were artificially excluded, while results varied among cultivars. Synthesis and applications. Globally, there are substantial contributions of pollinators to fruit set and seed set in apple, as well as considerable limitations in apple pollination services, particularly in Asia, Europe and South America. Several management strategies could be applied to reduce the pollination deficits in apple production: (1) conserving wild bees and enhancing their abundance and diversity, (2) using managed bees for pollination, (3) using varieties with low pollinator dependency and/or (4) artificial pollination. These strategies should be tailored to the regional situation, considering the potential of landscapes for restoring wild pollinators, the acceptability of cultivated varieties for available pollinators, the acceptance in the market of self‐compatible varieties and the costs of management, such as artificial pollination, pollinator conservation, beekeeping and planting self‐compatible varieties. Conservation of wild pollinators is preferred in regions with sufficient potential for wild pollinators as it contributes to biodiversity conservation and improves pollination in both crops and wild plants.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Pollination deficits and contributions of pollinators in apple production: A global meta‐analysis

Olhnuud

Liu

Makowski

et al. 2022

Journal of Applied Ecology

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“…For higher blossom visit frequency to apple orchards, floral mixes should be tailored towards species preferred by andrenid bees [ 57 , 70 , 230 ]. Evidence suggests that dandelions also enhance andrenid bees, so they can be managed in alleyways as an early flowering resource [ 57 , 169 ].…”

Section: Choice Of Floral Resourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of Wildflower Interventions on Beneficial Insects in Fruit Crops: A Review

Fountain

2022

Insects

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Integrated pest management (IPM) has been practiced by the fruit industry for at least 30 years. Naturally occurring beneficial insects have been encouraged to thrive alongside introduced predatory insects. However, Conservation Biological Control (CBC) and augmented biocontrol through the release of large numbers of natural enemies is normally only widely adopted when a pest has become resistant to available conventional pesticides and control has begun to break down. In addition, the incorporation of wild pollinator management, essential to fruit production, has, in the past, not been a priority but is now increasingly recognized through integrated pest and pollinator management (IPPM). This review focuses on the impacts on pest regulation and pollination services in fruit crops through the delivery of natural enemies and pollinating insects by provisioning areas of fruiting crops with floral resources. Most of the studies in this review highlighted beneficial or benign impacts of floral resource prevision to fruit crops. However, placement in the landscape and spill-over of beneficial arthropods into the crop can be influential and limiting. This review also highlights the need for longer-term ecological studies to understand the impacts of changing arthropod communities over time and the opportunity to tailor wildflower mixes to specific crops for increased pest control and pollination benefits, ultimately impacting fruit growers bottom-line with less reliance on pesticides.

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Addressing pollination deficits in orchard crops through habitat management for wild pollinators

Garratt

O’Connor

Carvell

et al. 2022

Ecological Applications

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There is increasing evidence that farmers in many areas are achieving below maximum yields due to insufficient pollination. Practical and effective approaches are needed to maintain wild pollinator populations within agroecosystems so they can deliver critical pollination services that underpin crop production. We established nesting and wildflower habitat interventions in 24 UK apple orchards and measured effects on flower‐visiting insects and the pollination they provide, exploring how this was affected by landscape context. We quantified the extent of pollination deficits and assessed whether the management of wild pollinators can reduce deficits and deliver improved outcomes for growers over 3 years. Wildflower interventions increased solitary bee numbers visiting apple flowers by over 20%, but there was no effect of nesting interventions. Other pollinator groups were influenced by both local and landscape‐scale factors, with bumblebees and hoverflies responding to the relative proportion of semi‐natural habitat at larger spatial scales (1000 m), while honeybees and other flies responded at 500 m or less. By improving fruit number and quality, pollinators contributed more than £16 k per hectare. However, deficits (where maximum potential was not being reached due to a lack of pollination) were recorded and the extent of these varied across orchards, and from year to year, with a 22% deficit in output in the worst (equivalent to ~£14 k/ha) compared to less than 3% (equivalent to ~£2 k/ha) in the best year. Although no direct effect of our habitat interventions on deficits in gross output was observed, initial fruit set and seed set deficits were reduced by abundant bumblebees, and orchards with a greater abundance of solitary bees saw lower deficits in fruit size. The abundance of pollinators in apple orchards is influenced by different local and landscape factors that interact and vary between years. Consequently, pollination, and the extent of economic output deficits, also vary between orchards and years. We highlight how approaches, including establishing wildflower areas and optimizing the ratio of cropped and non‐cropped habitats can increase the abundance of key apple pollinators and improve outcomes for growers.

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Opportunities to reduce pollination deficits and address production shortfalls in an important insect‐pollinated crop

Abstract: Pollinators face multiple pressures and there is evidence of populations in decline. As demand for insect-pollinated crops increases, crop production is threatened by shortfalls in pollination services. Understanding the extent of current yield deficits due to Manuscript

Cited by 35 publications

References 59 publications

Pollination deficits and contributions of pollinators in apple production: A global meta‐analysis

Pollination deficits and contributions of pollinators in apple production: A global meta‐analysis

Impacts of Wildflower Interventions on Beneficial Insects in Fruit Crops: A Review

Addressing pollination deficits in orchard crops through habitat management for wild pollinators

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