Natural Pollination Research Articles

Distribution of Bombus haemorrhoidalis Smith and its Interrelationship with Host Plants in Chitwan Annapurna Landscape of Central Nepal

Occurrence and variety of flowering host plant of native Bombus pollinators are viewed as basicalternatives than the imported species. The use of native bumblebee species for pollination wasconsidered more significant than imported bumblebees to reduce environmental impact and pestproblems. B. haemorrhoidalis is the most dominant species of Chitwan Annapurna Landscape inagricultural and wild flora during April to September 2019. We followed assessable walking trailsand used insect net for sample collection. The effect of different environmental variables on the floralhost plant resources of this native bumblebee was examined. With eight locations ranging from 1407to 2506 meters above sea level, twenty-seven species of seventeen plant families were identified aspollen and nectar foraging host plants. B haemorrhidalis distribution frequency is correlated withrelative humidity (0.07438968) and altitude (0.495657857). The most visited plant family wasBalsaminaceae and plant was Imatian scrabida. This study gives the knowledge of abundance of hostplants, ecological and biological relationship of the B. haemorrhoidalis in Nepal

Reproductive Success of an Endangered Plant after Invasive Bees Supplant Native Pollinator Services

Arctomecon humilis (dwarf bear poppy) is an endangered gypsophile restricted to the St. George area in southern Utah, USA. Extirpation of the rare oligolectic bee Perdita meconis and decline of other native pollinators within the last 20 years has been largely attributed to the advent of invasive Africanized honeybees (AHBs), which have become the predominant pollinator for A. humilis. A three-year study was carried out to determine if reliance on AHBs had a negative effect on reproductive output. In the first year, pollen addition experiments were carried out in a small, isolated population to determine if pollinator scarcity or genetic factors affected reproductive output. In the subsequent two years, reproductive output studies were conducted across four populations. In all years, fruit set across study sites was exceptionally high. There was no consistent effect from flower number or interplant distance, which have historically been shown to have a significant impact on reproductive output prior to AHB arrival. The consequences and sustainability of this relatively young relationship between A. humilis and the AHB remain unclear. However, high reproductive success shows that the AHB is currently capable of adequately fulfilling pollinator services for A. humilis.

Methodology for Single Bee and Bee Brain 1H-NMR Metabolomics

The feasibility of metabolomic 1H NMR spectroscopy is demonstrated for its potential to help unravel the complex factors that are impacting honeybee health and behavior. Targeted and non-targeted 1H NMR metabolic profiles of liquid and tissue samples of organisms could provide information on the pathology of infections and on environmentally induced stresses. This work reports on establishing extraction methods for NMR metabolic characterization of Apis mellifera, the European honeybee, describes the currently assignable aqueous metabolome, and gives examples of diverse samples (brain, head, body, whole bee) and biologically meaningful metabolic variation (drone, forager, day old, deformed wing virus). Both high-field (600 MHz) and low-field (80 MHz) methods are applicable, and 1H NMR can observe a useful subset of the metabolome of single bees using accessible NMR instrumentation (600 MHz, inverse room temperature probe) in order to avoid pooling several bees. Metabolite levels and changes can be measured by NMR in the bee brain, where dysregulation of metabolic processes has been implicated in colony collapse. For a targeted study, the ability to recover 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid in mandibular glands is shown, as well as markers of interest in the bee brain such as GABA (4-aminobutyrate), proline, and arginine. The findings here support the growing use of 1H NMR more broadly in bees, native pollinators, and insects.

A comparative study of the reproductive success of Theobroma Cacao L (malvaceae) undernatural and manual pollination

The reproductive successes under natural and manual pollination were assessed. Two cocoa farms around Bobiri Forest Reserve, in the Ejisu-Juabeng District Ghana were purposively selected. Fifteen percent of open flowers from five selected cocoa trees were subjected to manual-pollination and total exclusion. Ninety pods under natural pollination were compared with ninety pods under manually pollination. Proximate analysis was carried out to evaluate the macronutrients of cocoa pod and seeds produced under the two pollination modes. Results show that pollinator exclusion significantly decreased fruit set (df=2, X2 =12.5, P=0.00) and flower set (df= 2, F=25.2, P=0.00) (P=0.00). Pod weights and seed numbers significantly differed (V=0.049, F (4.49)=0.986, p<0.01, eta squared=0.049) irrespective of pod size and mode of pollination, however, there were individual differences. Weights of small pods did not differ (p>0.05) under the two pollination regimes, however, weights of medium size pods (p < 0.05) and that of the large pods (<0.05) produced under the two regimes of pollination differed. Number of beans and the size of pods did not differ under the two modes of pollination. Linear relationship existed between weight (y) and seed number (x) of individual pods: Y=18.56 + 0.016x; R2 =0.45. Macronutrients of pods and seeds did not differ (paired t test= 4.08, 29 d. f.; P=0.12) under the two pollination mode. The study concluded that natural pollination contributed to cocoa production.

African endemic stingless bees as an efficient alternative pollinator to honey bees in greenhouse cucumber (Cucumis sativus L)

The current honey bee decline necessitates the use of alternative native pollinators to ensure global food security. Here, we compared the pollination behaviour and efficiency of the African honey bee (Apis mellifera) and six African endemic Meliponini (Meliponula bocandei, Dactylurina schmidti, Meliponula lendliana, Hypotrigona gribodoi, Meliponula ferruginea and Meliponula togoensis) in a greenhouse with the non-parthenocarpic cucumber variety Super Marketer. Honey bees and D. schmidti started foraging on introduction in the greenhouse, while M. lendliana and M. togoensis showed the longest delay. In most species, foragers collected nectar and pollen, excepting M. bocandei that specialized in nectar collection, and H. gribodoi and M. togoensis, specialized in pollen collection. African honey bees visited flowers the shortest, while H. gribodoi and D. schmidti had a 2-fold probing time, on average. Most stingless bees species had a lower hive activity with fewer foragers encountered per hour than for honey bees, except D. schmidti. M. bocandei, M. ferruginea, A. mellifera scutellata and H. gribodoi, yielded a seed germination percentage of around 90%. M. lendliana, M. togoensis and D. schmidti yielded a much lower seed germination percentage around 30%, which indicates that the quality of pollination was remarkably lower by using these three species. The highest sugar content was recorded in fruits from flowers pollinated by M. bocandei, African honey bees, D. schimdti or M. togoensis with the same solid content as the gold standard method, i.e., hand cross-pollination. We found that M. bocandei was the most efficient cucumber pollinator of all species tested: because pollination by this species yielded the largest and heaviest fruits and the highest seed numbers.

Urban Bees Benefit from a Native Forest Species Grown in a City Environment–A Case Study of Geranium Phaeum L.

Abstract This two-year study tested whether urban bees benefit from the forest perennial Geranium phaeum L. replanted from natural stands to an urban environment. The flowering abundance and phenology, spectrum of insect visitors, nectar and pollen production, and the energetic value of nectar were investigated in Lublin, SE Poland. The apiarian value of G. phaeum was studied for the first time. The species bloomed abundantly from late April to early June and can be regarded as a valuable spring food resource for urban bees, mainly bumblebees, which accounted for >50% of all visits in both years of study. Bees collected mainly nectar. The highest daily pollen and nectar sugar amount offered by a plant reached 73.7 mg and 36.5 mg, respectively, with the caloric value of nectar of 146 cal. The estimated mean sugar yield, caloric value of nectar and pollen yield · m−2 were 1.7 mg, 6.9 kcal, and 3.4 mg, respectively. The current study confirms the advantage of using native plants in urban landscaping and proves their positive role in strengthening both wild and managed bee populations in cities. The finding that wild plants translocated from the natural habitat can develop a self-sustaining population in the urban environment and establish beneficial relationships with urban bees is of interest in terms of the conservation of both native plants and pollinators.

Pollination Methods and Integrated Fertilizer Influenced the Pollination Rate, Fruit Development, and Quality of Cucumis melo L. under Greenhouse Conditions

This study was conducted to determine the effect of pollination methods (PMs) and integrated fertilizer (IF) application on the pollination rate, yield, and fruit quality of rockmelon (Cucumis melo L. var. Reticulatus cv. Glamour). This factorial experiment was arranged in a split plot design with four replications. Two rates of IF between chemical (CF) and organic (OF) fertilizer were investigated, namely, T1 (100% CF), which served as a control, and T2 (75% CF + 25% OF). The three PMs used in this study were natural (NP), bee (BP), and human (HP) pollination. Data collection included the pollination rate, yield, postharvest quality (soluble solids content, color, firmness, sugar, and organic acid), and macronutrient content in leaf tissue. The results of this study showed that there was an interaction of the pollination rate between PM and IF; however, the number of bees that survived decreased over time. The yield quality showed an interaction between PM and IF for both the fruit diameter and weight, while no interaction between PM and IF for the organic acid and sugar contents was observed. In conclusion, T2 application combined with BP reduced CF utilization, which benefits the development of a sustainable rockmelon production system.

Pelaksanaan Algoritma Pendebungaan Bunga untuk Menyelesaikan Masalah Penghantaran Ekonomi dalam Sistem Kuasa

This study presents the efficiency of the Flower Pollination Algorithm (FPA) in solving economic dispatch. The best economic dispatch for a power system is that the system can generate energy at low generation costs. The calculation of the generating cost is subject to a number of constraints, such as the power demand for the entire system and the generation limit for each generator unit in the system. In addition, the system should also produce low power loss to reduce the impact of greenhouse gas emission. FPA optimization technique is developed based on the transfer of pollen from one flower to another on the same tree or another tree using natural pollinators such as honey bees, birds, water, or wind. Among the advantages of FPA over other techniques are simplicity in computational formulas and fast search simulation time. The proposed algorithm has been implemented in two systems namely IEEE 9 bus 3 generator system and IEEE 30 bus 6 generator. Both of these systems were tested in a Matlab environment. To highlight the capabilities of FPA, the results using this proposed technique are compared with the Moth Flame Algorithm (MFA) technique to determine the efficiency of the proposed approach in solving economic dispatch. MFA is an optimization technique that has been widely used in finding optimal results, especially in engineering research. The simulation results show that FPA performs better than MFA in determining the optimal power generation value with minimum generation cost and low rate of power loss.

An Overview of Triadica sebifera (Chinese Tallowtree) in the Southern United States, Emphasizing Pollinator Impacts and Classical Biological Control

Throughout history a great many plant species have been purposefully transported to new areas around the globe. Horticulture, the promise of new sources of plant material for industry, forage, food, and stabilization of soil are only a few of the motives for the early transcontinental exchange of plants. Many introductions have been beneficial or benign, but some plants introduced into new areas are now considered invasive and detrimentally impact the environment. Triadica sebifera (Chinese Tallowtree; Euphorbiaceae) is an excellent example of the best intentions leading to unanticipated negative effects many decades later. Native to eastern Asia and now naturalized and widespread in many tropical, subtropical, and temperate areas in the world, Chinese Tallowtree has proven to be one of the worst woody invasive plants. It is known for shading out native vegetation, capable of dominating areas following disturbance or even invading previously diverse undisturbed habitats. It is prevalent in the southern United States, especially along the Gulf Coast. Investigations into classical biological control of Chinese Tallowtree have yielded at least 2 promising candidates but have raised objections among beekeepers and beekeeping organizations who prize the quality honey produced from an abundant spring nectar flow. In this overview, we discuss Chinese Tallowtree's invasive characteristics, detrimental effects, potential use as a biomass crop, and demonstrated or potential direct and indirect effects on native and non-native pollinators. We review the current state of identification and screening of biological control agents and present 4 research topics that are would fill gaps in our knowledge of Chinese Tallowtree and pollinators. Classical biological control has the potential to reduce Chinese Tallowtree populations across the landscape, which would likely result in greater understory and tree diversity, benefitting native and exotic pollinators.

Exploring farmer preferences towards innovations in the vanilla supply chain

The vanilla supply chain is characterized by high risk crop management and unstable supply. In order to meet global vanilla demand while improving production sustainability, new approaches considering agro-ecological cultivation systems and transparent supply chain management are needed. In this study, we aim to understand farmers’ preferences towards such alternative vanilla cultivation and marketing systems, and thereby inform the development of a more sustainable vanilla supply chain. We implemented a discrete choice experiment and a survey with 186 farmers in the Península de Osa, southern Costa Rica, and estimated mixed logit and latent class models. We find that surveyed farmers are in general positive about vanilla cultivation and prefer an agroforestry system over vanilla cultivation in forests, crop wild relatives over commercial species, and manual pollination over natural pollination. Farmers prefer to sell green rather than cured vanilla beans, and like to engage in cooperatives that provide training and production contracts with buyers. Preferences are found to differ across farmers and we identify four preference classes. The preference class with the largest average probability (44%) shows the strongest preferences for agro-ecological vanilla cultivation in diversified agroforestry systems, using crop wild relatives and natural pollinators. Furthermore, this class has the highest likelihood to live in areas with restricted land use policies, creating opportunities for the development of more sustainable vanilla cultivation systems conform with the national program of landscape connectivity and biodiversity conservation. We propose a two-tier approach in alignment with observed farmer preferences and with potential for upscaling to similar areas along the Neotropics.

A nectar oasis for urban Glossophaginae bats: Temporal resource dynamics of the chiropterophilous Crescentia cujete (Bignoniaceae)

Pollinator-friendly plants are often a necessary component of the management of urban ecosystem that aim to reduce the impact of the artificial urban matrix on natural pollinator populations. Nectarivorous bats are neglected components of the urban pollinator community and there is a paucity of assessments on pollinator-friendly plants that may provide urban bats with reliable, year-long resources. Crescentia cujete is a bat-pollinated Bignoniaceae with very distinctive chiropterophilous features that is often used as an ornamental species in tropical urban areas worldwide. Its flowers are large and produce copious amounts of nectar, which accumulates in the flower’s storage-shaped flowers. Thus, the species is a potential bat-friendly urban plant. We assessed the species’ year-round flower emission and nightly nectar production dynamics in a green area in northeastern Brazil, and described the behavior of its floral visitors. C. cujete showed a steady, year-round flowering pattern, with no significant seasonality. Its flowers secreted copious amounts of diluted nectar and were visited exclusively by the Pallas long-tongued bat Glossophaga soricina throughout the night at high visiting frequencies, delivering successive visits to individual flowers spaced by short intervals. Our results suggest overexploitation of floral resources from C. cujete by urban bats. Moreover, its continuous flowering and copious nectar production may become a reliable resource in an artificial environment generally lacking bat-pollinated plants, thus mitigating the effects of food shortage for urban nectar bats.

Comparative Efficiency of Native Insect Pollinators in Reproductive Performance of Medicago sativa L. in Pakistan

Simple SummaryLucerne (Medicago sativa L.) is a cross-pollinated crop and pollination does not usually take place until the sexual column is released. The discharge of the sexual column is referred to as ‘tripping’ the flower. In this study, several bee species were investigated to facilitate the pollination of lucerne crop with a purpose to examine the pollination efficiencies of native insect pollinators that lead to a seed set of alfalfa. We designed a two-year field trial to investigate the abundance and diversity of insect pollinators along with foraging behavior in terms of stay time, visitation rate, pollen harvest and tripping efficiency. Moreover, the single-visit efficiency in terms of number of seeds per pod, germination and seed yield was evaluated. Ten major pollinators (five solitary bees, three honeybees and two flies) were tested for their pollination efficiency as effective pollinators. Findings show the solitary bees (Megachile cephalotes, Megachile hera, Amegilla sp.) can be recommended as an effective pollinator for this crop, thus increasing options available to seed growers. For lucerne seed development, more consideration should be paid to the variety of native wild bees, conservation strategies and foraging requirements in establishing a diverse pollination system rather than a single bee species.Lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) is a cross-pollinated crop and requires entomophilous pollination for tripping of flowers and subsequent pod and seed set. To discover the best pollinators for lucerne seed production, a two-year field trial was carried out at the research farm of MNS University of Agriculture, Multan, Pakistan. Abundance and diversity of insect pollinators along with the foraging behavior were recorded in terms of tripping efficiency, stay time, visitation rate and pollen harvest. The single-visit efficiency of abundant insect pollinators was also evaluated in terms of number of seeds and seed weight per raceme along with germination percentage. Ten most abundant floral visitors (five solitary bee species, three honeybee species and two syrphid fly species) were tested for their pollination efficiency. Honeybees were most abundant in both the years followed by the solitary bees and syrphid flies. Single-visit efficacy in terms of number of pods per raceme, number of seeds per raceme, 1000 seed weight and germination percentage revealed Megachile cephalotes as the most efficient insect pollinator followed by Megachile hera and Amegilla sp. Future studies should investigate the biology and ecology of these bee species with special emphasis on their nesting behavior and seasonality.

Local Actions to Tackle a Global Problem: A Multidimensional Assessment of the Pollination Crisis in Chile

In the last decades, pollinators have drastically declined as a consequence of anthropogenic activities that have local and global impacts. The food industry has been expanding intensive agriculture crops, many of them dependent on animal pollination, but simultaneously reducing native pollinator habitats. Chile is a good example of this situation. Chile is becoming an agro-alimentary powerhouse in Latin America, where intensive agriculture expansion is performed at the expense of natural lands, posing a major threat to biodiversity. Here, we discussed the drivers responsible for the decline of pollinators (including habitat loss, pesticides, invasive species, and climate change) and its synergistic effects. This is particularly critical considering that Chile is a hotspot of endemic bee species locally adapted to specific habitats (e.g., Mediterranean-type ecosystems). However, there is a lack of data and monitoring programs that can provide evidence of their conservation status and contribution to crop yields. Based on our analysis, we identified information gaps to be filled and key threats to be addressed to reconcile crop production and biodiversity conservation. Addressing the local context is fundamental to undertake management and conservation actions with global impact.

Optimization of hybrid corn seed production in pollination systems at various parent seed planting ratios

The research was carried out on land belonging to the North Sulawesi Agricultural Technology Research Center located at the Agricultural Technology Research and Assessment Installation (IP2TP) Address Talawaan Bantik Village, Wori District, North Minahasa Regency in February 2021. This study aims to analyze the different effects of spray pollination treatment on the ratio female and male parents to increase hybrid corn seed production and to obtain the best pollination vs ratio between male and female parents in increasing hybrid seed productivity. This study uses a 2 x 4 Factorial Experimental Design where factor S consists of 2 levels and factor R consists of 4 levels in the RAK pattern, namely: Factor S = Pollination with 2 levels (S1 = Spray Pollination, S2 = Natural Pollination) and Factor R = Male to Female Planting Ratio (R1 = 4 female plants vs. 1 male plant, R2 = 5 female plants vs. 1 male plant, R3 = 6 female plants vs. 1 male plant, R4 = full female plants: solation of male plants) for each treatment repeated 3 times. Based on the analysis of interaction variance, spray pollination treatment at a planting ratio of 6 : 1 was able to increase the yield of hybrid corn seed production. The results of the 5% BNT further test showed the values obtained from observations of the number of rows filled with seeds, the number of seeds in a row, the weight of 10 cobs without husks and the weight of shelled 10 cobs in a row, namely, 12.1, 23.6, 1166.7, 867, 3.

Tree biodiversity in USU green space: Exotic plant and its risk to native species

Globally, urban ecosystems provide important green spaces for biodiversity conservation. Many exotic species are grown in tropical urban ecosystems, and their harmful effects on native species and pollinator communities have been widely documented. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to determine the origin (native or exotic to Indonesia, sexual and reproductive system) of tree species on the University of Sumatera’s (USU) campus. Field inventory methods were used in this study for observed tree species on the USU campus. All tree species were observed, their flowering observed if any. According to our research, the USU green area comprises a collection of 121 tree species. Seventy species (57.85 %) are native to Indonesia, while 51 species (42.15 %) are exotics from other tropical regions. In terms of individual abundance, these values are 37.28% native and 62.72% exotic. The exotic trees on the USU campus show monoecious and dioecious flower sexuality; 19 species are hermaphrodite, two species have self-incompatibility characters, seven species are dioecious, and 23 species are monoecious. Together with the results from the few other experimental studies, it concluded that the increase of exotic species plantation in USU campus might indicate risk for animal interactions (e.g., pollination; dispersal), threaten reproduction of native plant species, pollination specialization, habitat, and other life-history properties. Therefore, the use of these exotic species needs special attention for stakeholders at USU.

Parasite Prevalence May Drive the Biotic Impoverishment of New England (USA) Bumble Bee Communities.

Simple SummaryHere we discuss widespread changes in the community structure of bumble bees (Bombus spp.) found in the coastal-zone community of New England. One species in particular, Bombus impatiens Cresson, 1863, has increased in relative abundance nearly 45% since the 1990s to become the dominant species in the region, representing nearly 75% of all Bombus individuals collected in our studies. These changes in abundance may be, in part, due to differences in infection rates by microparasites, with B. impatiens having significantly fewer microparasites than several other less common and declining Bombus species. We discuss the possible role of microparasites in influencing the community composition of Bombus species in our region, and how these infections might be compounding declines in conjunction with habitat loss and climate change.Numerous studies have reported a diversity of stressors that may explain continental-scale declines in populations of native pollinators, particularly those in the genus Bombus. However, there has been little focus on the identification of the local-scale dynamics that may structure currently impoverished Bombus communities. For example, the historically diverse coastal-zone communities of New England (USA) now comprise only a few species and are primarily dominated by a single species, B. impatiens. To better understand the local-scale factors that might be influencing this change in community structure, we examined differences in the presence of parasites in different species of Bombus collected in coastal-zone communities. Our results indicate that Bombus species that are in decline in this region were more likely to harbor parasites than are B. impatiens populations, which were more likely to be parasite-free and to harbor fewer intense infections or co-infections. The contrasting parasite burden between co-occurring winners and losers in this community may impact the endgame of asymmetric contests among species competing for dwindling resources. We suggest that under changing climate and landscape conditions, increasing domination of communities by healthy, synanthropic Bombus species (such as B. impatiens) may be another factor hastening the further erosion of bumble bee diversity.

The pollination of the gynomonoecious Bdallophytum oxylepis (Cytinaceae, Malvales)

AbstractBdallophytum oxylepis is a rare and endemic species belonging to the Cytinaceae family, a root holoparasitic plant in which most resources are allocated to attracting pollinators. This species is gynomonoecious with intraindividual variation in flower size and sex. Moreover, the flowers exhibit sapromyophilous traits, as do other species of Bdallophytum. Firstly, this study aimed to determine whether all floral morphs can form seeds and be pollen donors (in the case of bisexual flowers). Secondly, as this species has floral traits hypothesized to adapt to particular types of pollen vectors (carrion flies), we also studied the pollination of B. oxylepis to confirm whether the syndromes correspond to what occurs in nature. Through pollination treatments, we determined that all floral morphs are functional. By monitoring the inflorescences, we found that pollination is specialized in the studied population. Stingless bees performed pollination, as they have a high visitation rate, frequency, and constancy, and they are unique visitors that deposit pollen on the stigmas. Thus, they appear to be effective pollinators rather than carrion flies, as predicted by the syndrome. As shown here, animal–plant interaction studies can help establish a basis for conserving rare species such as holoparasites. Moreover, knowledge about the reproductive aspects of B. oxylepis reveals essential clues about its life cycle and role in maintaining native pollinators with economic and cultural value, such as stingless bees.

Pollination and nectar larceny by birds and bees in novel forests of the Hawaiian Islands

The extinction of native species and introduction of non-native species may lead to the disruption of biotic interactions. Pollination is a critical ecosystem process that often requires mutualisms between animals and plants. Non-native animals may interact with native flowering plants, with the potential to pollinate or steal nectar (larceny) from flowers without pollination. In the Hawaiian Islands, many native plants have lost their original pollinators. Birds and insects are known to visit native plant flowers, but it is unclear whether they pollinate or steal nectar, whether native and non-native species differ in their interactions with flowers, and what influences visitation to flowers. On Oʻahu, we deployed camera traps and conducted in-person observations on four at-risk species of Hawaiian lobelioids (Campanulaceae). We observed birds, mammals, and insects visiting flowers, with a native bird and native bee visiting most frequently. Regardless of native versus non-native status, bees made contact with reproductive structures during most visits (90.5% of visits), while birds stole nectar during most visits (99.3% of visits). Bee and bird visitation increased with the number of flowers on focal plants. Bird visitation also increased with canopy cover and the number of nearby conspecific flowers and decreased with the number of nearby heterospecific flowers. Our results indicate that bees may pollinate plants that were historically bird-pollinated, while native and non-native birds have neutral or negative impacts on these plants. Broadly, we contribute to an understanding of how native plant pollination can be altered in changing ecosystems.

Pollination as a key management tool in crop production: Kiwifruit orchards as a study case

Despite the key role of pollination in the production of many crops, this is still one of the least understood factors in the orchard context. Pollen limitation, and impacts on crop production, is influenced by several potentially interacting factors such as crop or crop variety degree of dependence on cross pollination and on pollinators, diversity and abundance of the pollinator communities, landscape context and climate conditions. Understanding the pollination needs within an orchard is key to determine if the pollination is optimal or if it needs improvement. In some crops, such as kiwifruit, artificial pollination may be required where and when natural pollination cannot be improved or there is lack of pollen. In this study we quantified improvements to productivity resulting from artificial pollination and the efficiency of the technique for kiwifruit production and monetary gain on seven orchards distributed over the production range of this crop in Portugal. For that, we quantified orchard yield under 1) current natural pollination services, including pollination provided by wind and naturally occurring pollinator communities, 2) after artificial pollination and 3) under optimal pollination services. We characterized fruit production and key fruit traits such as fruit weight, size and caliber, and used production values, fruit caliber and respective market values to calculate the economic impact of pollination improvement. Results showed that pollen supply improved kiwifruit production in most orchards, either by changes in fruit set, fruit weight or both, and/or changes in fruit distribution by caliber and category. However, artificial pollination was not always efficient and/or needed. Contrarily to the expected, the artificial pollination treatment did not increase fruit weight but, in some orchards, it resulted in higher proportion of high-quality market fruits and/or lower proportion of unmarketable fruits. The changes in fruit traits translated into a tendency towards a small to moderate increase in monetary gain in four out of the seven orchards. This study reinforces the need to understand the current status of pollination services within the orchard context and to look at artificial pollination as a management tool in kiwifruit production. We conclude that pollination services in the study region might be sufficient to attain profitable yields; however, artificial pollination could be a useful tool under unpredictable pollination scenarios, but reviews of the efficiency of the methodologies used in this region are still necessary.

Areas Requiring Restoration Efforts are a Complementary Opportunity to Support the Demand for Pollination Services in Brazil.

Crop pollination is one of Nature's Contributions to People (NCP) that reconciles biodiversity conservation and agricultural production. NCP benefits vary across space, including among distinct political-administrative levels within nations. Moreover, initiatives to restore ecosystems may enhance NCP provision, such as crop pollination delivered by native pollinators. We mapped crop pollination demand (PD), diversity of pollinator-dependent crops, and vegetation deficit (VD) (vis-a-vis Brazilian legal requirements) across all 5570 municipalities in Brazil. Pollinator-dependent crops represented ∼55% of the annual monetary value of agricultural production and ∼15% of the annual crop production. Municipalities with greater crop PD (i.e., higher degree of pollinator dependence of crop production) also had greater VD, associated with large properties and monocultures. In contrast, municipalities with a greater diversity of pollinator-dependent crops and predominantly small properties presented a smaller VD. Our results support that ecological restoration prompted by legal requirements offers great potential to promote crop productivity in larger properties. Moreover, conservation of vegetation remnants could support food security in small properties. We provided the first steps to identify spatial patterns linking biodiversity conservation and pollination service. Using Brazilian legal requirements as an example, we show that land-use management policies may be successfully used to ensure agricultural sustainability and crop production.