Important role of wild insects with agriculture

(Depreciation) - The loss of wild insects causes serious damage to crops around the world.

Scientists studying data from 600 fields in 20 countries have found that nourished honey bees are not successful in pollinating crops with wild insects, mostly species. wild bee. This study shows that the continuous decline of wild insects in many agricultural areas has negative consequences for the harvest of crops.

The Science Journal has published this study as an emergency summon to maintain and manage a variety of pollinators for a long-term agricultural production industry.

50 international researchers, including Lawrence Harder, a professor at the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Calgary School of Sciences, analyzed data from 41 crop systems around the world, including fruit trees, seed plants, nuts and coffee to review and evaluate the causal relationship between the abundance of wild insects and the pollination of crops.

Professor Lawrence Harder

'Our research demonstrates that yields of some fruits and seeds that enrich diets, such as tomatoes, coffee and watermelons, are limited because their flowers are not fully pollinated. ' Mr. Harder commented. 'We also showed that the addition of more honey bees to pollinate often did not solve this problem, but this could be improved with wild insects'.

Flowers of most crops need to be pollinated before results and granulate, a process that is motivated by insects 'visiting' the flowers. These pollinators, including bees, flies, butterflies and beetles, often live in natural or semi-natural habitats such as forest cover areas, fence areas or grasslands. As these habitats disappear, the abundance and diversity of pollinated insects decreases and plants receive less 'visits' from more wild insects.

The study found that the rate of fructification was significantly lower in areas with less wild insects visiting the flowers during the pollination period. Therefore, the decline of wild insects in agricultural areas is likely to affect both natural and harvest crops.

"Paradoxically, the most common methods to increase agricultural efficiency such as maximizing the area of ​​cultivation and use of pesticides reduce the abundance and diversity of wild insects, These species may increase crop yields, " Harder said. "Our study underscores the benefits of this paradoxical consideration in the design and implementation of agricultural production models."

Research shows that the new habits of integrated management of wild bees and insects will enhance the global crop yield of animal-pollinated crops and boost agricultural production during the long period. These habits may include conserving or restoring natural or semi-natural areas in cultivated areas, intensive farming, growing crops, and more, being more cautious with the use of pesticides. Deep can kill pollinators.