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Research article2018Peer reviewed

Crop management affects pollinator attractiveness and visitation in oilseed rape

Lindstrom, Sandra A. M.; Klatt, Bjorn K.; Smith, Henrik G.; Bommarco, Riccardo

Abstract

Ecological intensification of agriculture implies managing ecological processes to improve performance of agricultural systems. However, impacts on relevant ecological functions such as insect pollination from other crop management factors are poorly explored. Pest insects and crop resources such as water availability can directly affect crop yields, but it is unknown if there are indirect effects through effects on insect pollination. With a factorial experiment, we examined how irrigation and control of pollen beetles affected crop attractiveness and pollinator visitation in an open-pollinated spring oilseed rape cultivar. We studied how irrigation and pest control modified the production of flowers and nectar in oilseed rape, and if this in turn affected the flower-visitation of honey bees and bumble bees. Pest control increased the number of oilseed rape flowers by 69%, and the amount of nectar per flower with 36%, but for the latter only in non-irrigated plots. Furthermore, we found higher pollinator densities in plots with reduced pollen beetle densities. Pest control also reduced the number of non-legitimate flower visits, suggesting higher pollination efficiency in plots with reduced pollen beetle densities. We show that crop management affects the value of mass-flowering crops as a resource for pollinating insects. Development of pest control tools that are harmless to pollinators could increase the value of flowering crops as food resources for pollinating insects. (C) 2017 Gesellschaft fur Okologie. Published by Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Keywords

Crop pollination; Brassica napus; Apis mellifera; Bombus; Pollen beetle; Irrigation; Nectar; Sclerotinia

Published in

Basic and Applied Ecology
2018, Volume: 26, pages: 82-88
Publisher: ELSEVIER GMBH, URBAN & FISCHER VERLAG

      SLU Authors

      • Associated SLU-program

      SLU Plant Protection Network

      UKÄ Subject classification

      Ecology

      Publication identifier

      DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2017.09.005

      Permanent link to this page (URI)

      https://res.slu.se/id/publ/94741