scholarly journals Evaluation of Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) in an Intercropping System as Pollinator Enhancer for Increased Crop Yield

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (17) ◽  
pp. 9612
Author(s):  
Beatrice N. Dingha ◽  
Paul C. Omaliko ◽  
Barbara A. Amoah ◽  
Louis E. Jackai ◽  
Deepak Shrestha
Keyword(s):  
Crop Yield ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Floral Resources ◽  
Stink Bug ◽  
Planting Dates ◽  
Beneficial Insects ◽  
Pollinator Abundance ◽  
Carpenter Bees ◽  
Cowpea Varieties ◽  
Abundance And Diversity

Production of pollinator-dependent crops (PDCs) is increasing. However, pollinators are declining partly due to loss of floral resources. There is urgency to mitigate this decline and the potential risks to the production of PDCs and food security. One way is by promoting farming systems that enhance flower-rich habitats. In a two-year study, Pinkeye Purple Hull and Whippoorwill cowpea varieties attractive to pollinators were intercropped with three PDCs (squash, okra, and watermelon). We evaluated whether cowpea intercrop increases the abundance and diversity of pollinators, other beneficial insects, and crop yield, and decreases the abundance of the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB). Diverse pollinators were recorded in both years for a total of 80,379, representing seven pollinator families (Andrenidae, Apidae, Crabronidae, Formicidae, Halictidae, Tachinidae, and Vespidae) captured in pan traps, six families (Apidae, Crabronidae, Halictidae, Pyralidae, Tachinidae, and Vespidae) from sticky traps, and five pollinator types (bumble bees, carpenter bees, honeybees, butterflies and moths, and wasps) through direct visual count. Pollinator abundance and diversity was highest on the cowpea-intercropped treatments than controls. PDCs intercropped with cowpea recorded more beneficial insects than BMSB. Okra, squash, and watermelon intercrops produced 7%, 27%, and 54% more fruits than the control, respectively. Our findings indicate that intercropping cowpeas with PDCs attracted more and diverse pollinators and resulted in increased crop yield. However, to optimize pollination, factors such as planting dates to synchronize the flowering of both cowpeas and PDCs should be taken into consideration.

scholarly journals Pollinators on Cowpea Vigna unguiculata: Implications for Intercropping to Enhance Biodiversity

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 54
Author(s):  
Beatrice N. Dingha ◽  
Louis E. Jackai ◽  
Barbara A. Amoah ◽  
Clement Akotsen-Mensah
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bees ◽  
Sampling Methods ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Sticky Traps ◽  
Pollinator Abundance ◽  
Carpenter Bees ◽  
Cowpea Varieties ◽  
Abundance And Diversity ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Pan Traps

Pollinators are on the decline and loss of flower resources play a major role. This raises concerns regarding production of insect-pollinated crops and therefore food security. There is urgency to mitigate the decline through creation of farming systems that encourage flower-rich habitats. Cowpea is a crop that produces pollen and nectar attractive to pollinators. Twenty-four cowpea varieties were planted, and the number of pollinators were counted using three sampling methods: pan traps, sticky traps, and direct visual counts. Five pollinator types (honey bees, bumble bees, carpenter bees, wasps, and butterflies and moths), 11 and 16 pollinator families were recorded from direct visual counts, pan and sticky traps, respectively. Pollinator distribution varied significantly among varieties and sampling methods, with highest number on Penny Rile (546.0 ± 38.6) and lowest (214.8 ± 29.2) in Iron and Clay. Sticky traps accounted for 45%, direct visual counts (31%), and pan traps (23%) of pollinators. Pollinators captured by pan traps were more diverse than the other methods. The relationship between number of pollinators and number of flowers was significant (r2 = 0.3; p = 0.009). Cowpea can increase resources for pollinators and could be used to improve pollinator abundance and diversity in different farming systems.

scholarly journals Flowers in Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Pollinator Plantings and the Upper Midwest Agricultural Landscape Supporting Honey Bees

Insects ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 405
Author(s):  
Harper McMinn-Sauder ◽  
Rodney Richardson ◽  
Tyler Eaton ◽  
Mike Smith ◽  
Reed Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Conservation Reserve Program ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Primary Sources ◽  
Floral Resources ◽  
Pollinator Abundance ◽  
Abundance And Diversity ◽  
Honey Bee Nutrition

A present goal of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is to manage land in agricultural landscapes to increase pollinator abundance and diversity. CP42, or the pollinator seed mix, is planted and managed to support foraging pollinators with blooming flowers present at all points in the foraging season. This high-quality habitat provides an excellent opportunity to study honey bee nutrition and determine whether honey bees located near CRP sites use known resources included in planting seed mixes. This study aims to highlight the primary sources of honey bee forage in the northern Midwest as well as to assess honey bee utilization of the floral resources provided by the pollinator seed mix used for CRP plantings. We received pollen samples collected using pollen traps by beekeepers in Ohio, South Dakota, Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan. Metabarcoding methods were used to identify and quantify pollen collected at different points in the season. The results indicate that honey bees frequently used major mass flowering resources such as Glycine, Trifolium, and Symphiotrichum throughout the season. In addition, flowers included in the CRP pollinator seed mix were used modestly. These results have implications for pollinator seed mix design.

scholarly journals Pollination Potential of Riparian Hardwood Forests—A Multifaceted Field-Based Assessment in the Vistula Valley, Poland

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 907
Author(s):  
Andrzej N. Affek ◽  
Edyta Regulska ◽  
Ewa Kołaczkowska ◽  
Anna Kowalska ◽  
Katarzyna Affek
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Riparian Forest ◽  
Field Measurements ◽  
Threshold Value ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Hardwood Forests ◽  
Floral Resources ◽  
Vistula River ◽  
Pollinator Abundance ◽  
Nesting Sites

Riparian forests with oaks, ashes and elms, now highly fragmented and rare in Europe, are considered hotspots for ecosystem services. However, their capacity to provide pollination seems to be quite low, although reports from in-situ research supporting this view are scarce. Our goal was therefore to thoroughly assess their pollination potential based on multifaceted field measurements. For this, we selected six test sites with well-developed riparian hardwood forests, located in the agricultural landscape along the middle Vistula River in Poland. We used seven indicators relating to habitat suitability (nesting sites and floral resources) and pollinator abundance (bumblebees and other Apoidea) and propose a threshold value (AdjMax) based on value distribution and Hampel’s test to indicate the level of pollination potential for this type of riparian forest. The obtained AdjMax for bumblebee density was 500 ind. ha−1, for Apoidea abundance—0.42 ind. day−1, while for nectar resources—200 kg ha−1. We demonstrate that the investigated small patches of the riparian hardwood forest have a higher pollination potential than reported earlier for riparian and other broadleaved temperate forests, but the indicators were inconsistent. As forest islands in the agricultural landscape, riparian hardwood forests play an important role in maintaining the diversity and abundance of wild pollinators, especially in early spring when there is still no food base available elsewhere.

scholarly journals The influence of shelterbelts in arable farmland on beneficial and pest invertebrates

2015 ◽  
Vol 68 ◽  
pp. 367-372
Author(s):  
M.M. Davidson ◽  
B.G. Howlett ◽  
R.C. Butler ◽  
N.M. Taylor ◽  
M.K. Walker
Keyword(s):  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Pest Species ◽  
Pitfall Traps ◽  
Arable Crops ◽  
Beneficial Insects ◽  
Arable Farmland ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Beneficial Insect ◽  
Abundance And Diversity ◽  
On Farm

Shelterbelts of Pinus radiata and Cupressus macrocarpa are common landscape features on arable farmland in New Zealand This study aimed to determine whether such shelterbelts could influence the relative abundance and diversity of beneficial and pest invertebrates commonly found in arable crops Window intercept yellow sticky and pitfall traps were placed next to shelterbelts or post and wire fences and also 50 m from these borders into adjacent crops on two arable farms in Canterbury and one in Wairarapa over 12 weeks in summer 2012 and autumn 2013 The abundance of given species/taxa varied considerably depending on farm location season and field border type However the mean number of beneficial insect species/taxa per trap did not vary markedly between field border types or adjacent crops while traps at shelterbelts or their adjacent crops caught more of some pest species/taxa than traps beside fences The pine/macrocarpa shelterbelts did not markedly increase relative abundance or diversity of beneficial insects

Water use, competition, and crop production in low rainfall, alley farming systems of south-eastern Australia

2003 ◽  
Vol 54 (8) ◽  
pp. 751 ◽  
Author(s):  
Murray Unkovich ◽  
Kerrin Blott ◽  
Alex Knight ◽  
Ivan Mock ◽  
Abdur Rab ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Crop Yield ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Alley Farming ◽  
Annual Crop ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Annual Crops ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Perennial Shrubs

Annual crops were grown in alleys between belts of perennial shrubs or trees over 3–4 years at 3 sites across low rainfall (<450 mm) south-eastern Australia. At the two lower rainfall sites (Pallamana and Walpeup), crop grain yields within 2–5 m of shrub belts declined significantly with time, with a reduction equivalent to 45% over 9 m in the final year of cropping. At the third, wetter site (Bridgewater), the reduction in crop grain yields adjacent to tree belts was not significant until the final year of the study (12% over 11 m) when the tree growth rates had increased. The reductions in crop yield were associated with increased competition for water between the shrub or tree belts and the crops once the soil profile immediately below the perennials had dried. At all 3 sites during the establishment year, estimates of water use under the woody perennials were less than under annual crops, but after this, trends in estimates of water use of alley farming systems varied between sites. At Pallamana the perennial shrubs used a large amount of stored soil water in the second summer after establishment, and subsequently were predominantly dependent on rainfall plus what they could scavenge from beneath the adjacent crop. After the establishment year at the Walpeup site, water use under the perennial shrubs was initially 67 mm greater than under the annual crop, declining to be only 24 mm greater in the final year. Under the trees at Bridgewater, water use consistently increased to be 243 mm greater than under the adjacent annual crop by the final year. Although the shrub belts used more water than adjacent crop systems at Walpeup and Pallamana, this was mostly due to the use of stored soil water, and since the belts occupied only 7–18% of the land area, increases in total water use of these alley farming systems compared with conventional crop monocultures were quite small, and in terms of the extent of recharge control this was less than the area of crop yield loss. At the wetter, Bridgewater site, alley farming appeared to be using an increasing amount of water compared with conventional annual cropping systems. Overall, the data support previous work that indicates that in lower rainfall environments (<350 mm), alley farming is likely to be dogged by competition for water between crops and perennials.

scholarly journals The best wildflowers for wild bees

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 819-830 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel N. Nichols ◽  
Dave Goulson ◽  
John M. Holland
Keyword(s):  
Native Bees ◽  
Convolvulus Arvensis ◽  
Wild Bees ◽  
Pollinator Abundance ◽  
Wild Bee ◽  
Anthyllis Vulneraria ◽  
Important Food Source ◽  
Abundance And Diversity ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Species Being

Abstract Governmental agri-environment schemes (AES) aim to improve pollinator abundance and diversity on farmland by sowing wildflower seed mixes. These often contain high proportions of Fabaceae, particularly Trifolium (clovers), which are attractive to some bumblebee species, but not to most of the ~ 240 solitary bee species in the UK. Here we identify wildflowers that are attractive to a greater range of wild bee species. Forty-five wildflower species being farmed for commercial seed production on a single farm were surveyed for native bees. Bee walks were conducted through discrete wildflower areas from April until August in 2018. The results indicate that including a range of Apiaceae, Asteraceae, and Geraniaceae in seed mixes would cater for a wide diversity of bee species. A total of 14 wildflower species across nine families attracted 37 out of the 40 bee species recorded on the farm, and accounted for 99.7% of all visitations. Only two of these 14 species are included in current AES pollinator mixes. Unexpectedly, few visits were made by bumblebees to Trifolium spp. (0.5%), despite their being considered an important food source for bumblebees, while Anthyllis vulneraria and Geranium pratense were highly attractive. For solitary bees, Crepis capillaris, Sinapsis arvensis, Convolvulus arvensis and Chaerophyllum temulum were amongst the best performing species, none of which are usually included in sown flower mixes. We suggest that the standard ‘pollinator’ mixes used in AES might be updated to include some of these wildflower species, and trialled as seed mixes on farmland.

scholarly journals Noncrop Habitat Use by Wild Bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) in a Mixed-Use Agricultural Landscape

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 502-515 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brianne Du Clos ◽  
Francis A Drummond ◽  
Cynthia S Loftin
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Floral Resources ◽  
Northeastern United States ◽  
Wild Bees ◽  
Wild Bee ◽  
Lowbush Blueberry ◽  
Mixed Use ◽  
Abundance And Diversity ◽  
Bee Communities ◽  
Bee Abundance

Abstract Homogeneous, agriculturally intense landscapes have abundant records of pollinator community research, though similar studies in the forest-dominated, heterogeneous mixed-use landscape that dominates the northeastern United States are sparse. Trends of landscape effects on wild bees are consistent across homogeneous agricultural landscapes, whereas reported studies in the northeastern United States have not found this consistency. Additionally, the role of noncrop habitat in mixed-use landscapes is understudied. We assessed wild bee communities in the mixed-use lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium Ait.) production landscape of Maine, United States at 56 sites in eight land cover types across two regional landscapes and analyzed effects of floral resources, landscape pattern, and spatial scale on bee abundance and species richness. Within survey sites, cover types with abundant floral resources, including lowbush blueberry fields and urban areas, promoted wild bee abundance and diversity. Cover types with few floral resources such as coniferous and deciduous/mixed forest reduced bee abundance and species richness. In the surrounding landscape, lowbush blueberry promoted bee abundance and diversity, while emergent wetland and forested land cover strongly decreased these measures. Our analysis of landscape configuration revealed that patch mixing can promote wild bee abundance and diversity; however, this was influenced by strong variation across our study landscape. More surveys at intra-regional scales may lead to better understanding of the influence of mixed-use landscapes on bee communities.

scholarly journals The potential of electricity transmission corridors in forested areas as bumblebee habitat

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (11) ◽  
pp. 160525 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce Hill ◽  
Ignasi Bartomeus
Keyword(s):  
Transmission Lines ◽  
Plant Density ◽  
Current Management ◽  
Electricity Transmission ◽  
Main Determinant ◽  
Pollinator Abundance ◽  
Management Regime ◽  
Natural Grasslands ◽  
Forested Areas ◽  
Abundance And Diversity

Declines in pollinator abundance and diversity are not only a conservation issue, but also a threat to crop pollination. Maintained infrastructure corridors, such as those containing electricity transmission lines, are potentially important wild pollinator habitat. However, there is a lack of evidence comparing the abundance and diversity of wild pollinators in transmission corridors with other important pollinator habitats. We compared the diversity of a key pollinator group, bumblebees ( Bombus spp.), between transmission corridors and the surrounding semi-natural and managed habitat types at 10 sites across Sweden's Uppland region. Our results show that transmission corridors have no impact on bumblebee diversity in the surrounding area. However, transmission corridors and other maintained habitats such as roadsides have a level of bumblebee abundance and diversity comparable to semi-natural grasslands and host species that are important for conservation and ecosystem service provision. Under the current management regime, transmission corridors already provide valuable bumblebee habitat, but given that host plant density is the main determinant of bumblebee abundance, these areas could potentially be enhanced by establishing and maintaining key host plants. We show that in northern temperate regions the maintenance of transmission corridors has the potential to contribute to bumblebee conservation and the ecosystem services they provide.

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