A major research programme by Plant and Food Research and Auckland University is looking for ways to maintain crop pollination because relying solely on honey bees is becoming increasingly risky, project leader Dr David Pattemore said.
Now Auckland University PhD student Jamie Stavert wants Waikato farmers to provide plots of land for practical research.
He plans to cultivate 50m by 50m plots of accessible land and plant them with pak choi.
The seed will be sown in mid October. Researchers will return in December during flowering for regular assessments of pollinators and follow the plot through until seed harvest in February.
"The aim of this project is to assess how the surrounding environment influences the range of pollinator species present in crops and how these differing pollinator communities work together to pollinate the crops." Stavert said.
“It’s an exciting project that should provide new insight into pollinator communities. The challenge right now is setting up suitable trial sites.”
Pattemore said about two-thirds of fresh fruit and vegetables required pollination by animals, particularly honey bees.
However, reliance on honeybees for pollination was becoming increasingly risky because of the spread of Varroa mites and other diseases affecting hive health.
In the face of honey bee decline it was vital to have insurance strategies to maintain crop pollination.
“In New Zealand there are many other insects that pollinate crops, including bumble bees, native bees and flies.
“Unlike honey bees these insects are not directly managed but are often strongly affected by different land-use practises,” he said.
The study aims to find out how different insect pollinators work together and how those communities change with increasing land-use intensity.
"A wide range of insects visit crop flowers and these species can make an important contribution to pollination.
“We are developing ways to use these other species so that growers are not reliant on managed honey bees as their only pollination strategy,” Pattemore said.
Waikato farmers interested in being involved in the study can contact Stavert on 021 0235 6137 or jamie.stavert@gmail.com.
