Inadequate pollination means loss

Pollination is the sexual act of plants. Parthenocarpic plants bear fruit without fertilization, however, for the others, without pollination there is no fertilization, so there are no seeds and, normally, there are no fruits either.

Some crops, especially fruit trees, are dependent on animal pollination, especially by bees. When there is a pollination deficit, production drops. Initially, the producer loses money by producing less. In the second moment, it may even rebalance, because the price rises. But, with insufficient pollination, the consumer will always pay a higher price for the product.

The main current causes of the deficit are:

a) loss of pollinator habitat, due to the advancement of agriculture, cities, roads or industries over native vegetation;

b) pests that attack pollinators, carrying out biological control, which is so important for controlling agricultural pests, but totally undesirable when it kills pollinators;

c) global climate changes, which affect both the pollinator directly and its food sources;

d) adverse agricultural operations, especially inappropriate use of pesticides.

The pollination deficit is a current problem, which has been exacerbated by the growing volume of agricultural production and the worsening of the causes of deficit. This fact has encouraged large businesses from companies dedicated to producing pollinators and selling them to farmers – just like fertilizer or seeds are sold. It's called assisted pollination.

Solutions for pollination deficit

The challenge is enormous, but not insurmountable. The problem is global and so is the solution, but each country, each farmer, needs to do their part, with actions that guarantee the best possible conditions for pollinators to operate, helping to obtain high productivity in agriculture.

There are two main actions by which farmers can help pollinators. The first is maintaining and preserving areas of vegetation that serve as shelter and a place for pollinators to collect resources. The presence of plants that favor pollinators in legal reserve and permanent protection areas is essential to achieve this objective.

The second action is to adapt pest control, so that, while pests are controlled, pollinators are not harmed. To this end, it is important to strictly follow the instructions for pest management programs, diversifying control methods. And, when there is a need to apply chemical insecticides, attention must be paid to the application technology recommendations, in order to avoid any drift into areas where pollinators shelter.

By Décio Luiz Gazzoni, agronomist, researcher at Embrapa Soja and member of the Sustainable Agro Scientific Council

See more about pollination using this link.