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Combinedpollinationandcropprotectioncouldincreaseyields

ARTICLE·MAY2014

3AUTHORS:

PeterKevan

UniversityofGuelph

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CarlosHernanVergara

UniversidaddelasAmericasPuebla

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BrenoMagalhãesFreitas

UniversidadeFederaldoCeará

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Availablefrom:PeterKevan

Retrievedon:27August2015

34 • Research & Development • C&CI May 2014

Combined pollination and crop protection could increase yieldsThe first issue is to understand what

pollination is, how it contributes to production and the importance of

managed and wild pollinating insects, in the process. This article describes how managed pollinators can be used to deliver natural biological control agents to flowering crops to suppress diseases and insect pests.

Pollination is the transfer of pollen grains from the male to the female parts of the flower. Pollen has to be moved around by either living agents (mainly insects) or non-living forces (mainly wind). Insects, and other animals that perform pollen movements, are pollinators, and there are four main insect pollinator groups: bees and wasps, flies, butterflies and moths, and beetles.

Pollination is fundamental for the maintenance of the viability and diversity of flowering plants and provides important ecosystems services to human beings and to wildlife. At a global scale, it is estimated that about one-third of the human food is obtained from plant species that depend on insect pollinators to produce fruits and seeds. Pollination services have been valued at over €153 billion, and 9.5 per cent of agricultural production each year.

Coffee has ‘perfect’ flowers with male and female parts. Robusta coffee (Coffea canephora, sometimes called Coffea robusta) and Arabica coffee (Coffea arabica) are widespread, globally important species. Robusta coffee prefers low altitudes, growing in sites where the more widespread Arabica will not thrive. Robusta coffee is self-sterile. It

requires cross-pollination and is believed to be primarily wind-pollinated. Even so, it benefits from bees for effective out-crossing and increased fruit set. On the other hand, Arabica coffee is a self-fertile species, and does not need cross-pollination. However, it benefits from bees for effective self-pollination, out-crossing and increased fruit set. Experiments with caged honeybees indicate that yields may be almost double those that result from spontaneous self-pollination. An added value of insect pollination is that fruit retention also seems to be enhanced by out-crossing.

Wild pollinatorsIntroduction of exotic pollinators, mainly the Western Honeybee, Apis mellifera L, has been useful for increasing production around the world. However, wild pollinators may pollinate coffee, with even higher efficiency than A. mellifera, and without

incurring economic costs. Studies on both kinds of coffee have shown that the more bees there are, the greater the yield and the higher the quality of the cherries. Thus, the closer to managed bee hives, and the nearer to areas where wild pollinators thrive, the greater the coffee crop yield and quality. There are scientific reports from throughout the coffee growing world in the Americas, Asia, and Africa that all point to an increase in yield, in quantity and quality, in the range of 10-20 per cent.

So, although Arabica may not need pollination to set fruit, one can ask “how much potential yield is being lost by not paying attention to insect pollination?”

Tackling pests and diseaseOne can also ask about yield losses caused by diseases and pests. It is generally agreed in the coffee industry that

Experiments with caged honeybees indicate that

yields may be almost double those that result

from spontaneous self-pollination

Can yields be improved, both in quantity and quality, by combining pollination and crop protection in an integrated

technology? Carlos Vergara1, Peter Kevan2 and Breno Freitas3 say they believe the answer is an emphatic “yes”

Coffee has ‘perfect’ flowers; Robusta is self-sterile, and requires cross-pollination, whereas Arabica

coffee is self-fertile

pests and diseases are one of the most important issues confronting growers. A new technology, tested in Canada on a number of crops, can reduce the incidence of some diseases and pests – without application of pesticides – and simultaneously boost yields through pollination. So, how does this technology work and is it applicable to coffee production?

Biocontrol vectoringThe technology referred to is managed pollinator biocontrol agent vectoring (known as BVT). Special dispensers are placed at the exit/entrance of hives of managed pollinators (honeybees and bumblebees have both been used successfully). The dispensers contain specially formulated, naturally-occurring, biological control agents that the pollinators carry out of their hives to the flowers they visit. When the pollinators return to their hives, they enter by a different route so as to not become re-dusted with bio-control agent. The system has been tested with biological control agents that suppress fungal and bacterial diseases and others that help control pests such as caterpillars, true bugs, aphids, whitefly, and beetles.

Why not coffee?Most of the research and development in Canada in suppressing plant diseases has used the fungus Clonostachys rosea against a wide variety of crop diseases, including some that are the same as or closely related to coffee pathogens. For insect pests, fungal (Beauveria bassiana), bacterial (Bt), and virus control agents have been used. The crops that have received biological protection and pollination together have ranged from apples and pears, small and tender fruit, greenhouse tomatoes and peppers, and oil seeds (sunflower and canola). So why not coffee?

Laboratory tests have shown the efficacy of various biological control agents on coffee pests and diseases and BVT technology has been used in coffee plantations in a pioneering study by Jose Vincente Ureña in Ecuador. His team was able to show significant reductions in populations of coffee borer with honeybee delivered B. bassiana.

The technology needs to be tested more extensively on coffee for control of coffee berry borer and other pests, and against diseases such as Botrytis flower blight and Colletrichum berry disease, and some others, but probably not coffee rust. The interdisciplinary and international nature of the work requires collaboration among large and small coffee producers, beekeepers and honey producers around coffee plantations.

Seeking supportA small grant from the International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS) is allowing work to be initiated through the Arthur Dobbs Institute (ADI, which has operations in Canada, Mexico and Brazil). The International Coffee Organisation (ICO) helped with the presentation of a workshop on the BVT biovectoring technology at the meeting in Belo Horizonte in 2013. A team of scientists has been assembled through the International Commission for Plant Pollinator Interactions (ICPPR) to go forward with more research and development, starting in 2014 in Brazil, Mexico, Colombia and elsewhere.

More details of the technology can be found in Kevan et al. (2008, 2014). The workshop held with the ICO meetings in Belo Horizonte is available on request as a PDF as are the scientific and other

publication on the subject. The project needs support from the coffee industry and invites its members to make contact and contribute through the ADI and/or the ICO.

1Arthur Dobbs Institute (Mexico), Jardín Etnobotánico “Francisco Peláez R.”, 2 sur #1700, 72810, San Andrés Cholula, Puebla, México.

1Departamento de Ciencias Químico-Biológicas, Escuela de Ciencias, Universidad de las Américas Puebla, 72810 Cholula, Puebla, Mexico.

2Arthur Dobbs Institute, 106 Delhi St, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1E 4J8

2Canadian Pollination Initiative, School of Environmnetal Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada

3Arthur Dobbs Institute (Brazil), Rua Fausto Cabral, 920 - Apto. 501, Papicu, CEP 60175415, Fortaleza – CE, Brazil

3Universidade Federal do Ceará, Departamento de Zootecnia- CCA,Campus Universitário do Pici, Bloco 808, CEP 60.356-000, Fortaleza – CE, Brazil

Kevan, P. G., J.-P. Kapongo, M. Al-mazra’awi and L. Shipp. 2008. Honey bees, bumble bees, and biocontrol: New alliances between old friends. In: Bee Pollination in Agricultural Ecosystems (R. R. James and T. L. Pitts-Singer (editors). Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Chapter 5: pp. 65 – 79.

Kevan, P.G., L. Shipp and V. G. Thomas. 2014. What’s the buzz? Using pollinators for crop protection. International Innovation 125: 9 – 11. C&CI

May 2014 C&CI • Research & Development • 35

Biovectoring could enhance pollination and help tackle pests and disease (photo: Neil Palmer, CIAT)

Studies on both kinds of coffee have shown that the more bees there are, the greater the yield and the higher the quality of the

cherries