Pollinators enhance crop yield and shorten the growing season by modulating plant functional characteristics: A comparison of 23 canola varieties
| Autor: | George C. Adamidis, Stephen F. Pernal, Shelley E Hoover, Ralph V. Cartar, Andony P. Melathopoulos |
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| Rok vydání: | 2019 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Insecta food.ingredient Pollination Ecophysiology lcsh:Medicine Greenhouse Growing season Flowers Biology 01 natural sciences Article food Pollinator Animals lcsh:Science Canola Hybrid Multidisciplinary Phenology Reproduction Crop yield Brassica napus lcsh:R Agriculture 04 agricultural and veterinary sciences Agronomy Seeds 040103 agronomy & agriculture 0401 agriculture forestry and fisheries lcsh:Q Seasons Agroecology 010606 plant biology & botany |
| Zdroj: | Scientific Reports, Vol 9, Iss 1, Pp 1-12 (2019) Scientific Reports |
| ISSN: | 2045-2322 |
| DOI: | 10.1038/s41598-019-50811-y |
| Popis: | Insect pollination of flowers should change the within-season allocation of resources in plants. But the nature of this life-history response, particularly regarding allocation to roots, photosynthetic structures, and flowers, is empirically unresolved. This study uses a greenhouse experiment to investigate the effect of insect pollination on the reproductive output of 23 varieties of a globally important crop—canola (Brassica napus). Overall, insect pollination modified the functional characteristics (flower timing & effort, plant size & shape, seed packaging, root biomass) of canola, increasing seed production and quality, and pollinator dependence. Reproductive output and pollinator dependence were defined by strong trait trade-offs, which ranged from more pollinator-dependent plants favouring early reproductive effort, to less pollinator-dependent plants favouring a prolonged phenology with smaller plant size and lower seed quality. Seed production decreased with pollinator dependence in the absence of pollinators. The agricultural preference for hybrid varieties will increase seed production compared to open-pollinated varieties, but, even so, pollinators typically enhance seed production of both types. Our study elucidates how insect pollination alters the character and function of a globally important crop, supporting optimization of yield via intensification of insect pollination, and highlights the beneficial effects of insect pollination early in the season. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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