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© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Simple Summary

Over the past decades, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies have been widely adopted in commercial fruit production in Europe, supporting natural pest control as an ecosystem service. At the same time, there has been a growing awareness of the importance of pollinating insects, leading to the concept of Integrated Pest and Pollinator Management (IPPM). Here we present the outcomes of a 4-year case study as a valuable illustration of an IPPM strategy in a commercial intensive pear orchard. We show how the added-value of local biodiversity measures can be visualized in front of growers, linking ecological measures to economic benefits. This scientifically-based as well as practice-oriented demonstrative case study supports the acceptance and adoption of IPPM principles in commercial intensive pear production cultivation.

Abstract

Recently, the concept of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) was further extended into Integrated Pest and Pollinator Management (IPPM). Implementation of IPPM strategies entails the combination of actions for pest and pollinator management providing complementary or synergistic benefits for yield and/or quality of the harvest. The aim of this study was to examine IPPM elements (i.e., mixed hedgerow, nesting boxes for mason bees, Osmia spp.) and demonstrate their impact in the practical context of modern commercial fruit cultivation in a 4-year case study in an intensive ‘Conference’ pear orchard. The outcomes of visual observations during transect walks and molecular analysis of pollen collected by mason bees, showed the importance of additional floral resources for the presence of mason bees and other pollinating insects in the orchard environment. Pear quality assessments indicated that insect-mediated pollination had a significant positive impact, with a tendency for higher quality pears in the close vicinity of Osmia nesting boxes. However, despite the fact that pear pollen was also detected in Osmia spp. nest cells, the amount and frequency of pear pollen collection for their nest built-up turned out to be rather low. In the same intensive pear orchard studied for pollination effects, we simultaneously demonstrate the impact of a mixed hedgerow to enhance integrated pest control.

Details

Title
Towards Integrated Pest and Pollinator Management in Intensive Pear Cultivation: A Case Study from Belgium
Author
Belien, Tim 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Raymaekers, Stijn 1 ; Eeraerts, Maxime 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Mommaerts, Veerle 3 ; Gregor, Claus 4   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Bogen, Christian 3 ; Piot, Niels 5   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Smagghe, Guy 5   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Spanoghe, Pieter 4 ; Bylemans, Dany 6 

 Zoology Department, Research Centre for Fruit Cultivation (pcfruit npo), Fruittuinweg 1, B-3800 Sint-Truiden, Belgium; [email protected] (S.R.); [email protected] (D.B.) 
 Laboratory of Agrozoology, Department of Plants and Crops, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium; [email protected] (M.E.); [email protected] (N.P.); [email protected] (G.S.); Department of Horticulture, Washington State University, Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center, 16650 State Route 536, Mount Vernon, WA 98273, USA 
 Bayer AG, 40789 Monheim am Rhein, Germany; [email protected] (V.M.); [email protected] (C.B.) 
 Laboratory of Crop Protection Chemistry, Department of Plants and Crops, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium; [email protected] (G.C.); [email protected] (P.S.) 
 Laboratory of Agrozoology, Department of Plants and Crops, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium; [email protected] (M.E.); [email protected] (N.P.); [email protected] (G.S.) 
 Zoology Department, Research Centre for Fruit Cultivation (pcfruit npo), Fruittuinweg 1, B-3800 Sint-Truiden, Belgium; [email protected] (S.R.); [email protected] (D.B.); Department of Biosystems, KU Leuven, Decroylaan 42, B-3001 Heverlee, Belgium 
First page
901
Publication year
2021
Publication date
2021
Publisher
MDPI AG
e-ISSN
20754450
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2584427369
Copyright
© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.