Pollinator strip technology for greater agrobiodiversity

Abstract

A dramatic decline in the occurrence and diversity of all wild insect pollinator species has been recorded in recent years, including: wild bees, wasps, butterflies and moths, and numerous pollinator species are extinct or threatened with extinction (COM 2018, 395). This is a serious cause for concern because pollinators are an integral part of healthy ecosystems, and the consequences for ecology, society and the economy are incalculable. Changes in land use, intensive agricultural management, excessive use of pesticides, environmental pollution, invasive species, pathogenic organisms and climate change are the main threats to pollinators. The introduction of flower pollinator strips into crop rotations can contribute to the creation of new habitats and encourage an increase in the number and diversity of wild pollinators at both local and landscape level. This practice also favours other beneficial organisms: predatory insects, parasitoids, birds and plants, as both the number of individuals and species increase. This technology can improve soil fertility, overall biodiversity and ecosystem functions, including reducing populations of harmful organisms and weeds. A large number of foreign companies produce seed mixtures for pollinator strips, and their composition depends on the purpose and attractiveness of the selected plant species to the desired groups of insects. Mixtures for biological control are dominated by species from the Apiaceae family, while mixtures with species predominantly from the Fabaceae family are used for pollination ecosystem services. Currently, there are no packaged seed mixtures for pollinator strips on the Serbian market, and the applicability of foreign mixtures in Serbian crop rotations is questionable, because the agro-ecological, technical-technological and social conditions are significantly different. This opens up a great opportunity for launching research programs for modeling this technology for the needs of agro-ecological conditions in Serbia.

Poslednjih godina zabeležen je dramatičan pad pojave i raznovrsnosti svih vrsta divljih insekata oprašivača, uključujući: divlje pčele, osolike muve, leptire i moljce, a brojne vrste oprašivača izumrle su ili im preti izumiranje (COM 2018, 395). Ovo je ozbiljan razlog za zabrinutost jer su oprašivači sastavni deo zdravih ekosistema, a posledice su nesagledive za ekologiju, društvo i ekonomiju. Promene u korišćenju zemljišta, intenzivno upravljanje poljoprivredom, prekomerna upotreba pesticida, zagađenje životne sredine, invazivne vrste, patogeni organizmi i klimatske promene glavne su pretnje oprašivačima. Uvođenje cvetnih polinatorskih traka u plodorede može doprineti stvaranju novih staništa i podstaći povećanje broja i raznolikosti divljih oprašivača na lokalnom nivou, ali i na nivou čitavog predela. Pokazalo se da ova praksa pogoduje i drugim korisnim organizmima: insektima predatorima, parazitoidima, pticama i biljkama, tako da se povećava i broj jedinki i broj vrsta. Navedena tehnologija može poboljšati ukupni biodiverzitet i funkcije ekosistema, uključujući smanjenje populacije štetnih organizama i korova, unapređenje plodnosti zemljišta. Veliki broj inostranih kompanija proizvodi mešavine semena za polinatorske trake, a nihov sastav zavisi od namene i atraktivnosti izabranih biljnih vrsta, poželjnim grupama insekata. Tako u smešama za biološku kontrolu dominiraju vrste iz porodice Apiaceae, dok se za ekosistemske usluge oprašivanja koriste mešavine sa vrstama pretežno iz porodice Fabaceae. Trenutno na srpskom tržištu ne postoje upakovane mešavine semena za polinatorske trake, a upitna je primenljivost inostranih smeša u plodoredima Srbije, jer se agroekološki, tehničko-tehnološki i socijalni uslovi bitno razlikuju. To otvara veliki prostor za pokretanje istraživačkih programa za modeliranje ove tehnologije za potrebe agroekoloških uslova Srbije.