Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

Pollinating insects and pests are important drivers for both pollination and crop development in agricultural production. Intensified agriculture, crop production, and habitat changes have for a long time created favourable environments for pests, while beneficial insects, such as pollinators, have been negatively impacted. The decline in beneficial insect populations and insufficient pest control are increasing problems for crop health. Integrated Pest and Pollinator Management (IPPM) is a set of principles aimed at simultaneously managing crop pollination and pest control. This preventative management system has the potential to reduce the need for chemical pesticides by, for example, creating agricultural environments that discourage insect pests and support pollinating insects.
The purpose of this project was to investigate how different aspects of faba bean cultivation affects the pollinator densities and pest pressure of B. rufimanus. Inventory of pollinators and beetles were performed in 15 fields in to evaluate the legacy effects of faba bean cultivation, cover of arable land and the impact of sowing date. The field study was conducted in the county of Östergötland the growing season 2024. The study was based on data from 2023 year’s cropping of faba beans and the fields were selected based on whether faba beans had been cultivated in the area or not. Half of the fields were in areas with a lot of faba beans and half of the fields in areas almost without faba beans previous year. Sowing date and cover of arable land were also som of the factors considered when choosing the fields. Pollinator densities and behaviours were determined with inventory between late June and early August. Pods for egg counting were collected and counted in July and August. The damage was assessed by opening collected pods and looking at the beans for emergence holes by B. rufimanus. The pods for damage assessment were collected in the beginning of September to the beginning of October.
Higher cover of arable land in the landscape had significant impacts on both honeybees (Apis mellifera) and bumblebees (Bombus spp.), where the densities of honeybees increased with higher cover of arable land, while bumblebee densities decreased. Faba bean cropping in the previous year and sowing date had no significant effect on the tested variables. More research is needed to further establish and understand the effects of mass-flowering crops on pests and pollinators in agriculture.