bees and sustainable food production · 3/12/2013 · honey bees alternative managed bees wild...
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Bees and Sustainable Food Production Rufus Isaacs Department of Entomology Michigan State University
MSUE & MSU AgBioResearch State Council March 12, 2013
Berry Crops Entomology Program @ MSU • Pest management & pollination.
• Research & extension.
• Blueberry, grape, raspberry, strawberry…and biofuels.
• 3 postdocs, 3 graduate students, two technicians, and a small army of undergraduate students!
USDA NIFA and Specialty Crop Research Initiative Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center
US EPA MDARD: Specialty Crop Block Grant Program and Grape & Wine Council
MBG Marketing National Grape Cooperative Michigan State Horticultural Society
MSU AgBio Research MSU Extension Project GREEEN
AgChem Industries Operation Pollinator
Agriculture’s global extent
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005
Baulcombe et al. (2009) Science and the Sustainable Intensification of Global Agriculture. The Royal Society.
Pollination reduces the risk of low yields and poor quality
Jim Cane, USDA-ARS
Michigan fruits and vegetables
Blueberry $120 million
Cherry $80 million
Apple $105 million
Strawberry $6 million
Peach $10 million
Pickling cucumbers $35 million
Honey production 4 million pounds $7 million
Integrated Crop Pollination
Integrated Crop
Pollination
Honey bees Alternative
managed bees Wild bees
Pesticide stewardship
Habitat management
Pollination sampling
Horticultural practices
Decision support tools
Grower education
The combined use of different pollinator species, habitat augmentation, and
management practices to provide reliable and economical pollination of crops
• Do farm management practices affect wild bee communities?
• Can pollinator habitat support wild bees and pollination?
Temporal overlap of pollinator and pest activity
April May June July Aug Sept
Osmia bees
andrenid bees
halictid bees
Bombus queens
Bombus workers
= Blueberry bloom
Insecticide use in Michigan blueberries, 2001-2011
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
2001
2003
2005
2007
2009
2011
USDA – NASS Reports P
erc
en
t o
f ac
res
tre
ate
d
Organophosphate Carbamate Pyrethroid Neonic. IGR Org.
0
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
6,000
7,000
8,000
9,000
10,000
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
60,000
70,000
80,000
90,000
100,000
2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011
Tota
l lb
s o
f b
road
sp
ect
rum
AI Broad spectrum
Reduced risk
Trends in insecticide use
Total lb
s of re
du
ced
-risk AI
USDA – NASS Reports
SWD Resources from MSU www.ipm.msu.edu/SWD.htm
beardtongue, Penstemon hirsutus
Native plant
golden Alexanders, Zizia aurea
common ninebark, Physocarpus opulifolius
late figwort, Scrophularia marilandica
swamp milkweed, Asclepias incarnata
Culver's root, Veronicastrum virginicum
yellow coneflower, Ratibida pinnata
nodding wild onion, Allium cernuum
meadowsweet, Spiraea alba
yellow giant hyssop, Agastache nepetoides
horsemint/spotted beebalm, Monarda punctata
Missouri ironweed, Vernonia missurica
cup plant, Silphium perfoliatum
pale Indian plantain, Cacalia atriplicifolia
boneset, Eupatorium perfoliatum
blue lobelia, Lobelia siphilitica
pale-leaved sunflower, Helianthus strumosus
Riddell's goldenrod, Solidago riddellii
New England aster, Aster novae-angliae
smooth aster, Aster laevis
Aug May Jun Jul Sep Oct
Approximate Bloom Period
American elder, Sambucus canadensis
Apr
willow, Salix spp.
wild cherry, Prunus spp. black chokecherry, Aronia melanocarpa
silky dogwood, Cornus amomum
Season-long pollinator plant mix options
www.nativeplants.msu.edu
Programs for pollinators on farms
Michigan’s CRP-SAFE Program. • 2009-2013, target of 2500 acres in productive lands
• Pays 90% of establishment costs (~$600 per acre) and rental
• Currently 1700 hectares enrolled
Government programs provide cost-sharing. • Available nationwide with continuous signup • 2 acre minimum, in areas > 0.2 hectare
Flower plot establishment
May 2009
June 2010
June 2011
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
2009 2010 2011 2012
Nati
ve b
ees p
er
15 m
inu
tes
Control Edge
Control Interior
Flower Edge
Flower Interior
More native bees on blueberry flowers next to flowering habitat
a
ab
b
b
F = 4.15 P = 0.013
Grass
Grass
Blaauw & Isaacs, in review
Pollinator habitat supports increased blueberry yield
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000Grass Flower
P= 0.029 P = 0.39
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
Edge Interior
Control Flower
Esti
mat
ed
yie
ld p
er
he
ctar
e (
kg)
P = 0.0038 P = 0.018
Grass
2011
2012
Awareness, education, demonstration
www.nativeplants.msu.edu
Integrated Crop Pollination
Integrated Crop
Pollination
Honey bees Alternative
managed bees Wild bees
Pesticide stewardship
Habitat management
Pollination sampling
Horticultural practices
Decision support tools
Grower education
The combined use of different pollinator species, habitat augmentation, and
management practices to provide reliable and economical pollination of crops
University of Vermont
Rutgers University
Pennsylvania State University
University of Florida
Michigan State University
Chicago Botanic Garden
Simon Fraser University
Wenatchee Valley College
USDA-ARS Native Bee Lab
UC Berkeley UC Davis
Pacific Pollination
Oregon State University
Xerces Society
Integrated Crop Pollination project: 2012-2017
Specialty Crop Research Initiative www.icpbees.org
Loyola University
Saint Mary of the Woods College
PROJECT OBJECTIVES 1. Identify economically-important wild pollinators and factors affecting their abundance.
2. Evaluate habitat management practices to improve crop pollination.
3. Determine performance of alternative managed bees as specialty crop pollinators.
4. Deliver ICP practices for specialty crop producers.
5. Determine optimal methods for ICP information delivery and measure ICP adoption.