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Factors (soil organic matter, mineral fertilizer) and covariates (pollinator visitation rate, proportion of pods infected by Evergestis extimalis) affecting yield (total seed weight; a & d), average number of flowers (b & e) and above-ground biomass (c & f) of Brassica napus. Graphs are based on linear mixed models with field site (being a proxy for insect abundance) as the random factor. S0: low soil organic matter; S1: high soil organic matter; F0: low fertilizer; F1: high fertilizer. Only significant factors and covariates are used in the models. If significant covariates are not displayed, we used the average value in the model. Thin lines represent low fertilizer (F0 in legend) and thick lines represent high fertilizer (F1). If soil organic matter was significant, we separated the treatment effect. Solid lines represent low (S0) and dashed high (S1) soil organic matter.
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1.Above-ground and below-ground environmental conditions influence crop yield by pollination, pest pressure and resource supply. However, little is known about how interactions between these factors contribute to yield. Here, we used oilseed rape Brassica napus to test their effects on crop yield.
2.We exposed potted plants to all combinations of h...
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... pollinators. There was no significant interaction effect on yield between pollinator visitation rate and SOM content, or fertilization, suggesting that the effects of pollinators and fertilizers are additive and do not strengthen or weaken one another. Yield was negatively related to the proportion of pods infected by Evergestis extimalis larvae (Fig. 2d). This negative relationship was more pronounced with increasing pollinator visitation rate (Fig. 3a, Table 1). At field sites with the highest proportion of E. extimalis- infected pods, model-predicted yields were 153% lower than at sites with the lowest infestation rates. The relation- ship between yield and the proportion of infected ...
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... number of flowers was highest in the high SOM and fertilizer treatments, but there was no significant interac- tion between SOM and fertilizer (Fig. 1b, Table 1). The number of B. napus flowers showed an overall positive relationship with pollinator visitation rate (Fig. 2b, Table 1). However, this relationship was more pro- nounced for plants with high than with low fertilizer sup- ply, as indicated by the significant interaction between fertilizer and pollinator visitation rate on the number of flowers (Table 1). The number of flowers was significantly negatively related to the proportion of infected ...
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... (Fig. 2b, Table 1). However, this relationship was more pro- nounced for plants with high than with low fertilizer sup- ply, as indicated by the significant interaction between fertilizer and pollinator visitation rate on the number of flowers (Table 1). The number of flowers was significantly negatively related to the proportion of infected pods (Fig. 2e) and this relationship was stronger at field sites with higher pollinator visitation rates (Fig. 3b, Table ...
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... values represent a significant relationship (P < 0Á05). All analyses were performed using a linear mixed model with random intercept. Cases were included only when all data were available, resulting in 213 plants, across SOM content (Fig. 1c, Table 1). There was a negative relationship between above-ground biomass and pollina- tor visitation rate (Fig. 2c, Table 1). However, there was a positive relationship between above-ground biomass and the proportion of infected pods (Fig. 2f). The relationship between plant biomass and pollinator visitation rate was not affected by SOM or fertilizer, as there was no signifi- cant interaction between these two soil factors (Table ...
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... Cases were included only when all data were available, resulting in 213 plants, across SOM content (Fig. 1c, Table 1). There was a negative relationship between above-ground biomass and pollina- tor visitation rate (Fig. 2c, Table 1). However, there was a positive relationship between above-ground biomass and the proportion of infected pods (Fig. 2f). The relationship between plant biomass and pollinator visitation rate was not affected by SOM or fertilizer, as there was no signifi- cant interaction between these two soil factors (Table ...
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... are based on linear mixed models with field site (being a proxy for insect abundance) as the random factor. Line thickness from thick to thin represents the proportion of infected pods by Evergestis extimalis (0% infected, 25% infected, 50% infected, 75% infected). Treatments were visualized with the same symbols as explained in the legend of Fig. 2. from fertilizer supply and, although less prominent in our study, SOM management. Moreover, as pollination is known to also enhance oil content of oilseed rape seeds (Bommarco, Marini & Vaissiere 2012), the importance of considering pollination in combination with SOM and nutrient management might even be higher than appearing from our ...
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Insect pests are the major constraints of crop production. Mustard aphid is the major problems of rapeseed contributing mustard decline in Chitwan, Nepal. Semi-structured questionnaire survey was conducted on randomly selected farmers of Chainpir Village Development Committee (VDC), Chitwan after a pre-testing in Mangalpur VDC to study the farmers’...
Citations
... Moreover, we have a poor understanding of how the outcomes of plantantagonist-pollinator interactions depend on broader ecological contexts, such as soil environment. While poor soil conditions could amplify the negative effects of antagonists on floral traits, high quality soil could buffer or even reverse these negative effects through overcompensation in the form of increased flower production or pollinator attraction [13][14][15]. Therefore, the costs and benefits of different agricultural soil management practices may depend on how these practices affect plant biotic interactions. ...
Soil legacy influences plant interactions with antagonists and below-ground mutualists. Plant–antagonist interactions can jeopardize plant–pollinator interactions, while soil mutualists can enhance plant–pollinator interactions. This suggests that soil legacy, either directly or mediated through plant symbionts, affects pollinators. Despite the importance of pollinators to natural and managed ecosystems, information on how soil legacy affects plant–pollinator interactions is limited. We assessed effects of soil management legacy (organic versus conventional) on floral rewards and plant interactions with wild pollinators, herbivores, beneficial fungi and pathogens. We used an observational dataset and structural equation models to evaluate hypothesized relationships between soil and pollinators, then tested observed correlations in a manipulative experiment. Organic legacy increased mycorrhizal fungal colonization and improved resistance to powdery mildew, which promoted pollinator visitation. Further, soil legacy and powdery mildew independently and interactively impacted floral traits and floral reward nutrients, which are important to pollinators. Our results indicate that pollination could be an overlooked consequence of soil legacy and suggests opportunity to develop long-term soil management plans that benefit pollinators and pollination.
... Many studies have addressed the effects of different soil amendments on plant growth and resistance against insect herbivores (Sharp, 2013;Pineda et al., 2017;Barragán-Fonseca et al., 2022a, 2022b. However, less is known about the effects of soil amendments on pollinator behaviour, on plant-mediated interactions between antagonists and mutualists and on plant yield (Barber and Soper Gorden, 2014;van Gils et al., 2016), or on the trade-off between plant defence against herbivores and pollinator-mediated reproduction. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether BSF exuviae can enhance plant growth and/or plant resistance against herbivory, and to assess the effects of soil amendment with black soldier fly exuviae on the behaviour of flower visitors. ...
To promote circularity in agriculture, the residual –streams from the production of insects as feed and food, such as insect exuviae (moulted skins), can be a sustainable novel organic soil amendment for crop production. Organic soil amendments can influence soil composition by providing nutrients and stimulating the growth of beneficial microorganisms. Soil composition significantly impacts plant growth and resistance against herbivores. However, little is known about the effect of soil composition on flower visitors and seed production. Here, black soldier fly (BSF; Hermetia illucens) exuviae was added to soil to investigate the effects on plant growth, plant resistance against two insect herbivores, and the consequences for attraction of pollinators and seed yield. Brassica nigra seeds were sown in field soil or in field soil mixed with powdered BSF exuviae. Three-week-old plants and the soil of each pot were planted in a common garden. The effects on vegetative and flower traits, interactions with flower visitors and seed yield were quantified. In addition, the performance of the leaf-chewing larvae of Pieris brassicae and the piercing-sucking aphid Brevicoryne brassicae were assessed. Brassica nigra plants grown on soil amended with BSF exuviae showed increased growth, had more flowers and flower visitors, and higher seed production. Herbivory neither affected number of flowers nor seed production, suggesting tolerance and compensatory growth responses to herbivory compared to plants growing in soil without the addition of BSF exuviae. After five weeks fewer aphids were found on plants growing in amended soil. Our findings show that BSF exuviae added to soil can positively affect tolerance to herbivory and seed production of B. nigra, an insect-pollinated plant species. Moreover, adding insect exuviae as soil amendment in the field benefits plant-pollinator mutualism and seed yield even during herbivore attack in the field. Use of by-products from insect production as soil amendment can contribute to sustainable agricultural practices along with the conservation of ecosystem services.
... Insect visitations are vulnerable to agricultural intensification, which reduces their biodiversity and abundance, consequently causing a substantial reduction in crop productivity and quality (Garibaldi et al. 2020). Studies indicated that yield benefits from common beans and other crops were affected by efficient interactions between soil nutrients and insect pollinations (Otieno et al. 2011;Bartomeus et al. 2014;van Gils et al. 2016) and other factors affecting crop yield such as micro-climate conditions, water, pest or disease status (Viana et al. 2022). ...
... Other studies reported few significant interactions between insect pollination and fertilizer application on crop yield. Van Gils et al. (2016) found insect visitation rate on oilseed rape yield did not depend on the level of soil fertilization, suggesting that increased oilseed rape yield was enhanced by pollinator visitation, irrespective of mineral fertilizer application. These variations in findings make it difficult to ascertain the impact of the interaction on the yield of modestly insect-dependent crops such as soybeans. ...
The synergetic potentials of essential ecosystem services have not been well explored under mountainous farming conditions in southern Africa. Cropping practices that maximize beneficial pollinators and reduce dependency on chemical inputs through efficient crop management in the mountainous environment are needed. The synergetic potentials of insect pollination on soybeans under varying soil fertility during two seasons in Phuthaditjhaba, the Free State, South Africa was examined. We manipulated soil fertility with fertilizer treatments and used exclusion bags to manipulate pollination intensity. High intensity of pollination services increased the seed yield by approximately 0.5 tons per hectare on optimally fertilized soil and 0.3 tons per hectare on minimally fertilized soil. This study found complementary benefits of using appropriate fertilizer rates on crop pollination. It is an efficient way to minimize losses in crop production and improve yields. However, minimal fertilizer application that is common among smallholder farmers still gave substantial yield in insect pollinator-rich environments such as Phuthaditjhaba. This finding gives an immense advantage to farmers in Phuthaditjhaba who tend to minimize the use of fertilizer due to financial issues. Harnessing the prospects from these ecosystem service benefits would help local communities to attain sustainable food production (SDGs 2 and 15).
... The contents of SOM in FL so were significantly greater than those in other types of land use soils. One possible explanation is the region's heavy use of organic fertilizers, which may result in soil organic matter accumulation [47]. Similarly, the contents of SOM in the FL sd were significantly higher than those in CP sd (p < 0.05) and slightly higher than those in other types of land use-corresponding sediments. ...
Metal pollution in lake wetlands has become increasingly serious in China and worldwide due to the rapid growth of urbanization and agricultural activities. However, comprehensive assessments of metal pollution in lake wetland sediments that are associated with land use change have been limited from an international perspective. Metal concentrations (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Pb, and Zn) were measured in the surface soils and surrounding sediments of five land use types in the eastern Hongze Lake wetlands, including Farmland (FL), Culture Ponds (CP), Reed Land (RL), Poplar Forests (PF), and Willow Forests (WF). The metal pollution status was assessed using the geo-accumulation index and the potential ecological risk index; The results showed that the average concentrations of As, Cd, Mn, and Zn in the surface soils and As, Cd, Cu, and Zn in the sediments, exceeded the background values of Jiangsu Province, China. The FL soils and surrounding sediments were moderately contaminated with As, whereas the sediments surrounding the CP were uncontaminated to moderately contaminated with Cd. Metal pollution in both soils and sediments was greater on farmland than on other types of land use. Furthermore, there were significant positive correlations between the values of the soil risk index and the values of the surrounding sediment risk index. Correlation analysis (CA) and principal component analysis (PCA) found that metals may be derived from agricultural activities such as the application of chemical and organic fertilizers, as well as domestic sewage, industrial wastewater, and geological anomalies. These findings shed new light on the quantitative impacts of adjacent land use practices on sediment metal pollution and provide a scientific foundation for wetland management decision-making.
... Therefore, soil food webs are critical to the orchard system dynamics including nutrient management and, vice versa, nutrients can have complex effects on food webs including interactions between biotic and abiotic factors (Bengtsson et al. 2005;Tuck et al. 2014). To understand the impact of nutrients on interactions over organizational hierarchies, we need to consider competition and trophic interactions at the community level and trade-off dynamics, such as competition, growth and plant immunity, influencing processes at the ecosystem level (Gagic et al. 2017;Johnson et al. 2016;Keurentjes et al. 2011;Tao et al. 2017;van Gils et al. 2016). There are many facets of how nutrition at the orchard scale could change the hierarchy of the food web and increase or decrease resource competition among species (Keurentjes et al. 2011;Van der Putten et al. 2013). ...
As agricultural intensification affects global environmental change, a redesign of our food production systems towards practices that replace external inputs with inbuilt ecosystem services is needed. Specifically, human-induced changes to biogeochemical flows of nitrogen (N) cycling exceed the proposed planetary boundaries, highlighting a priority area for reducing nutrient inputs in agricultural production systems. A new understanding of nutrient interactions in the complete agroecosystem will allow us to better predict and mitigate the consequences of anthropogenic environmental changes compared with a reductionist approach. Here, we review for the first time system-level nutrient interactions, particularly N, in perennial horticulture using high-producing kiwifruit and apple crops grown in New Zealand as a basis to identify critical knowledge gaps and prioritize new research. The major points identified are (1) current nutrient guidelines are from the 1980s to the early 2000s and do not take into account substantial production changes since that time; (2) few studies construct complete nutrient budgets of all sources and losses; (3) nutrient loss estimates are generally low relative to those from other agricultural land uses; (4) there is a lack of studies which address nutrient interactions between above- and below-ground food webs in perennial horticultural crops; (5) there is contradictory literature where fertilizer has been found both to increase and to decrease plant chemical signaling and defense mechanisms. New tools are emerging to improve orchard nutrient management, including advances in fertilizer application techniques, new methods to monitor plant and soil nutrients, and utilizing genetic variability to breed cultivars with improved nutrient use efficiency. To reduce adverse nutrient effects on the environment, new research is needed, addressing the relationships between carbon and nutrients and nutrient demands in modern fruit cultivars and growing systems; the nutrient balance for perennial horticultural crops considering all inputs and outputs; and interactions of the above- and below-ground nutrient flows in orchard food webs.
... We found significant interactions between pest control and pollination services in coffee (Table 1), indicating synergy between these two ES (35). Previous studies have found interactions between these services in other crops, such as red clover and oilseed rape (6,36,37). However, only one study (30) has evaluated interactions between pest control and pollination in coffee systems. ...
Significance
Food production depends on biodiversity and ecosystem services (ES) such as pest control and pollination. Our knowledge about biodiversity benefits to crop production has increased in recent decades, but most studies treat ES separately and then add up their values. Ignoring that these services, being part of the same system, likely interact is blinding us to potential synergies and trade-offs. Our field experiment shows, at realistic field scales, that pest control and pollination can interact positively. This synergy translates directly to improved yields and income for coffee farmers, who produce a global commodity worth $24 billion per year. Our findings highlight the need to study interactions to understand the linkages between biodiversity, ES, and farmers’ livelihoods.
... Depending on the conditions, the nature of such interactions may even differ in a single crop. The effects of pollination on oilseed rape, for example, can interact with nitrogen inputs positively (Garratt et al. 2018b), negatively (Marini et al. 2015) or not at all (van Gils et al. 2016). ...
... However, the relationship between SOM content and yield can also be neutral or unimodal (Bauer & Black 1994;van Gils et al. 2016;Oldfield et al. 2020). One possible explanation for the varying relationships might be that the effects of SOM on production can interact with the concomitant factors, including management interventions, such as fertilizer and irrigation (Gagic et al. 2017;Oldfield et al. 2020), as well as ecosystem services, such as pest control (Garratt et al. 2018b ...
... Furthermore, our study was done using a perennial crop species, which complicates comparisons with other studies that were mostly done on annual crops (Quiroga et al. 2006;Pan et al. 2009;van Gils et al. 2016;Oldfield et al. 2020). Perennial species may be less responsive to short-term local conditions than annual species because they often have access to larger resources stored in roots and stems from previous seasons or may use resources for survival or vegetative growth rather than seed or fruit set (Ehrlén & Van Groenendael 2001;Langley et al. 2002). ...
... Despite the accumulation of evidence of the beneficial effects of different soil amendments on plant growth and resistance against insect herbivores (Cardoza et al., 2012;Du Jardin, 2015;Pineda et al., 2017), the effects of soil amendments on aboveground interactions, especially on pollinator behaviour and the consequences for plant fitness remain unclear. A new approach of sustainable management of agricultural and natural ecosystems with focus on pollinators is essential to address the current challenges of declining ecosystem health and food security (Barber and Soper Gorden, 2014;van Gils et al., 2016;Fijen et al., 2018). Enhancing floral resources for pollinators in agricultural ecosystems is especially relevant, given that 38% of the terrestrial ice-free surface of the planet is covered by agricultural ecosystems (Foley et al., 2005). ...
... Many studies have addressed the effects of different soil amendments on plant growth and resistance against insect herbivores (Pineda et al., 2010;Sharp, 2013;Barragán-Fonseca et al., 2022b). However, less is known about the effects of soil amendments on pollinator behaviour, on plant-mediated interactions between antagonists and mutualists and on plant yield (Barber and Soper Gorden, 2014;van Gils et al., 2016), or on the trade-off between plant defence against herbivores and pollinator-mediated reproduction. In this study, we aimed to evaluate whether BSF exuviae can enhance plant growth and/or plant resistance against herbivory, and to understand the effects of soil amendment with black soldier fly exuviae on the behaviour of flower visitors. ...
... Along with changes elicited by biotic interactions, plant phenotypic plasticity also occurs in response to abiotic environmental factors (Pérez- Ramos et al., 2019). For example, changes in soil quality such as changes in soil moisture (Dai et al., 2022), water availability (Campbell et al., 2019), soil organic matter (van Gils et al., 2016) or nutrient concentrations (David et al., 2019) can lead to altered plant traits that can impact the diversity and abundance of the plant-associated insect community (Bartomeus et al., 2015;David et al., 2019;Carvalheiro et al., 2021;Luizzi et al., 2021). The response of plant traits to environmental factors may be especially important because these traits connect the anthropogenic (e.g. ...
... Since we calculated yields from the seed weight per plant (which did not respond to bee densities) multiplied by the plant density, diverging plant densities are likely to be responsible for patterns like declining yield with increasing bee densities. Other confounding factors, like pests or different varieties, which we did not account for, could be a further explanation (Grass et al., 2018;van Gils et al., 2016;Hudewenz et al., 2014). We cannot preclude possible variety effects on the plants` responses to insect pollination. ...
The cultivation of mass-flowering crops (MFC) can promote pollinators by providing floral resources. However, there is missing knowledge about the effect of MFC cultivation history on bees and their pollination services in agricultural landscapes. We investigated how bee densities in oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) (OSR) fields were affected by past (cultivation area of the preceding three years) and current MFC area coverages in the surrounding landscape. Moreover, we analyzed how insect pollination, its possible interaction with the plants` pod numbers and MFC covers influence yield components of individual OSR plants and calculated yields (t/ha). To test this, we conducted pollinator surveys and a pollinator exclusion experiment in one oilseed rape field in 17 agricultural landscapes in Germany. We found that wild bee densities were positively affected by past MFC covers and negatively impacted by current OSR covers, indicating enhanced pollinator populations due to previous MFC cultivation and contemporary pollinator dilution. In contrast, honeybees showed opposite responses to past and present MFC cultivation. Furthermore, seed weight per plant of open pollinated plants was positively correlated with past MFC covers. Pollinator exclusion decreased the seed number per pod and increased thousand-seed weight, while yields were unaffected. Pod number interacted with insect pollination in shaping yields, such that pollinator exclusion led to a steeper increase of yield with higher pod numbers. Insect pollination compensated for low pod numbers by increasing the plants` seed number per pod and ultimately yields. Our findings demonstrate a beneficial effect of high MFC covers in the past on bee densities and potentially yield components in the current year. Our study highlights the need for further research on how past and present landscape composition in terms of MFC cultivation interactively affect pollinator communities and their pollination services in agricultural landscapes.
... Even for the influence on pollination of the same factor in the same crop, different studies may find contrasting results (Tamburini et al., 2019). The benefits of pollination on oilseed rape, for example, can be affected by nitrogen inputs positively (Garratt et al., 2018), negatively (Marini et al., 2015) or not at all (van Gils et al., 2016). ...
... High SOM content contributed significantly to single berry weight, but SOM content did not significantly enhance total yield per plant, although we did observe a trend (P < 0.1). Our results are therefore intermediate between studies finding no effects of SOM content on crop yield (van Gils et al., 2016;Hijbeek et al., 2017) and studies finding positive effects of SOM content on crop yield (Quiroga et al., 2006;Pan et al., 2009;Wei et al., 2016). In contrast to studies by Gagic et al. (2017) and Hijbeek et al. (2017), we did not find the benefits of SOM on yield or on single berry weight diminishing with fertilizer application rates (no significant interaction between effects of SOM content and fertilizer application rate). ...
... Under rainy conditions or in soils rich in micro-nutrients and with good water holding capacity, the contribution of SOM to crop growth would be much less pronounced than in soils poor in micro-nutrients and with poor water holding capacity. Furthermore, our study was done using a perennial crop species, which complicates comparisons with other studies that were mostly done on annual crops (Quiroga et al., 2006;Pan et al., 2009;van Gils et al., 2016;Oldfield et al., 2020). Perennial species may be less responsive to short-term local conditions than annual species because they often have access to larger resources stored in roots and stems from previous seasons or may use resources for survival or vegetative growth rather than seed or fruit set (Ehrlén and Van Groenendael, 2001;Langley et al., 2002). ...
Intensive agriculture faces the challenge of contributing to feeding the increasing global population while minimizing its adverse effects on the environment. Ecological intensification can help achieve this as it proposes to supplement artificial inputs with ecosystem services such as pollination, nutrient cycling and water retention. The mixed results of previous studies with respect to the potential of using ecosystem services for ecological intensification suggests more data is needed from a wider range of contexts to explore the potential of this approach in practice. We conducted an experiment which studied the effects of all combinations of insect pollination (open pollination vs pollinators excluded), soil organic matter (SOM) content (1.66 % vs 3.73 %) and four levels of fertilizer applications, on the quantity and quality of raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) production. We were particularly interested in interacting effects on crop yield between the ecosystem services and fertilizer application. Insect pollination significantly increased single berry weight (11 %) and raspberry yield (33 %). SOM content enhanced visitation rate of pollinators and increased the single berry weight by 20.5 %, but SOM did not contribute significantly to fruit number or yield. SOM contributed to the soluble solids content of the fruits; however, this effect interacted with pollination and fertilizer inputs in a non-linear way. Fertilizer application positively contributed to single berry weight, fruit number and thus overall yield but did not influence in any way the effects of pollination and SOM on raspberry production. Our results provide evidence that ecosystem services contribute to fruit production and can potentially be used to (partly) replace artificial fertilizer inputs while maintaining productivity but our results also suggest that yield maximization requires enhancing both ecosystem services and fertilizer application.
