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hubie [soylentnews.org] writes:

Some of our favorite food crops around the world aren't reaching their full potential [sciencealert.com]:

Insects that provide the crucial service of pollination are declining en masse [sciencealert.com], and that has serious consequences for the world's food crops, 75 percent [wiley.com] of which depend at least partially – if not entirely – on insect pollination.

While this doesn't include major food crops like rice and wheat, pollination is essential to what the study's first author – ecologist Katherine Turo from Rutgers University in the US – refers to [rutgers.edu] as "nutrient-dense and interesting foods that we like and are culturally relevant".

"If you look through a list of crops and think about which fruits and vegetables you're most excited to eat – like summer berries or apples and pumpkins in the fall – those are the crops that typically need to be pollinated by insects," Turo says [rutgers.edu].

And yet, there's a lack of experimental research on pollinator limitation in crops. While we know the phenomenon is impacting global food supplies, its prevalence has so far been unclear.

[...] Within this detailed picture, Turo and colleagues found that up to 60 percent of global crop systems are being limited by insufficient pollination. The phenomenon is affecting 25 of the 49 different crop species analyzed, with blueberry, coffee, and apple crops being the worst affected.

Pollinator limitation is occurring in 85 percent of the countries in this database, spanning all six continents represented.

"Our findings are a cause for concern and optimism," says Turo.

"We did detect widespread yield deficits. However, we also estimate that, through continued investment in pollinator management and research, it is likely that we can improve the efficiency of our existing crop fields to meet the nutritional needs of our global population."

[...] "Our findings show that by paying more attention to pollinators, growers could make agricultural fields more productive."

That might be harder than it sounds – insects are being hit with a lethal onslaught of disease [sciencealert.com], pesticides [sciencealert.com], shifting seasons [sciencealert.com], and habitat loss [sciencealert.com].

Perhaps quantifying these tiny but mighty allies' services to our billion-dollar industries will help us to take the threats they face more seriously.

Journal Reference:Turo, K.J., Reilly, J.R., Fijen, T.P.M. et al. Insufficient pollinator visitation often limits yield in crop systems worldwide. Nat Ecol Evol 8, 1612–1622 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-024-02460-2 [doi.org]

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