Improvement of crop pollination service through planting field-side companion plants: Current understan-ding and prospect

doi:10.13287/j.1001-9332.202310.018

Abstract

Abstract: Insect pollinators play a vital role in global crop pollination. Due to climate change, agricultural intensification, and urbanization in recent decades, insect pollinator abundance and species richness have declined rapidly at global and regional scales. Insufficient pollination on croplands is becoming a significant challenge worldwide. In recent years, planting of field-side companion plants that flower concurrently in the vacant space on croplands has been proposed as an effective measure in developed countries to improve pollinator abundance and diversity. These companion plants can provide stable food sources (such as nectar and pollen) and nesting sites for pollinators. Related studies in China are still limited. We reviewed the global research status on the effects of field-side companion plants on crop pollination services, focused on the factors influencing the impacts of co-flowering plants on crop pollination, optimal selection principles for companion plants, and put forward perspectives for application in Chinese agriculture.

Key words: field-edge, companion plant, agricultural pollination, insect pollinators, insufficient pollination, pollination service

WANG Hua, WANG Hui, SHAO Xiaoli, YE Zhongming. Improvement of crop pollination service through planting field-side companion plants: Current understan-ding and prospect[J]. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology, 2023, 34(10): 2854-2860.

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