Insect pollinators provide important crop pollination services but are declining in response to lack of diverse flower resources and exposure to pesticides. Despite increasing evidence that the benefits of insect pollination for crop production depend on other ecosystem services and crop management practices, investigations have mostly been limited to how pollination benefits are affected by insect pest control and soil fertility levels.

We conducted a factorial cage experiment in 2021 in a field outside Uppsala, Sweden to test how pollination by bumble bees, manual weed removal and fungicide application interactively shape faba bean (Vicia faba) yield components, and how weed removal and fungicide application affect bumble bee foraging rate and behaviour (e.g. nectar robbing versus legitimate pollination). For this we used four treatments, cage with and without insect pollination crossed with with and without weeds. In addition, each cage was divided into two subplots, where one subplot of faba bean was sprayed with fungicide (Signum), and the other subplot was sprayed with distilled water

Data contains personal data

Yes

Type of personal data

Observers' initials

Language

English

Method and outcome

Time period(s) investigated

2021-06 – 2021-09

Data format / data structure

Numeric

Text

Species and taxons

Bombus terrestris
Vicia faba
Vicia
Bombus terrestris (linnaeus, 1758)

Data collection

Mode of collection: Experiment
Description of the mode of collection: A cage experiment was conducted in the field, and observational data on pollinator visitation and behaviour was collected. Data on pathogen prevalence, weed abundance and crop yield was also taken.
Time period(s) for data collection: 2021-06 – 2021-09
Data collector: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Source of the data: Biological samples

Geographic coverage

Geographic spread

Geographic location: Uppland Province

Geographic description: Field scale experiment in a faba bean field at SLU's experimental farm Lövsta near Uppsala, Sweden

Administrative information

Responsible department/unit

Department of Ecology

Contributor(s)

Ola Lundin - Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of ecology

Laura Riggi - Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Ecology

Funding

Funding agency: Swedish Research Council for Environment Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning
Funding agency's reference number: 2016-00626
Project name on the application: Optimized pollination of field beans (Vicia faba minor) for sustainable supply of plant protein

Topic and keywords

Research area

Ecology (Standard för svensk indelning av forskningsämnen 2011)

Behavioural sciences biology (Standard för svensk indelning av forskningsämnen 2011)

Farming (INSPIRE topic categories)

Biota (INSPIRE topic categories)

Keywords

Integrated pest control, Ecology, Crop yield, Ecosystem service, Pollination, Boscalid, Bumble bee, Faba bean, Ippm

Publications

Raderschall, C., Riggi, L. & Lundin, O. (2024). Insect pollination enhances faba bean yield more than weed removal or fungicide application. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, 374, 109159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2024.109159
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2024.109159

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