Pollinators, pests and yield – multiple trade-offs from insecticide use in a mass-flowering crop

Multiple trade-offs are likely to occur between pesticide use, pollinators and yield (via crop flowers) in pollinator-dependent, mass-flowering crops (MFCs), causing potential conflict between conservation and agronomic goals. To date, no studies have looked at both outcomes within the same system, meaning ‘win-win solutions’ for pollinators and yield can only be inferred. Here, we outline a new framework to explore these trade-offs, using red clover (Trifolium pratense) grown for seed production as an example. Specifically, we address how the insecticide thiacloprid affects densities of seed-eating weevils (Protapion spp.), pollination rates, yield, floral resources and colony dynamics of the key pollinator, Bombus terrestris. Thiacloprid did not affect the amount of nectar provided by, or pollinator visitation to, red clover flowers but did reduce weevil density, correlating to increased yield and gross profit. Colonies of B. terrestris significantly increased their weight and reprodu...在依赖传粉者的大量开花作物（mass-flowering crops, MFCs）中，农药施用、传粉者与产量（通过作物花部介导）之间大概率存在多重权衡关系，这将在保护目标与农艺生产目标之间引发潜在冲突。迄今为止，尚无研究在同一系统中同时考察这两类结果，这意味着针对传粉者与产量的“双赢方案”仅能通过推演获得。 本研究以用于种子生产的红三叶（Trifolium pratense）为研究对象，构建了一套全新的权衡关系探索框架。具体而言，本研究探究了杀虫剂噻虫啉（thiacloprid）对食籽象鼻虫（Protapion spp.）种群密度、传粉效率、作物产量、花部资源以及关键传粉者——熊蜂（Bombus terrestris）的蜂群动态的影响。 噻虫啉并未影响红三叶花的花蜜分泌量，也未改变传粉者的访花行为，但确实降低了食籽象鼻虫的种群密度，进而与作物产量提升及总收益增加呈现相关性。熊蜂（Bombus terrestris）的蜂群体重与繁殖……