Bees, bumblebees, butterflies, and hummingbirds are some of the numerous pollinators that play a fundamental role in food production. By feeding on nectar and pollen from flowers, they transfer it from one to another, making reproduction possible and thus the fruits formation. A recent study by the research team from Conicet, INTA, and the National Universities of Tucumán and Catamarca confirmed once again the importance of having such allies in agricultural landscapes.
According to one of the researchers, Pablo Cavigliasso, from INTA Marcos Juárez-Córdoba, “the honeybee (Apis mellifera) is the species most commonly observed on citrus flowers in Argentina, followed by other native species such as bumblebees of the genus Bombus and species from the family Halictidae.”
Cavigliasso didn’t hesitate to confirm that, based on the analysis of various citrus productions in Tucumán, Catamarca, Entre Ríos, and Salta, it was concluded that “pollinators contribute approximately 60% of the total yield of crops such as lemons, mandarins, oranges, and grapefruits, which underscores the importance of animal pollination in the yield, profitability, and productive and economic stability of the main citrus crops in Argentina.”
The results were generated through an approach that combines field work data with Bayesian models and computational simulations, projecting a contribution of animal pollination per hectare in the production of 36 tons of lemons, 10.5 of grapefruits, 10 of oranges, and 5.9 of mandarins, which represents more than half of the total annual production in each of the evaluated crops.
The study involved Marcos Monasterolo, a researcher from CONICET-National University of Catamarca, Andrés Ramírez-Mejía and Natacha P. Chacoff - specialists from CONICET-National University of Tucumán - along with Pablo Cavigliasso, a researcher at INTA Marcos Juárez, Córdoba, and Pablo Schliserman from CREAS Catamarca. Additionally, two students who developed their theses participated: Valentina Chavanne and Claudia Carro from the National University of Tucumán.
