Bee pollination outperforms pesticides for oilseed crop production and profitability.

ABSTRACT: Nature-based agriculture that reduces dependency on chemical inputs requires using ecological principles for sustainable agro-ecosystems, aiming to balance ecology, economics and social justice. There is growing evidence that pollinator-dependent crops with high insect, particularly bee, pollination service can give higher yields. However, the interacting effects between insect pollination and agricultural inputs on crop yields and farm economics remain to be established to reconcile food production with biodiversity conservation. We quantified individual and combined effects of pesticides, insect pollination and soil quality on oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) yield and gross margin, using a total of 294 farmers' fields surveyed between 2013 and 2016. We show that yield and gross m

SUBMITTER: Catarino R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6790783 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature