Experimental assessment of insect pollination on rapeseed yield and oil quality in farmer’s field demonstrates positive effect of pollinator richness

2017

EAGESTAD DOCT INRA; Pollination is an ecosystem service on which humans depends through its link to food production. Some crops, e.g. oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.), are pollinated by a broad range of insects such as by honeybees, wild bees, and hoverflies. According to experimental studies, oilseeds rape production can be increased by 10-50% by insect pollination, however these results are often obtained by comparison between presence-absence of pollinators not with pollinators gradients. Moreover, no study has investigated the effect of pollinators on the oil’s fatty acid composition while rapeseed is cultivated for oil. Here, we quantified the contribution of insect pollination on rape…