Organic production of white and red clover seed
Project manager: Lars Andersson, Department of Crop Production Ecology, SLU
Project group: Riccardo Bommarco, Ola Lundin and Maj Rundlöf, Department of Ecology, SLU. Ann-Charlotte Wallenhammar, The Rural Economy and Agricultural Societies.
Pollination by bumblebees in particular is improved if a flower resource is provided early in the season, so that the population increases in time for flowering of the clover. The aim of this project is to demonstrate the importance of biological diversity in arable fields and in the surrounding landscape for degree of pollination. We intend to investigate the possibility of improving pollination of red and white clover by sowing in rows of early-flowering plants. We will also investigate whether this contributes to increased parasitism and predation on pest insects.
The project comprises two series of experiments:
The experiment will be repeated in a second year.
This project forms part of a larger programme of studies of pollination and biodiversity that also includes a Formas-funded project. We expect the results to be applied to increase the degree of pollination of clover seed crops using relatively simple cropping measures. In addition, knowledge of the importance of the surrounding landscape should provide an indication of when and where these extra measures are relevant. Overall, the project should contribute to higher and more stable yields of clover seed.
A PhD student is associated to the project.
Access to clover seed poses a bottleneck in efforts to meet the demand for organically produced clover. Insufficient insect pollination can severely restrict yields of red and white clover seed, while yields can increase by 600-700% when honeybees and bumblebees are present. The importance of access to wild insects such as bumblebees has increased, since beekeeping has strongly declined.
Lundin O, Rundlöf M, Smith HG, Bommarco R. 2012. Towards integrated pest management in red clover seed production. Journal of Economic Entomology, 105 (5) 1620–1628. https://doi.org/10.1603/EC12179
Nyabuga FN, Carrasco D, Ranåker L, Andersson MN, Birgersson G, Larsson MC, Lundin O, Rundlöf M, Svensson GP, Anderbrant O, Lankinen A. 2015. Field abundance patterns and odor-mediated host choice by clover seed weevils, Apion fulvipes and Apion trifolii (Coleoptera: Apionidae). Journal of Economic Entomology 108 (2): 492-503. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/tou099
Lundin, O., Rundlöf, M., Smith, H.G. & Bommarco, R. 2012. Towards integrated pest management in red clover seed production. Journal of Economic Entomology 105, 1620-1628. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1603/EC12179
Andersson MN, Larsson MC, Svensson GP, Birgersson G, Rundlöf M, Lundin O, Lankinen Å, Anderbrant O. 2012. Characterization of olfactory sensory neurons in the white clover seed weevil, Apion fulvipes (Coleoptera: Apionidae). Journal of Insect Physiology 58 (10) 1325-1333. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jinsphys.2012.07.006