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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Ames, Iowa » Corn Insects and Crop Genetics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #225896
Title: THE ROLE OF CROP/POLLINATOR RELATIONSHIP UNDERSTANDING IN BREEDING FOR POLLINATOR-FRIENDLY LEGUME VARIETIES; FROM A BREEDING PERSPECTIVE

Author
item Palmer, Reid
item JOSE SUSO, MARIA - IAS-CSIC SPAIN

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/9/2008
Publication Date: 9/12/2008
Citation: Palmer, R.G., Jose Suso, M. 2008. The Role of Crop/Pollinator Relationship Understanding in Breeding for Pollinator-Friendly Legume Varieties; From a Breeding Perspective [abstract]. Modern Variety Breeding for Present and Future Needs. p. 61-62.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Following the reports of the decline in solitary and social bees, breeders are encouraged to develop a breeding approach that strives to integrate food production into the healthy functioning of the agro-ecosystems. In the particular case of legumes, this approach should preserve bee fauna by providing suitable floral resources within the crops themselves (Allen-Wardell et al., 1998; Maria-Klein et al., 2007). In parallel, legume breeding for sustainable agriculture demands the development of non-food services such as the environmental services (Helenius and Stoddard, 2007). Legumes are visited by a great number of bees; bumble bees, honey bees; and wild bees. Foraging places and nesting sites for solitary and social bees are some of the ecological services provided for legumes to a sustainable agriculture. Consequently, we face a situation where the development of pollinator-friendly varieties is needed. Such a situation may require a re-thinking of crop breeding strategies and objectives, and production practices. The role of bee pollinators as agents of pollination and agents of hybridisation needs to be considered. Crops with insect floral attractiveness and reward can be used to potentially maximize pollinators conservation as well as crop yield and yield stability. Optimizing the crop/pollinator relationship (CPR) would be a key to the establishment of improvement breeding strategies that increase the yield and yield stability. We need to understand the role of the solitary and domestic bees; thereby facilitating the development of “pollinator friendly” cultivars. The benefits of approaching legume improvement by understanding and maximizing CPR are both direct (seed yield and stability increase) and indirect (conservation of biodiversity, beneficial insects). Our contribution will analyze how understanding CPR can contribute to underpinning the production of high-yielding and pollinator-friendly varieties by examining: 1) The status of knowledge on grain legume mating systems; 2) The status of knowledge on floral traits for improving CPR: their role and genetic control; 3) The contribution of CPR understanding to plant breeding: hybrid seed production and open population improvement.