Enhancing entomophilous pollination for sustainable crop production

Monica Borghi¹, Lisa W DeVetter², Patrick P Edger³, Michael Gutensohn⁴, Erich Grotewold⁵, Ramesh Sagili⁶, Kelsey K Graham⁷, Melanie A Body³, Changying Li⁸, Suzette P Galinato⁹, Andony Melathopoulos⁶, James H Cane¹⁰, Paul Sandefur¹¹, Angelita Dela Luz¹², Robert N Schaeffer¹, Caitlin C Rering¹³, Sagar Sudam Jadhav¹, Ye Chu¹⁴, Daniel H Chitwood^{3

15}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, 84322-5305, USA.
² Department of Horticulture, Washington State University, Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center, Pullman, Washington, 98273, USA.
³ Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824-6473, USA.
⁴ School of Agriculture and Food Systems, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, 26506, USA.
⁵ Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824-6473, USA.
⁶ Department of Horticulture, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, 97331, USA.
⁷ Pollinating Insects Biology, Management, & Systematics Research Unit, USDA ARS, Logan, Utah, 84341, USA.
⁸ Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, 32611, USA.
⁹ Agriculture and Natural Resources, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, 99164, USA.
¹⁰ WildBeecology Consulting, Logan, Utah, 84341, USA.
¹¹ Fall Creek Farm and Nursery, Lowell, Oregon, 97452, USA.
¹² Beeflow, Department of Field Development, Somis, California, 95066, USA.
¹³ Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology, Gainesville, Florida, 32608, USA.
¹⁴ Horticulture Department, Institute of Plant Breeding, Genetics and Genomics, The Plant Center, The University of Georgia, Tifton, Georgia, 31793, USA.
¹⁵ Department Computational Mathematics, Science & Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824-6473, USA.

PMID: 40437688
DOI: 10.1111/tpj.70234

Review

Enhancing entomophilous pollination for sustainable crop production

Monica Borghi et al. Plant J. 2025 May.

. 2025 May;122(4):e70234.

doi: 10.1111/tpj.70234.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, 84322-5305, USA.
² Department of Horticulture, Washington State University, Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center, Pullman, Washington, 98273, USA.
³ Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824-6473, USA.
⁴ School of Agriculture and Food Systems, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, 26506, USA.
⁵ Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824-6473, USA.
⁶ Department of Horticulture, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, 97331, USA.
⁷ Pollinating Insects Biology, Management, & Systematics Research Unit, USDA ARS, Logan, Utah, 84341, USA.
⁸ Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, 32611, USA.
⁹ Agriculture and Natural Resources, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, 99164, USA.
¹⁰ WildBeecology Consulting, Logan, Utah, 84341, USA.
¹¹ Fall Creek Farm and Nursery, Lowell, Oregon, 97452, USA.
¹² Beeflow, Department of Field Development, Somis, California, 95066, USA.
¹³ Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology, Gainesville, Florida, 32608, USA.
¹⁴ Horticulture Department, Institute of Plant Breeding, Genetics and Genomics, The Plant Center, The University of Georgia, Tifton, Georgia, 31793, USA.
¹⁵ Department Computational Mathematics, Science & Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824-6473, USA.

PMID: 40437688
DOI: 10.1111/tpj.70234

Abstract

Successful fertilization of insect-pollinated crops hinges on a delicate interplay of olfactory and visual signals of pollinator attraction, the chemical complexity of nectar and pollen rewards, and the physical interaction between insects and flower anatomy for efficient pollen transfer. These traits, which are controlled genetically and exhibit phenotypic variance even within species, present opportunities for breeding technologies to map and select genotypes with floral traits that actively guide pollinator preferences. Recent technological advancements and automation have enabled high-throughput metabolic phenotyping of floral chemical traits of pollinator attraction and rewards. These measurements, when integrated with computed tomography (CT) scans of flower shape analysis and video tracking of pollinator behavior, can guide the selection of genotypes with enhanced insect visitation rates and effective cross-pollination. In this perspective article, we highlight the potential of this strategy for blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.), a crop heavily reliant on bee pollination for fruit production and with flowers that display considerable variance of chemical and morphological traits and pollinator visitation rates. Leveraging blueberry's genetic diversity can address pollination issues exacerbated by global warming and declining health of managed bees, thus contributing to a more sustainable agricultural production.

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References

1. Amrad, A., Moser, M., Mandel, T., de Vries, M., Schuurink, R.C., Freitas, L. et al. (2016) Gain and loss of floral scent production through changes in structural genes during pollinator‐mediated speciation. Current Biology, 26, 3303–3312.
1. Bailes, E.J., Ollerton, J., Pattrick, J.G. & Glover, B.J. (2015) How can an understanding of plant‐pollinator interactions contribute to global food security? Current Opinion in Plant Biology, 26, 72–79.
1. Barlow, S.E. & O'Neill, M.A. (2020) Technological advances in field studies of pollinator ecology and the future of e‐ecology. Current Opinion in Insect Science, 38, 15–25.
1. Barlow, S.E., O'Neill, M.A. & Pavlik, B.M. (2019) A prototype RFID tag for detecting bumblebee visitations within fragmented landscapes. Journal of Biological Engineering, 13, 13.
1. Barnes, D.K. & Furgala, B. (1978) Nectar characteristics associated with sources of alfalfa germplasm. Crop Science, 18, 1087–1089.

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Enhancing entomophilous pollination for sustainable crop production

Affiliations

Enhancing entomophilous pollination for sustainable crop production

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

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Full Text Sources