More importantly however there was "little evidence of difference in relative yield between pollinator dependent and non-dependent crops." Cunningham said if global crop yields were being affected by the pollinator shortages they would have expected pollinator-dependent crops to show reduced yield during the past few years. He said the study highlighted a surprising trend toward more reliance on pollination-dependent crops such as canola and soybean, particularly in developing countries. In 1961 pollinator-dependent crops contributed 13.7 percent to total agriculture production in the developing world, he said. By 2006 the figure had risen to 22.6 percent. "This trend might be further exacerbated in the future as some fast-expanding, insect-pollinated crops, such as oil palm and canola, are candidates for large-scale biofuel production," the paper said. Cunningham said this suggests strategies need to be thought through to ensure a supply of pollinators to meet this demand. "Let's not panic; we're not going to starve. Crop production is increasing and we are getting better and better at agriculture," he said. "At the same time we don't want to assume there is no problem. There is no decrease in yields yet but the increase in demand for pollinators sets up the possibility of shortages in the future." Related Links: |
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