Insect Pollinators

Biodiversity associated with crops is due to an element i.e., pollinators. Pollinators plays an important role in agricultural and natural ecosystem. Pollination is an essential phenomenon for plants for reproduction hence pollinators i.e., to ensure reproduction, help the plant in fruit development and very widely helps in dispersal. In agricultural field, pollinators and pollination is important to maximize the crop yield or improve crop both as qualitatively and quantitatively. Hybrids are being formed using conventional and genetic techniques to bring improvement in plant quality and quantity, but pollination is at its back without which no hybrid formation can occurs. In response of pollinators, plant provide them nesting and food resources. Insects and other animals are approximately 80% of plants pollinators. Honey bees, managed bumble bees and solitary bees are also pollinators of certain crops, in spite of these, while wild bees are also there to pollinate the crops. With special reference of Asia, the domesticated honey bees and Apis mellifera are considered best pollinators, but, honey bees up to some extent are not effective pollinators for many crops here. Bees can easily pass pollen from one plant to the other but they are not always useful to mankind and become a cause of invasive weeds spreading. Bees can also exploit agents that help in biological control of pests. So, pollination is considered a very important process for the production of native plants, which can be used for restoration of wild lands and also in the development of interspecific and intraspecific hybrids and without the help of pollinators these outcomes can never be achieved.
Article credit: Hina Waheed M.Sc Genetics

Insect Pollinators