POLLINATION
Pollination is the transfer of pollen from the anther, the male part of the flower, to the female part the stigma. Once there, the pollen germinates allowing fertilization to occur. This results in the production of fruits, nuts, vegetables and seeds. Nature’s preference for genetic diversification resulted in cross pollination - a transfer of pollen from male flower to female flower or between different varieties of the same crop. Plants have developed different strategies to transfer pollen from one place to another based on wind or animal - mainly insects. The main agricultural pollinators, by far, are honey bees.
THE CHALLENGES
AGRICULTURE PRODUCTION
CHALLENGE
According to the UN, the world population is expected to be over 9 billion by 2050, and agricultural production must grow by 70% in order to avoid food scarcity.
FOOD DEPENDENCY
ON POLLINATION
About 75% of the world’s crops rely on animal pollination, about another 25% rely on uncontrollable wind pollination.
POLLINATORS ARE
DISAPPEARING
Natural pollinators have declined in numbers and diversity; today there are 75% fewer flying insects compared to 25 years ago and 30% of insect species are in danger of extinction. Managed bees are facing Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) causing an acute lack of beehive availability, compounded by collapsing bee populations.
BEE POLLINATIONS HAVE NATURAL CONSTRAINTS
Honey bees can only work in optimal weather conditions: t+15C, no rain, daylight, and will work based on attractiveness of the crop relative to the competing flora.
CLIMATE CHANGE INDUCED DESYNCHRONIZED BLOOM
Plant cross-pollination requires more than one variety or male and female trees planted and treated in an orchard; bloom desynchronization results in lower yields and down to zero yield.
INEFFICIENT USAGE OF
AGRI REAL ESTATE
The financial return of a pollinizer cultivar in deciduous is lower in comparison with the main cultivar, 11%-50% of the land is interplanted with low return cultivars.
