Show simple item record

dc.contributor.authorKnapp, JL
dc.contributor.authorOsborne, JL
dc.date.accessioned2017-08-17T13:51:39Z
dc.date.issued2017-07-13
dc.description.abstractCourgette (Cucurbita pepo L.) production in the United Kingdom is estimated to be worth £6.7 million. However, little is known about this crop’s requirement for insect-mediated pollination (pollinator dependence) and if pollinator populations in a landscape are able to fulfil its pollination needs (pollination deficit). Consequently, pollination experiments were conducted over 2 yr to explore pollinator dependence and pollination deficit in field-grown courgette in the United Kingdom. Results showed that pollination increased yield by 39% and there was no evidence of pollination limitation on crop yield. This was evidenced by a surprisingly low pollination deficit (of just 3%) and no statistical difference in yield (length grown, circumference, and weight) between open- and hand-pollinated crops. Nonetheless, the high economic value of courgettes means that reducing even the small pollination deficit could still increase profit by ∼£166/ha. Interestingly, 56% of fruit was able to reach marketable size and shape without any pollination. Understanding a crop’s requirement for pollinators can aid growers in their decision-making about what varieties and sites should be used. In doing so, they may increase their agricultural resilience and further their economic advantage.en_GB
dc.description.sponsorshipThis work was funded as part of PhD studentship (CP118) sponsored by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, United Kingdom. J.O. was also supported by a grant from the Natural Environment Research Council United Kingdom [NE/J014893/1].en_GB
dc.identifier.citationPublished online 13 July 2017en_GB
dc.identifier.doi10.1093/jee/tox184
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10871/28956
dc.language.isoenen_GB
dc.publisherOxford University Press (OUP) / Entomological Society of Americaen_GB
dc.rights© The Authors 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.en_GB
dc.subjectagroecologyen_GB
dc.subjectcucurbiten_GB
dc.subjecteconomic valuationen_GB
dc.subjectfruit seten_GB
dc.subjectpollination dependenceen_GB
dc.titleCourgette Production: Pollination Demand, Supply, and Valueen_GB
dc.typeArticleen_GB
dc.date.available2017-08-17T13:51:39Z
dc.identifier.issn0022-0493
dc.descriptionThis is the final version of the article. Available from OUP via the DOI in this record.en_GB
dc.identifier.journalJournal of Economic Entomologyen_GB
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/


Files in this item

This item appears in the following Collection(s)

Show simple item record

© The Authors 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Except where otherwise noted, this item's licence is described as © The Authors 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.