Agri-Nova Technology has developed Pollinus a pheromone-based product to attract bees to top-fruit crops.
The company’s field trials have shown that the process of pollination in apples and pears is enhanced when Pollinus is sprayed onto the target crop and attracts honey bees and bumble bees.
According to Steve Allan, technical manager for Agri-Nova Technology trials in Comice and Conference pears showed that the two recommended treatments of Pollinus at 10 per cent flowers opened and 100 per cent flowers opened resulted in a higher fruit set and higher yields. He said: “In the field both honey bees and bumble bees were being used for pollination purposes in the orchards. In the plots where Pollinus was applied the pollination process was much improved, leading to much better fruit set, up to 63 per cent in the Pollinus treated areas from 44 per cent in the untreated areas. Yields of the top fruit were also increased, to 34 tonnes a hectare in the Pollinus area from 32 tonnes in the control area. The trials clearly showed that in difficult pollination conditions for foraging insects, Pollinus sprays and the addition of beehives contributed to improved pollination of pear flowers and thereby, improved yield and quality.”
Crops that could benefit from better pollination are numerous: apples, plums and cherries as well as soft fruit including raspberries, strawberries, loganberries, gooseberries, blackcurrants and blackberries.
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