NEW research shows the pollination of the apple crop is heavily dependent on introduced insect species, in particular the introduced western honey bee.
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The study observed the foraging behaviour of over 69,000 invertebrate flower visitors to orchards for three years in the Blue Mountains and Central West regions of NSW to assess the effectiveness of pollination services.
Apples are the 10th most valuable global crop and account for about 10 per cent of the value of the national fruit market.
The study was led by Western Sydney University in partnership with Hort Innovation and published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.
Lead author Dr Simon Tierney from the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment said the study is the most comprehensive assessment of pollination of apple crops in Australia.
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"Understanding the natural history, behaviour and family tree of bees is crucial for understanding pollination services because these animals co-evolved with flowering plants," Dr Tierney said.
"(Flowering plants) represent approximately one-third of the average human diet (fruits and vegetables) and has ramifications for a range of global food industries which are a source of major economic importance, especially within Australia."
The study found the apples crop to be dependent on two bee species, one native stingless bee and the introduced western honey bee, but more broadly Australian apple production faces the potential vulnerability of being reliant upon a single species - the honey bee.
As none of the top four bee pollinators for wild apples originating from central Asia naturally occur in Australia, pollination services are more exposed to health risks from invasive parasites and associated disease.
"Without these naturally occurring Northern Hemisphere bee pollinators there may be an over-dependence on pollination services from the non-native honey bee whose health is currently under threat from an invasive parasite, the varroa mite," Dr Tierney said.
"While the only other alternative native pollinator, a stingless bee, is effective, they only become important only on relatively warm spring days on farms that are within hundreds of metres of native forests.
"And the distribution of stingless bees is restricted to the tropical and subtropical eastern seaboard of Australia. Whereas, more than 80 per cent of Australian apple production occurs in temperate climates."
Hort Innovation chief executive officer Brett Fifield said understanding the role honey bees and other native pollinators had in pollinating crops was vital information for the horticulture sector.
"These research insights will allow the horticulture sector to tailor its responses to pollination challenges," Mr Fifield said.
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