Dharam P. Abrol Pollination Biology, Vol.1 Pests and pollinators of fruit crops Pollination Biology, Vol. 1 Dharam P. Abrol Pollination Biology, Vol. 1 Pests and Pollinators of Fruit Crops Dharam P. Abrol Division of Entomology Faculty of Agriculture Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology Jammu , India ISBN 978-3-319-21084-1 ISBN 978-3-319-21085-8 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-21085-8 Library of Congress Control Number: 2015944076 Springer Cham Heidelberg New York Dordrecht London © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifi cally the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfi lms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specifi c statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. Printed on acid-free paper Springer International Publishing AG Switzerland is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www. springer.com) To my family Asha Vitasta Rajat Foreword Our population is growing, but the per capita availability of land and water resources are going down. It is obvious that we will have to produce more and more from less and less land and water. This can be achieved only through the evergreen revolution pathway which can help us to increase productivity in perpetuity without associated ecological harm. The present book by Dr. D.P. Abrol is a timely one since it deals with the fundamentals of reproductive biol- M. S. Swaminathan ogy, namely, pollination. There is widespread concern about malnutrition in our country, and it is now clear that for every nutritional malady, there is a horticultural remedy. We should ensure that food crops not only yield more but also are free of pesticide residues. For example, DDT has a long residual toxicity, and this was captured in the famous book Silent Spring by Rachel Carson (1962). Fortunately, this book covers pest management strategies which will protect the safety of pollinators. The book gives an overview of the pest problems and the pollinator needs. Many pests and pollinators are impor- tant in sub-tropical and tropical food crops. In order to enhance productivity in an environmentally sustainable manner, this book provides integrated information on different management strategies. This is the basic requirement for successful horticulture. We owe a deep sense of gratitude to Dr. D.P. Abrol for his labour of love for the continued growth in the productivity and quality of temperate, tropical and sub- tropical fruits. I hope the book will be widely read and utilized by policymakers, scientists, research scholars and farmers. Third Cross Street M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation Taramani Institutional Area E-mail: [email protected] Chennai , 600 113 , India vii Foreword The major challenge before agricultural scientists in the twenty-fi rst century is to sustain higher productiv- ity in agriculture to meet the target of 300 million tonnes from perhaps 100 million hectares of land with- out compromising the future in terms of resource deg- radation and depletion. The world is facing food defi cit coupled with instability of climatic cycles. The grow- ing population pressure has hastened the environmen- tal degradation, ultimately posing a threat to natural resources and fast approaching famine. In the next 50 years, the global population is expected to reach nine billion, doubling the food, feed, and crop demand. Concomitantly, this situation has further aggravated Pardeep K. Sharma because of pollinator decline worldwide resulting in pollination crisis. These problems have been further aided and abetted by a lack of prophylactic progress in the conservation of biodiver- sity and increased agricultural production. Insect pollinators play an important role in producing crops in global agriculture. Pollinator-dependent crops contribute to maintaining a healthy variety in the human diet and often have a high market value, benefi cial for local or regional economies. Pollinators play a crucial role in fl owering plant reproduction and in the production of most fruits and vegetables. Most of the fruit crops are highly cross pollinated and depend upon insects or benefi t from insect pollination for fruit set. Insect pests on the other hand cause major economic damage on fruit crops in tropics, subtropics, and temperate. Evidently, pest management in fruit crops on one hand and safety to the pollinators on the other are a challenging task in the context of increasing horti- cultural productivity without upsetting the ecological balance. The book Pollination Biology: Pests and Pollinators of Fruit Crops Vol. 1 by Dr D P Abrol is therefore a timely contribution. The publication of the famous book Silent Spring by Rachel Carson in 1962 was a turning point in awakening the world about the deleterious ix x Foreword effects of agrochemicals. On reading this book, Albert Schweitzer remarked “Man has lost the capacity to foresee and to forestall. He will end by destroying the earth,” What is now needed is anticipatory research in relation to the impact of pests on crops in an era of climate change, as well as participatory research with farm fami- lies on methods of integrating the ecological prudence of farmers with the techno- logical advances of today. This book aims to integrate and develop pest control strategies in a way to minimize their impact on benefi cial insect species such as natural enemies and pollinators to enhance fruit production and quality. The book covers interplay between pest management strategies and safety of pollinators. It gives an overview of pest problems and pollinator needs of the crops followed by information on pollination scenario and mechanism of pollination in fruit crops. This book integrates two diverse yet mutually linked organisms for the benefi t of quality and quantity production of horticultural crops. Detailed informa- tion is provided on pests and pollinators of temperate, subtropical, and tropical fruit crops integrating production inhibiting and production promoting components for sustainable and enhanced productivity. The main objective of this book is to provide the synthesis and critical analysis of different management strategies having bearing on agriculture, sustainability and environmental protection, and pollination needs of different crops which result in boosting quality and productivity to encourage bee- keeping interventions, helping people to strengthen livelihood and ensure mainte- nance of habitat and biodiversity. This is, indeed, an awesome task, and we must congratulate Professor Abrol for bringing out this book for the benefi t of the global community. Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Pardeep K. Sharma Sciences and Technology Jammu 180009 , India Pref ace Fruits play a signifi cant role in economic development, nutritional security, employ- ment generation and overall economic growth of a country. They provide a dynamic tool for enhancing economic returns, creating employment avenues and ensuring ecological sustainability. Production constraints include two diverse but mutually interlinked approaches such as attack of pests on the one hand and inadequate pol- lination on the other. The widespread use of pesticides in modern agriculture throughout the world has become necessary for the protection of the plants against insect pests and diseases to obtain higher yields to meet the food requirement of an increasing population, but the injudicious use of pesticides has resulted in contami- nation of agro-ecosystem and agriculture produce including nectar and pollen and caused heavy losses to the pollinators. Such contaminated nectar and pollen when brought to hive may cause damage to brood besides the contamination of the stored honey. The world human population disproportionately growing at an alarming rate is a major challenge facing agriculture in the twenty-fi rst century. The human popula- tion has already crossed the seven billion mark and is expected to rise to nine billion or more during the middle of this century requiring raising of food productivity by some 70–100 % through horizontal expansion. Production in the developing coun- tries would have to be doubled as compared to the present. The cropping systems and pollinator demographics are changing throughout the world, and any deviation in pollinator suffi ciency will prove increasingly inadequate for meeting the demands for an abundant, high-quality food supply in the twenty-fi rst century. Evidence for decline of pollinators throughout the world is a matter of serious concern for agri- cultural productivity. It is manifestly clear that bee pollinators are a valuable and limited natural resource that