Experimental quantification of insect pollination on sunflower yield, reconciling plant and field scale estimates

• Published in: Basic and applied ecology Vol. 34; pp. 75 - 84
• Main Authors: Perrot, Thomas, Gaba, Sabrina, Roncoroni, Marylin, Gautier, Jean-Luc, Saintilan, Alexis, Bretagnolle, Vincent
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier GmbH 01.02.2019; Elsevier
• Subjects: agricultural land; Agroecology; Biodiversity; crop yield; crops; Environmental Sciences; Europe; farmers; farms; Helianthus annuus; honey bees; Honeybee; insect pollination; plant density; Pollination service; pollinators; seeds; Self-pollination; Sunflowers; Wild pollinators; wind; Wind pollination; Europe; Self-pollination; Honeybee; Wild pollinators; Biodiversity; Wind pollination; Agroecology; Pollination service; Sunflowers

Most crops grown in Europe, including sunflower (Helianthus annulus L.), benefit from insect pollination. However, valuing this benefit is not straightforward since estimates of the increase in sunflower yield vary from 18% to 100%. Most estimates have, moreover, been performed at plant scale, a sca...