Kingmakers: meet the insects that make India’s favourite mangoes, Pg2

Key Highlights:

• A 2023 study by researchers from Bengaluru and Germany found that wild insects significantly increase mango yield by 350% through pollination.
• The study identified wild bees, hoverflies, and common flies as crucial pollinators for mango varieties like Badami.
• Neonicotinoid insecticides, commonly used on mango trees, are neurotoxic to bees, affecting their cognitive functions and survival.
• The Indian government has recognized pollinators in its new environmental accounting framework, valuing their contribution to agriculture at ₹2.6 lakh crore in 2021-22.
• The framework acknowledges over 800 bee species, butterflies, moths, beetles, birds, and bats as ecologically important pollinators.

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Detailed Insights:

• Mango trees bloom between December and March, producing thousands of small, cream-colored flowers on structures called panicles.
• Pollen transfer between male, female, and hermaphrodite flowers is essential for mango formation, primarily facilitated by insects.
• The study revealed that barring crawling insects like ants also led to a drop in mango yields, highlighting their role as "messy pollinators".
• Non-native bees, such as European honey bees (Apis mellifera), despite their abundance, were found to be less effective pollinators for mangoes compared to native species.
• Native bees transfer pollen between orchards, leading to higher yields of full and juicy fruits, unlike non-native bees that often stay within the same orchard.
• Pesticide use results in a three-way loss for farmers: cost of pesticides, loss of pollinators, and reduced fruit yield (up to 30% lighter fruits observed).
• Monoculture farms are more susceptible to pest attacks and consequently suffer greater pollinator loss.
• Solutions include using bee-safe pesticides and timing sprays to avoid peak pollinator activity, practices already adopted in some Western countries.
• The environmental accounting framework aims to nudge policy towards active pollinator protection through farm and landscape-level changes.
• Recommendations include increasing natural and semi-natural areas near orchards, such as native forest patches and wildflower strips, to attract wild insects.
• In May, stingless bees in Peru were granted legal rights to exist, thrive, and be represented in court, setting a precedent for pollinator conservation.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Pollination: The transfer of pollen from the anther to the stigma of a flower, enabling fertilization and fruit production.
• Neonicotinoid Insecticides: A class of neurotoxic pesticides that negatively impact the central nervous system of insects, including beneficial pollinators.
• Monoculture Farming: The agricultural practice of growing a single crop or raising a single type of livestock on a large area, often leading to increased pest susceptibility.
• Environmental Accounting Framework: A system that integrates environmental assets and services into national economic accounts to measure their monetary value and impact.