Lack of pollinators limits worldwide food production, crop yield analysis finds
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:
A team of researchers led by Rutgers University-New Brunswick scientists has analyzed crop yields of more than 1,500 fields on six continents, and found that production worldwide of important, nutritionally dense foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes is being limited by a lack of pollinators.
The results, detailed in Nature Ecology & Evolution, showed that across diverse crops and locations, one-third to two-thirds of farms contain fields that aren't producing at the levels they should be due to a lack of pollinators. The phenomenon of a low crop yield because of insufficient visits by insects is known as pollinator limitation.
"Our findings are a cause for concern and optimism," said Katie Turo, an author of the study and a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources in the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences.
