AES Management strips (P. Ouvrard)
Flower resources and insect diversity are decreasing in intensively cropped areas. The common agricultural policy subsidizes agro-environmental schemes to sustain field biodiversity, but what are the results? Which flower resources (pollen and nectar) are provide by these schemes, and when? Which insects benefit of them? Are pollination services increase on fields around these areas?
Oil seed rape (Brassica napus) field with traps for insects.
Improvement of pear production in Walloon Region (M. Quinet)
Parthenocarpy induction by spraying plant hormones is a common practice in pear tree ‘Conférence’ orchards. However, flower pollination and fertilization increased ‘Conférence’ fruit size but pear flowers are not attractive to insects. In order to improve pear production, our project aims to better highlight the pear tree reproduction and focuses on the pollination and parthenocarpy processes in the’ Conférence’ cultivar.
Collaborations: Centre fruitier wallon (CEF), Proefcentrum fruitteelt vzw. (pcfruit).
Financial resources: Service Public de Wallonie (subventions DGO3)
Pear orchard experiments to study the balance between parthenocarpy and pollination success.