Integrated pest and pollinator management for sustainable plant protein production

Increased pressures on beneficial arthropods such as pollinators and natural enemies and a lack of sustainable pest control strategies threaten viable crop production.

Integrated pest and pollinator management (IPPM) offers a framework in which crops can be managed for dual goals of crop pollination and pest control, but has so far focused on making pesticide use more pollinator friendly.

This overlooks that proactive management of pests, natural enemies and pollinators reduces the need to use pesticides in the first place, while at the same time facilitating the build-up of populations of beneficial insects.

This project aims to take the next steps within IPPM by testing proactive non-chemical and environmentally friendly methods at the landscape, field and plant scale that strike a balance between pest and pollinator management.

We use Swedish faba bean production as our model system, which is an important grain legume crop in replacing imported soybean.

Our project probes forefront of IPPM and put to test to what extent proactive tactics without any use of pesticides can protect crops from pests and safeguard pollination, combining agronomic and conservation goals for sustainable production.

Researchers, crop advisors in both the public and private sector and industry will collaborate in the project and take its findings to the next step towards application by growers.