A multi-million dollar pollination research project has been launched to safeguard the supply of Australia’s A$9bn horticulture industry.
Dubbed Pollination Plus, the collaborative project will see research teams from Western Sydney University (WSU) and Plant Food Research (PFR) work alongside Australian fruit, vegetable and nut growers to bolster pollinator populations.
Horticulture Innovation Australia is coordinating the A$12m project, which will see more research partners come online on an as-needed basis.
“It can be easy to take current pollination processes and practices for granted,” said Horticulture Innovation Australia chief executive John Lloyd. “But with growing global concern about bee health and new, exciting advancements in science, industry is now able to focus its efforts on exploring what’s impacting bees, and how we can pollinate more effectively using methods that we may have overlooked in the past.
“For example, we have found that in one studied region – the Sunraysia – avocado crops that were thought to have traditionally been pollinated by bees were in fact more reliant on flies and beetles for their pollination.”
To help shape future investments, a dedicated Pollination Expert Advisory Panel has been formed, which is made up of foundation research partner representatives, and representatives from Beechworth Honey, Costa Group, Select Harvest, Graeme Smith Consulting and Fruit Growers Tasmania.
The panel will provide expert advice on new investments and broad oversight into all aspects of the research program to ensure all Pollination Plus projects achieve set objectives.
