Best practice pollinator management for the rubus industry (RB23002)

What is it all about?

This program ensures rubus growers have access to best practice information on managing pollinators on their farms.

Challenge

Rubus crops are typically self-fertile but benefit substantially from insect-mediated pollination. The few published rubus pollinator surveys in Australia suggest that wild and managed honeybees provide a substantial proportion of pollination services to rubus crops. This is concerning given the recent arrival of Varroa Mite in Australia, which is expected to cause declines in wild honeybees and increased costs of honeybee management.

While native Australian bees have also been recorded as rubus pollinators in some seasons and regions, potentially mitigating the impacts of honeybee decline, the possible long-term effects on the rubus industry must be better understood.

Response

This program will develop resources for rubus growers to manage pollinators on their farms effectively. The research team will achieve this by reviewing the existing literature and collecting field data to fill critical knowledge gaps regarding the identities and ecological requirements of rubus pollinators.

Benefit

Through this research, rubus growers will gain a better understanding of the diversity of pollinators found across the rubus industry and will be provided with guidance on how to best encourage native and wild pollinators on their farms.