Enhancing entomophilous pollination for sustainable crop production.

Abstract

SUMMARY Successful fertilization of insect‐pollinated crops hinges on a delicate interplay of olfactory and visual signals of pollinator attraction, the chemical complexity of nectar and pollen rewards, and the physical interaction between insects and flower anatomy for efficient pollen transfer. These traits, which are controlled genetically and exhibit phenotypic variance even within species, present opportunities for breeding technologies to map and select genotypes with floral traits that actively guide pollinator preferences. Recent technological advancements and automation have enabled high‐throughput metabolic phenotyping of floral chemical traits of pollinator attraction and rewards. These measurements, when integrated with computed tomography (CT) scans of flower shape analysis and video tracking of pollinator behavior, can guide the selection of genotypes with enhanced insect visitation rates and effective cross‐pollination. In this perspective article, we highlight the potential of this strategy for blueberry ( Vaccinium corymbosum L.), a crop heavily reliant on bee pollination for fruit production and with flowers that display considerable variance of chemical and morphological traits and pollinator visitation rates. Leveraging blueberry's genetic diversity can address pollination issues exacerbated by global warming and declining health of managed bees, thus contributing to a more sustainable agricultural production.

Plant phenotyping relevance

花の化学・形態・訪花行動を高スループットに測定し、CT解析と動画追跡を統合する植物表現型評価戦略を中心に論じる展望論文であり、方法論的役割が明確。

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