CCD and Pollination Requirements for Fruits and Vegetables

16 years ago

I have a question for the experts here. By now we've all heard of Colony Collapse Disorder, my question is, which crops specifically require pollination by bees to be edible. In other words, is there a list of plants which flower AFTER the edible part of the plant develops (and is usually harvested) and thus pollination is not necessary for eating - unless we are specifically growing them to create seeds? For example lettuce, carrots, and onions produce there edible part first (whch actually seems odd, I'm used to thinking of the fruiting part coming after pollination) so pollination by bees is not necessary - so long as your supply of seeds holds out (for worst case scenarios). Squash would be an example of a veggie that produces its edible part after pollination so it would be at risk from a lack of bees.

In short and in general, are veggies pre-pollination crops while fruits are post-pollination? I'm reading of dire consequences for crops but is it mainly FRUIT that's at risk here?

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Comments (5)

txbeeguy
16 years ago
Here's a link that will tell you more than you probably care to read concerning your topic:

http://gears.tucson.ars.ag.gov/book/

S. E. McGregor is the Arizona beekeeper better known for his quote about every third bite of food being the result of honeybee pollination.

Happy reading "enjoy>
zephyray
Original Author
16 years ago
Interesting Further Research

We've been reading dire reports about the loss of crops, but further research reveals that the immediate threat is to fruit. Vegetables, roots (eg, carrot), tubers (eg, potato, radish), leaves (eg spinach, lettuce), stems (eg, celery), bulbs (eg, onion) which are usually harvested prior to pollination, will still produce their edible parts - so long as the seeds hold out.

Additionally, with regard to fruit, growing of seedless varieties, known as vegetative Parthenocarpy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenocarpy, do not require pollination, and should continue (most hopefully by natural breeding not genetic engineering). Examples are apparently the cactus (prickly) pear, the fig, the banana, the cucumber, the breadfruit and eggplant.

It's interesting too that there is at least one company that would benefit from CCD, that being http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Monsanto Monsanto. This company that specializes in genetically modifying crops ('Thus, genetic engineering will most likely give consumers parthenocarpic fruit in many other species in the near future' http://www.sciam.com/askexpert_question.cfm?articleID=000BA236-622C-1C72-9EB7809EC588F2D7 is also 'the largest seed and biotech company over all' http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Monsanto_and_Genetic_Pollution http://www.agecon.uga.edu/FAA/harl.html. A big issue with them has been their creation of what is called 'Terminator' seeds (a.k.a. 'suicide seeds'), seeds genetically modified so that the resultant crops produce seeds that are sterile, denying farmers the ability to replant the seeds to continue growing (a traditional and economical practice), and thus forcing farmers in the Roundup Ready System to have to buy their seeds anew from Monsanto every year http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Monsanto#Terminator_Technology. Who needs Terminator when the natural pollinators themselves are going away. No accusations, just random paranoid thoughts.
mersiepoo
16 years ago
Monsanto... doesn't that mean With Satan in Italian? Ugh, I can just imagine that corporation taking over the world by using the food supply as a control mechanism. Ugh....
zephyray
Original Author
16 years ago
Actually I think that the chance of Monsanto's involvement seems pretty unlikely, though they do have a rather, er, shall we say, ethically challenged history. Just pointing out my thought, which may well be incorrect, that they could possibly benefit from CCD, at least for awhile.
zephyray
Original Author
16 years ago
For your edification I earlier also asked the above questions in an email to the Ohio Agricultural Research & Development Center at Ohio State University. Librarian Constance J. Britton was kind enough to repond promptly and pointed out some things I'd not thought of. For one she stated that "Plants important for soil conservation, wild animal food, and simple aesthetics have important needs for pollination, not just fruit (or vegetables)."

In my tunnel vision I was seeing this only through human eyes and not thinking of the effects on other species or the environment.