THE ROLE OF CHEMICAL ECOLOGY IN POLLINATION AND ITS IMPLICATIONS ON AGRICULTURE

Abstract

The role of pollinators in agriculture has been most evident in recent decades due to the recognition of the need for their presence for the productive success of some economically important crops. The demand for the use of pollinators for higher yields is well evidenced. Studies show that for pollination-dependent crops, in the absence of pollinators, six-fold larger acreage would be required to achieve the same yield rates. In South America alone, the value of pollination services is estimated at 11.6 billion euros a year, while in Brazil, only eight pollinator-dependent crops account for 9.3 billion dollars in exports. Thus, studies on plan x pollinator interaction are essential to identify ways to attract and maintain pollinators in plantations. However, chemical ecology studies involving pollinators are still scarce. In this sense, studies involving the elucidation of pheromones of insects responsible for pollination as well as of synomones (chemical constituents of floral odors responsible for attracting pollinators) are fundamental. These studies may enable strategies to attract and maintain pollinating agents in plantations, such as the use of baits containing both pheromones and synomones, as well as the use of companion plants that have common pollinators. As an example, we will present results obtained with attractive pollinators of the Annona squamosa.