Interaction between pollinators and crop plants: the Israeli experience.
Dag A.
Author Affiliation: Institute of Plant Sciences, Gilat Research Center, Agricultural Research Organization, M. P. Negev 85280, Israel.
Israel Journal of Plant Sciences 57 : 231-242
Abstract : Most of the cultivated crops depend on animal pollination. Honeybees remain the most economically valuable pollinators of crops worldwide. The current review describes the research developments in crop pollination and crop-pollinator interactions in Israel in the last four decades. The review primarily discusses the honeybee as a pollinator but also refers to bumblebees, wasps, flies, and beetles. The interactions between these pollinators and a variety of crops (i.e., sweet pepper, tomato, watermelon, melon, cucumber, squash, apple, pear, apricot, sweet cherry, almond, Japanese plum, anona, citrus, fig, strawberry, cotton, sunflower, lychee, mango, alfalfa, avocado, and yellow pitaya) are discussed.