Promoting Pollination and Pollinators in Farming - (Burleigh Dodds Agricultural Science) by Peter Kevan & D Susan Willis Chan (Hardcover)

About the Book

This collection reviews the wealth of research on understanding pollination processes.

Book Synopsis

From the Back Cover

"Pollinators, and the pollination services that they provide, are a vital component of sustainable global agriculture. The editors have assembled a wonderful set of researchers to present the latest findings about the importance of pollinators, why many populations are declining, and what can be done about it. This volume promises to be a widely read, state-of-the-art account of an essential topic that will be a useful resource for years to come."(Professor Jeff Ollerton, author of 'Pollinators & Pollination: Nature and Society' and Visiting Professor of Biodiversity at the University of Northampton, UK)

It has been reported that up to 95% of all flowering plants require the services of other organisms to move pollen from male to female flower parts during the pollination process. These organisms, including bees, are collectively known as pollinators. However, in light of the growing evidence of global declines in pollinator species, the management, ecology and conservation of wild and managed pollinators is a subject of growing importance and research activity.

Promoting pollination and pollinators in farming reviews the wealth of research on our current understanding of existing pollination processes and their importance to our global ecosystems. The book considers how pollinators interact with plants, as well as the major threats to pollinator species, including climate change, diseases and pesticide exposure.

The book provides its readers with the knowledge required to promote pollination by protecting the world's pollinators species and the ecosystem services they deliver using techniques such as habitat conservation.

Edited by two world-renowned experts in the field, this book will be a standard reference for university and other researchers in the environmental and biological sciences, conservationists, entomologists, farmers, as well as government and private sector agencies supporting sustainable crop production.

Dr Peter Kevan is Emeritus Professor in the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of Guelph, Canada. Professor Kevan is internationally renowned for his research on the biology and conservation of bees and other pollinators, with over 300 publications on these topics. Amongst other honours, he is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, the Royal Entomological Society and the Royal Society of Biology.

Dr D. Susan Willis Chan works in the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of Guelph where she conducts research in entomology, ecology and biology, as well as working with Canadian farmers on conserving pollinators. Susan is a species expert on the ground-nesting hoary squash bee and has a strong interest in all aspects of agroecology.

Review Quotes

"This very timely book provides a comprehensive exploration of the current status of pollinators in farming and the strategies to promote pollination by insects other than honeybees. The editors, Peter Kevan and Susan Willis Chan, have assembled contributions from a large number of experts in the area of crop pollination, bee ecology and pathology...this book presents a state-of-the-art account of an essential topic and will remain a very useful resource for years to come. The Burleigh Dodds series in agricultural science aims to provide researchers with advice for sustainable food production. This volume does more than that: it will be a go-to reference not only for researchers but also for farmers and agronomists, policymakers and NGOs interested in learning about advances in techniques and protocols in promoting a crucial ecosystem service." (Book Review Published in Austral Entomology - Dr Katja Hogendoorn, The University of Adelaide, Australia)

"In the time of global agricultural intensification marked by insect decline and increasing concerns about sustainability, this book provides a timely and indispensable guide to modern, pollinator-assisted sustainable crop production. The primary strength of this book lies in its integration of (agro)ecological insights with practical, pollinator protection-based farming applications, providing up-to-date and forward-looking knowledge to ecologists, agronomists, and policy-makers alike...this book offers a thorough and insightful exploration of wild and managed bees, along with their indisputable roles in sustainable agriculture." (Dr Zsófia Varga-Szilay, Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary - Book Review Published in Community Ecology)

"Promoting pollination and pollinators in farming, edited by Professor Peter Kevan and Dr. D. Susan Willis Chan, is an excellent compendium of knowledge on the broadly understood process of pollination. This publication, prepared by many prominent specialists in pollination, offers readers a state of the art overview on the subject...In bringing this research together, the book highlights the need to protect ecosystem-valuable pollinators so that they can fulfil their role in the environment. It also gives growers practical tips on good pollinator care behaviour. In conclusion, this is an extremely valuable and much-needed publication for the whole of society." (Book Review Published in Journal of Apicultural Science - Dr Beata Panasiuk, National Institute of Horticultural Research, Poland)

"This comprehensive book is a collection of writings by researchers in the area of crop pollination, bee ecology and pathology. Every page is a dive into a subject, with almost every line a reference to a deeper dive, and the reader is directed at the end of each chapter to even further information...It doesn't matter for the curious that the style is science-write: In this age of alternative facts, the presentation of collected data here is fascinating, informative and doesn't boast of final certainty... it is carefully edited and would be a valuable addition to a reference library." (Book Review Published in American Bee Journal - M. E. A. McNeil)