POLLINATORS, PREDATORS, AND PROTECTORS: BENEFICIAL INSECTS AS DRIVERS OF SUSTAINABLE FRUIT PRODUCTION

Abstract

Beneficial insects are a pillar of sustainability and productivity of fruit crops due to services they provide such as pollination, natural biological control and ecological balance maintenance on produce. The review below looks at the diversity and functional groups of these insects; namely pollinators, predators, parasitoids, and soil enhancer beneficial insects in different cropping systems of fruits. It shows that the availability of such organisms results in an increase in the yield of the fruits, their quality, and lower usage of chemicals. However, such important partners are facing a plethora of hazards, such as habitat loss, pesticide sprays, global warming, and monoculture farming. Limiting the negative impacts of these issues have led to severe loss of beneficial insects in crops thus disturbing production and the well-being of an ecosystem, and to curb increasing problems, the review echoes the need of conservation efforts that are specific and are aimed at supporting and protecting beneficial insects in fruit orchards. The use of floral strips, cover crops, intercropping, and minimal tillage that are part of the practices involved in habitat management are highlighted to be useful in increasing insect biodiversity and ecosystem services. Along with this, holistic ways of ensuring that ecological knowledge is combined with practical practices in farming are being regarded as crucial in maintaining insect populations in long-term basis. Two rationales can be used to infer that growers and researchers can plan landscapes and practices by following the above approaches, knowing the characteristics of beneficial insects’ types found in fruit systems and the roles they play. The purpose of this review is to gap the understanding into the field practice, which would lead into more resilient and productive fruit farming.