Pollination by insects is not only beneficial for crops, since the absence of pollinating insects would have a devastating effect on wild flora. Most species vital to the natural balance could disappear, jeopardizing the survival of the planet.

In the blueberry industry the use of Bombus terrestris, both in tunnels and outdoors. The blueberry, requires that its flowers are pollinated by insects to obtain fruit of greater weight and size. The blueberry blossoms, although they are hermaphrodites, have characteristics that determine low self-pollination. They have hanging flower clusters, so the pollen is shed and unable to pollinate. The stamens form a circle around the pistil backwards. Only a small section of the stigma is responsive. However, this compulsory entomological pollination, the flowers of this crop are not showy or attractive, they are white or pink and do not have a marked fragrance.

We talked with Patricia Estay, national coordinator of plant health at the Institute of Agricultural Research, INIA, belonging to the University of Chile, about pollinating agents and the research she has done collaborating with entomogamy.

The researcher is the author and editor of: "Apis mellifera, pollination according to target species ”, and from the book:“Bombus in Chile: species, biology and management ”, among others. In 2013, it was distinguished by the College of Agricultural Engineers with the Carlos Porter Award for its contribution to the environment, energy efficiency and sustainability. The researcher and agricultural engineer from the Catholic University of Valparaíso and Master of Science from the University of Ottawa in Canada, received the Women's Energy Prize.

How does the Bombus terrestris to Chile?

• In the XNUMXs, early-growing tomato growers in greenhouses applied phytohormones to promote fruit set. This produced hollow fruits, almost without mucilage and very little seed. On technology tours to the Netherlands and Belgium they learned about the bumblebee's pollinating work Bombus terrestris, which surprised them. The result was a fleshy fruit, with abundant mucilage, juicy and seed, so his immediate management was to make projects and propose to the Chilean authorities to import this variety of Bombus. Then we investigated and developed projects that made parenting possible with our own resources. He Bombus terrestris it was introduced in Chile in 1997, it was evaluated in the country and its periodic importation and its commercialization began, mainly for greenhouse pollination of tomatoes, but currently it is used in blueberries, avocados, strawberries and various species, achieving a Better pollination when there are low temperatures or little attractiveness of flowers, and therefore, an increase in yield, a higher caliber of the fruits and organoleptic quality.

What are the qualities of Bombus What make it different from bees?

• There are several differences. This insect withstands very low temperatures, around 1 ° C, so it can start working very early and end very late, unlike bees that operate above 14 ° C. They do not communicate with each other, so they go again and again to the source of nectar and pollen. They have a large and hairy body which makes it a very efficient pollen factor. They pollinate two to three times more flowers per minute than a bee and are excellent both outdoors and in tunnels, greenhouses, or meshes, unlike bees, which are disoriented by the diffuse light of indoor crops. In addition, they resist wind speed up to 70 km / h, among many other qualities. Bumble bees of the genus Bombus They are recognized worldwide as excellent pollinators of a series of fruit, vegetables and forage plants in which other insects do not give good results. Due to their greater weight, they can fly even in rain and light winds. They have the ability to vibrate the flower, with the consequent better pollen shedding. They deposit large amounts of pollen on stigmas. It has little flight capacity (up to 150 m) versus bees (up to 5 km flight), so when using this pollinator its number must be determined based on the number of rows, not exceeding distances greater than 100 m from the hive. For this reason, 10 beehives of Bombus / ha, taking the same safety precautions indicated for bee hives.

Which pollinating agent is more effective, the Bombus or the bee?

• All the studies and investigations that we have done, comparing the application of Bombus and bees in pollination tasks, result in the best management is the joint work of both insects. They complement and enhance each other very well, both in tunneled crops and outdoors. The most common species as a pollinator in the Chilean agricultural industry is that of Bombus terrestris, however, most of the countries that have developed the industry of production of species of the genus Bombus, they have done so on the basis of their native species. In Chile the only native species is Bombus dahlbomii, whose population in different regions of Chile has been declining in the last decade, probably due to environmental problems. Research conducted by Patricia Estay shows that the Bombus dahlbomii, it is capable of pollinating in greenhouse conditions and outdoors. The same happens in Peru, with the Bombus atratus, of which research, tests and evaluations are being carried out to apply it massively as a pollinating agent in the Peruvian agricultural and fruit industry. There are also initiatives in this regard in Argentina.