Hi All,
Please pass on to any students you feel may be interested:
Bees and Buzz Pollination in Crops: Evaluating the Potential for Matching Bee Vibrations and Buzz-Pollinated Crops to Improve Fruit Yield
The James Hutton Institute, and the Centre for Ultrasonic Engineering at the University of Strathclyde
Pollination is a major limitation of soft fruit production. Improving pollination therefore increases yield and quality of many soft fruits and vegetables. Suboptimal pollination directly impacts consumer preferences and market value as
it can result in small fruits or fruits of heterogeneous sizes, which also adds challenges and costs for packaging. Blueberries are an excellent example of the potential benefits that improved pollination services can bring to a rapidly growing industry, with
particular relevance to Scotland. Limited studies elsewhere have shown that full pollination can increase yields by up to 38 % (Gibbs et al., 2016). Blueberries may be particularly susceptible to suboptimal pollination because, similarly to tomatoes, they
benefit from a specialised type of pollination called buzz pollination. Buzz pollination requires bees that apply vibrations to pollinate flowers, and is restricted to a subset of bee species, including bumblebees. Traditionally, due to cultivation methods
and a lack of pollinators, this requires supplemental pollinators or hand pollination, with environmental and economic implications. Therefore, the objective of this project is to determine what type and level of supplemental pollination is optimal for fruit
production, both now, and into the future.
This project will fill existing knowledge gaps by addressing three key questions:
Q1. What is the relationship between vibration properties (amplitude, frequency, and duration) and pollen release and fruit quality across different varieties of soft fruits?
Q2. What are the properties of the vibrations used by buzz-pollinating bees while visiting experimental plots of different varieties of soft fruits?
Q3. What is the effect of increased temperature and humidity on the capacity of buzz-pollinating bees to release pollen from flowers?
This interdisciplinary studentship will offer the successful candidate the opportunity to develop knowledge and skills in engineering, pollinator biology and agroecology as well as working directly with industry. The biomechanical component
of the study will involve regular work with the Centre for Ultrasonic Engineering at the University of Strathclyde. Glasshouse and field trials of bee vibrations, pollen removal and fruit set will be carried out at The James Hutton Institute, which hosts a
large live collection of blueberry cultivars and has extensive experience with the pollination of food crops. Experiments of buzz-pollination under varying temperatures and humidity conditions will also be carried out at The James Hutton Institute. The student
will be registered at the University of Strathclyde.
The studentship is funded by the Macaulay Development Trust and the University of Strathclyde for a period of 3 years and registered at the University of Strathclyde. This opportunity is open to UK students and provides funding to cover
stipend and UK level tuition only. Applicants should have a first-class honours degree in a relevant subject or a 2.1 honours degree plus Masters (or equivalent).
https://www.findaphd.com/phds/project/bees-and-buzz-pollination-in-crops-evaluating-the-potential-for-matching-bee-vibrations-and-buzz-pollinated-crops-to-improve-fruit-yield/?p172632
Prof James Windmill (he/him)
Director of the Centre for Ultrasonic Engineering
Director of the Leverhulme Doctoral School in Nature Inspired Acoustics
Co-Director of the EPSRC CDT in Future Ultrasonic Engineering
Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering
University of Strathclyde
Royal College Building
204 George Street
Glasgow
G1 1XW
Tel. +44 (0)141 548 2694
Fax. +44 (0)141 548 2950
Email.
m("strath.ac.uk","james.windmill");">
www.cue.ac.uk
www.nia-leverhulme.org.uk
fuse-cdt.org.uk
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