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A recent study from the University of South Australia (UniSA) has found that keeping native roadside vegetation near crops of canola and faba bean pods increased pollination rates and lead to more seeds.
UniSA ecologist Associate Professor Sophie Petit says canola beans set near native vegetation, compared to the centre of a field, had up to 20 per cent increase in seeds. Faba beans near native vegetation had 12 per cent higher yield.
First author of the study, PhD student Bianca Amato, said “the results are significant, given the study area has been extensively cleared for agriculture over time, containing less than 13 per cent of native vegetation, and roadside vegetation is often the only habitat for pollinating insects in that region…