“This project addresses a current and growing productive problem in the national fruit industry given the growing deficit in the supply of beehives for pollination, which puts at risk the pollination process in fruit species of interest such as avocado. Since pollination is a cross-cutting problem and independent of the size of production, the proposal opens new opportunities to improve the productivity of avocado producers nationwide, which is equivalent to about 30 out of a thousand hectares planted between the regions of Coquimbo and the Liberator Bernardo O'Higgins. Due to this, the development of an artificial attractant aimed at increasing visits by wild pollinators to avocado flowers, combined with measures to increase the diversity of native flora in order to promote the presence of wild pollinators within orchards, is in line with a more sustainable agriculture by promoting a more abundant and beneficial pollinating fauna for biodiversity and the yield of avocado orchards ”, said Carolina Fuentes, FIA representative in the Metropolitan and Valparaíso regions.

The project is not only aimed at creating an artificial attractant that simulates the floral aromas of avocado, but also includes a strategy aimed at increasing the presence of wild pollinating insects that visit the avocado flower. For this reason, the innovation includes the realization of a cadastre of the native flora present in the geographical areas where avocado orchards are located in order to select native species that can serve as habitat for wild pollinators, providing a source of food and sites of nesting.

Likewise, the researcher adds, "we are going to replicate these vegetation formations to restore ecosystems to a certain extent in the places where the orchards are located."

As the specialist explains, increasing the diversity of native flora will increase the presence of wild pollinators within the orchard.

“When the vegetation zone is reduced, biodiversity declines and therefore discourages the visit of wild native insects. On the other hand, when the area of ​​natural vegetation near the orchard is rich and abundant in native species, the presence of pollinating insects increases, favoring the productivity of the orchard ”.

The volatile compounds emitted by avocado flowers will be captured in situ using methodologies that allow extracts of their aromas to be obtained. These samples will then be taken to the laboratory where the analyzes and correlations of how the aroma of the avocado flower is associated with the attraction of insects will be performed.

In each of the orchards, located in the province of Quillota and San Antonio, during the flowering period there will be face-to-face observations that will consist of the quantification of pollinators on the flowers; and, after the flowering period, a follow-up will be carried out.

The identification of the chemical compounds present in the floral bouquets will be carried out in the Laboratory of Chemical Ecology of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso directed by Dr. Jan Heinrich Bergmann. Meanwhile, in the Laboratory of Physiology and Plant Molecular Biology of INIA La Cruz in the Valparaíso Region, evaluations will be carried out to determine the electrophysiological response of native insects to compounds present in the avocado flower.

A technique called electroantennography coupled to gas chromatography will be used, which will be used to stimulate the antennae of insects and identify biologically active compounds. "Once you know what are the chemical compounds that stimulate the antennae of insects, you can perform behavioral experiments to see what is the best mix to attract insects," says Dr. Martínez.