Pollinators for Food: Planting pollinator attractive annuals with peppers to improve harvest

Abstract

It is well-known that many food crops require insect pollination to produce fruit, but what about self-pollinated crops? Would planting bee-attractive flowers near the crops make a difference in the quality and quantity of pepper production? Based on results from Flowers for Pollinators (F4P), a 4-year study that demonstrated annual flowers attract bees and other insect pollinators, Pollinators for Food (P4F) explores whether planting pollinator-attractive annual flowers might improve production and quality of self-fertile crops when planted nearby.