Approximately 60% of all agricultural crops rely on pollination to some extent, and the latest winner of the Coal River Products Association’s Cuthbertson Award is looking at one way to reduce Australia’s reliance on honeybees for crop pollination.
Annick Upchurch’s University of Tasmania honors project looked at improving the effectiveness of mass breeding systems for the hoverfly Eristalis tenax, a highly effective pollinator species that is endemic to Tasmania and southern Australia.
“Hoverflies are highly effective pollinators of vegetable seed crops throughout south-eastern Australia and they have significant potential as pollinators in protected cropping systems, but we need a better understanding of their life cycles and requirements for mass rearing, before we can use them as managed pollinators,” Annick said.
The ground-breaking nature of Annick’s research meant that she had to first develop the technology to assess mating success of the hoverflies, before she could test the effectiveness of different mass rearing conditions.
The project – part of a larger Hort Innovation funded project ‘Managing Flies for Crop Pollination’ which aims to identify and develop fly species as managed pollinators to complement honeybee pollination – successfully demonstrated ways that mass rearing conditions could be managed to improve timing and rates of production of hoverflies for pollination.
Coal River Products Association President Andrew Beven said Annick was selected as the 31st Cuthbertson Award winner for her focus on research that has a direct benefit to Tasmanian agriculture.
“As an association, we’re proud to be able to support high-performing agriculture students at the early stages of their career, and to help facilitate connections with the agricultural industry,” Andrew said.
“Annick has been a worthy recipient of the Cuthbertson Award, and we had a great response from members following her recent presentation to our association.”
Annick’s research project has several connections to industry, supported not only by Hort Innovation, but also local vegetable seed producers South Pacific Seeds and Bejo Seeds, Tasmanian Pollination Services and research provider seedPurity.
Annick also works as a junior production agronomist with South Pacific Seeds, mainly in carrot seed production in northern Tasmania.
“To be recognised for this work through the Cuthbertson Award and to have the opportunity to share my work with industry, such as through presenting to the Coal River Products Association, has been invaluable,” Annick said.
The Coal River Products Association established the Cuthbertson Award, which has been running for 31 years, to recognise academic achievement, encourage students to develop a practical approach to agriculture, and remember the outstanding contribution of Sir Harold Cuthbertson to agricultural development in Tasmania.
It is awarded to a final-year student at the University of Tasmania in an agricultural or food system course who shows the greatest potential to make a significant contribution to practical agriculture in Tasmania.
The Managing Flies for Crop Pollination project is funded by the Hort Frontiers Pollination Fund, part of the Hort Frontiers strategic partnership initiative developed by Hort Innovation, with co-investment from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western Australia, The University of WA, Western Sydney University, University of New England, Seed Purity Pty Ltd and Biological Services and contributions from the Australian Government. It has also been funded by Hort Innovation, using the avocado research and development levy and contributions from the Australian Government. Hort Innovation is the grower-owned, not-for-profit research and development corporation for Australian horticulture.