Plant-pollinator interactions are mediated by floral signals and by the quantity and quality of floral rewards. Biotic and abiotic disturbances can influence plant reproductive success through both direct effects on plant performance and indirect effects on pollinator attraction. In this study, we examined the effects of drought on buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moensch), a globally cultivated plant that is prone to drought stress, dependent on insect pollinators for reproduction, and increasingly utilized in on-farm conservation. Between drought-stressed and control plants, we compared: nectar quantity and chemical composition, pollen quantity, floral volatile emissions, visits by both managed and wild pollinators, and plant reproductive success. Drought-stressed plants produced significantly fewer flowers and less nectar per flower, though pollen quantity per flower was unaffected. Nectar from drought-stressed plants had a lower proportion of sucrose relative to total sugars, though overall sugar concentration was unaffected. Significantly fewer bumble bees, honey bees, and flies were recorded on drought-stressed plants. While there was no significant difference in the quantity of total floral volatile emissions, volatile compositions differed, with drought-stressed plants having higher emissions of (Z)-3-hexenol, isobutyraldehyde, 2-methylbutanal, and 3methylbutanal. Finally, drought stress had negative effects on seed set and total seed mass per plant. Our results show that drought stress can have significant effects on floral traits and pollinator attraction, reducing plant reproductive success, and the nectar resources available to pollinators. Thus, the potential value of this plant in pollinator conservation and as a honey plant may be reduced under drought stress.
Core Ideas Perennial forage effects on crop yields have mixed outcomes. Few studies have evaluated the lasting impacts of perennial forages in no‐till crop rotations beyond the first crop year. Five forages were evaluated over 7 yr for their effects on crop yield in a no‐till system. Alfalfa and alfalfa–perennial grass mixtures showed the greatest promise for enhancing crop yields. Perennial forages have the potential to diversify annual crop rotations and provide yield benefits to subsequent cash crops. Little is known about the duration of and extent to which yield benefits are observed in semiarid no‐till systems following perennial forages, which may depend on the perennial crop type and duration of the perennial phase. Five perennial forage and forage combinations, alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.; PALF), intermediate wheatgrass [Thinopyrum intermedium (Host) Barkw. & D.R. Dewey subsp. Intermedium; IMWG], switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.; SWG), alfalfa–intermediate wheatgrass mixture (PALF+IMWG), alfalfa–switchgrass mixture (PALF+SWG), and an annual cropping system of continuous spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) fertilized with 67 kg ha−1 of N (CWF) were evaluated for their impacts on wheat yields in a 7‐yr study conducted near Mandan, ND. Wheat yields following 2 yr of alfalfa were comparable to CWF, and 3 and 4 yr of alfalfa, respectively, were 19 and 41% higher. After 5 yr of PALF+SWG, which was primarily comprised of alfalfa, wheat yields were 23% higher than CWF, and comparable to CWF after 3 and 4 yr in PALF+SWG. Four years in PALF+IMWG were needed to produce wheat yields comparable to CWF. Yield benefits persisted for up to 3 and 4 yr following 3 yr of PALF or 5 yr of PALF+IMWG, respectively. Overall, alfalfa and alfalfa–perennial grass mixtures showed the greatest promise for enhancing yields. These results indicate that a perennial phase of at least 2 yr is needed to provide yield benefits to subsequent no‐till annual crops.
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