Periodic Reporting for period 1 - HoverPollination (Hoverflies as a new class of managed pollinators for better quantitative and qualitative yields of vegetable, fruit and seed crops)
Reporting period: 2023-06-01 to 2024-05-31
The critical role of pollinators in agriculture cannot be overstated. As we grapple with declining bee populations and climate change, the need for alternative pollination solutions becomes increasingly apparent. In this context, HoverPollination project presents two new natural pollinators: GOLDFLY® (Eristalinus aeneus) and QUEENFLY® (Eristalis tenax), as a new group of managed pollinators for agriculture. These highly efficient syrphids, also known as hoverflies or flower flies, are adapted to a wide range of environmental conditions. Goldfly thrives in hot and sunny climates, while Queenfly is better adapted to the cloudy and cooler conditions characterizing continental and oceanic climates. Both are common and widespread species. They are excellent pollinators as they exhibit a strong floral foraging behavior, mimicking the one of bees. Like them, they continuously visit flowers to feed on pollen and nectar, sources of proteins and carbohydrates necessary for their development and survival. Although eristaline hoverflies are recognized as efficient pollinators, until now they were not available as commercial managed pollinators. Hence, Polyfly’s innovative solution offers hope for more sustainable pollination in agriculture.
This EIC Accelerator project is allowing Polyfly to focus on key technical activities that still require R&D effort. For instance, the three main Work Packages we are currently concentrating on are: WP3. Hoverfly mass rearing and industrialization, WP4. Product implementation and demonstration trials and WP5. Open field studies and potential applications.
With WP3 the objective is to engage in a large-scale industrialization phase. Specifically, several steps of the mass-rearing process are being optimized, such as colony breeding and egg production (biological and technical improvements), as well as pupae sorting and packing (mechanization). At the same time, quality control procedures and good manufacturing practices are being fine-tuned to guarantee high quality standards throughout the process.
With WP4 the goal is to validate the best possible hoverfly-based pollination protocols to optimize chances of successful implementation of our pollinators in the field. The efficiency of hoverflies used with different release systems (packaging, accessories) and protocols (density, frequency of releases) is evaluated under experimental and commercial conditions. Demonstration trials are also performed to showcase this new pollination solution in crops serving as references for the targeted markets.
And with WP5 the objective is to further investigate the possibility of using our hoverflies for pollination in open field crops and orchards of economic relevance. Since such solution needs to be carefully evaluated beforehand, to avoid any negative impact on the ecosystems, we are exploring different release strategies.
With WP3 the objective is to engage in a large-scale industrialization phase. Specifically, several steps of the mass-rearing process are being optimized, such as colony breeding and egg production (biological and technical improvements), as well as pupae sorting and packing (mechanization). At the same time, quality control procedures and good manufacturing practices are being fine-tuned to guarantee high quality standards throughout the process.
With WP4 the goal is to validate the best possible hoverfly-based pollination protocols to optimize chances of successful implementation of our pollinators in the field. The efficiency of hoverflies used with different release systems (packaging, accessories) and protocols (density, frequency of releases) is evaluated under experimental and commercial conditions. Demonstration trials are also performed to showcase this new pollination solution in crops serving as references for the targeted markets.
And with WP5 the objective is to further investigate the possibility of using our hoverflies for pollination in open field crops and orchards of economic relevance. Since such solution needs to be carefully evaluated beforehand, to avoid any negative impact on the ecosystems, we are exploring different release strategies.
Polyfly’s innovation consists in bringing to the market a totally brand-new group of managed pollinators (i.e. domesticated insect species used for crop pollination), namely hoverflies. The two hoverfly species proposed are Eristalinus aeneus and Eristalis tenax (GOLDFLY® and QUEENFLY®, respectively).
In a context of global decline of pollinators, which threatens food security and agriculture sustainability, there is an urgent need for new managed pollinators (EU Pollinators Initiative 2018). This is why Polyfly has developed innovative and natural solutions based on flies, the second most important order of insect pollinators behind bees. Among flies, one family stands out for its important role as pollinating agents: hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae). Also known as syrphids or flower flies, they are widely regarded to be some of the most effective wild pollinators, surpassing bees in a number of plant species and environments. Our innovation is at the heart of Polyfly’s business strategy, which is based on the investigation, production and commercialization of alternative pollinators. The proven efficiency of our pollinators has attracted the interest of numerous key stakeholders (companies, growers, distributors, research institutions). When scaling up thanks to HoverPollination ACC project, Polyfly’s hoverflies will fill a gap in the array of natural pollination products and solutions available to growers. Besides the technical and practical advantages, the fact that Polyfly proposes two species of hoverflies that can be used in different crops and conditions, broadens the scope of our pollination solutions and fits better to customer needs.
In a context of global decline of pollinators, which threatens food security and agriculture sustainability, there is an urgent need for new managed pollinators (EU Pollinators Initiative 2018). This is why Polyfly has developed innovative and natural solutions based on flies, the second most important order of insect pollinators behind bees. Among flies, one family stands out for its important role as pollinating agents: hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae). Also known as syrphids or flower flies, they are widely regarded to be some of the most effective wild pollinators, surpassing bees in a number of plant species and environments. Our innovation is at the heart of Polyfly’s business strategy, which is based on the investigation, production and commercialization of alternative pollinators. The proven efficiency of our pollinators has attracted the interest of numerous key stakeholders (companies, growers, distributors, research institutions). When scaling up thanks to HoverPollination ACC project, Polyfly’s hoverflies will fill a gap in the array of natural pollination products and solutions available to growers. Besides the technical and practical advantages, the fact that Polyfly proposes two species of hoverflies that can be used in different crops and conditions, broadens the scope of our pollination solutions and fits better to customer needs.