Summary
This systematic review and meta-analysis synthesises global evidence on the contribution of animal pollinators to strawberry production, demonstrating that crops lacking biotic pollination experience a 25% average reduction in fruit weight and 43% reduction in seed set. The analysis quantifies the economic value of pollination services at approximately $5.36 billion annually (2011–2020), whilst revealing substantial research gaps, particularly for Asia, the world's largest strawberry producer. The findings underscore the critical role of managed and wild pollinators in maintaining both strawberry yield and fruit quality.
Regional applicability
The findings are relevant to UK strawberry producers, where honeybees and wild pollinators (bumblebees, solitary bees) support outdoor and protected cultivation. However, the review identifies research concentration in Europe with limited data for diverse growing regions, so UK-specific validation of pollinator preferences across domestic cultivars and managed bee community dynamics would strengthen local applicability.
Key measures
Fruit weight reduction without biotic pollination (%), seed set (%), global economic value of pollination services (USD billion per year), pollinator type effectiveness, geographic distribution of research
Outcomes reported
The study quantified the contribution of biotic pollinators to strawberry fruit yield, weight, seed set, and economic value across global production systems using meta-analytic models. It identified geographic gaps in research coverage and economic valuation of pollination services in strawberry cultivation.
Topic tags
Dig deeper with Pulse AI.
Pulse AI has read the whole catalogue. Ask about this record, its theme, or how the findings apply to UK farming and policy — every answer cites the underlying studies.