The role of service plants in promoting biological pest control and pollination in Xinjiang pear

My PhD research explored how flowering service plants can support natural enemies of pests and pollinators and thus support a more sustainable production of Xianjiang pear. I studied different flowering plants to see which ones attract beneficial insects. I found that prey abundance is the most important plant trait driving predator abundance, while a range of flowering traits was important for attracting pollinators. I compared densities of beneficial insects as well as biological control and pollination in Xinjiang pear orchards with and without alfalfa as a flowering understory plant. Contrary to our expectations, alfalfa ground cover did not greatly improve pest control or pollination in pear. The results show that there are challenges in using service plants to support sustainable pear production in Xinjiang. One of the main challenges is to strengthen biological control and pollination based on the use of service plants in a production system with frequent use of biocides.