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Show Alfalfa Needs Bees To Bring About Seed Production Legume seed production in Utah can never reach maximum levels with existing numbers of honeybee and wild bee pollinators, pollin-ators, according to Dr. G. F. Knowlton, Utah State Extension entomologist, after discussing I the alfalfa seed situation with F. E. Todd, of the U. S. Dept. of Agriculture and Utah Agricultural Agricul-tural Experiment Station, cooperative co-operative legume seed research center. evidence of this are the fields of alfalfa in luxuriant bloom, which have occurred following control of Lygus bug grasshoppers, grass-hoppers, and other injurious insects. in-sects. Such fields were potentially poten-tially able to produce tremendous tremen-dous seed yields. However, because be-cause of inadequate insect pollination, pol-lination, many such fields failed to yield seed sufficient to meet operation costs, Had an abun- dance of wild bees and honeybees honey-bees been present to cross pollinate pol-linate these seed fields, several hundred pounds of additional seed often might have been produced, pro-duced, Dr. Knowlton said. Because of the urgency for greater seed production, Federal ,Etomologist Dr. G. E. Bohart, .of the Logan laboratory, is con-i ducting research aimed at conservation con-servation and greater production of our more important wild bee pollinators. Research aimed at improving management practices with honeybees hon-eybees to achieve maximum pollination pol-lination service is being conducted con-ducted by Mr. Todd and W. P. Nye, federal entomologist. |