Organic soil amendment mediation of plant-pollinator interactions

The effects of soil quality on the interactions of plants with beneficial arthropods, such as pollinators, have not been extensively examined. Vermicompost is the product of the digestive action by earthworms upon organic matter. Plants grown in soil amended with vermicompost are more productive and better able to fend off diseases and arthropod pests. Here, we studied the effects of vermicompost amendment on both behavioral and physiological responses of pollinators, using cucumbers, Cucumis sativus, as our model system.