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<p>Cocoa (<i>Theobroma cacao</i> L.) is a multi-billion-dollar crop affected by climate change. Improving poorly understood pollination services in agroforests offers a pathway to increase yields sustainably. Here, we combine embedded computer vision and structural equation models to assess interactions among flower visitors, shade-tree diversity, canopy cover, and fruit set in cocoa systems of China and Brazil. We show that flowers are visited by arthropods functioning as nectar and pollen foragers (23.1%), herbivores (6.1%), predators (2.3%), and multifunctional visitors (63%), showing that pollination extends beyond specialized pollinators. Forager activity increases with shade-tree diversity and canopy cover. In China, foraging midges enhance fruit set, while in Brazil multifunctional ants play a direct role via plant-arthropod interactions. In China, higher canopy cover reduces aphids in flowers and weakens aphid-ant pressure on midges, whereas in Brazil it is associated with reduced fruit set. Overall, agroforestry management can enhance pollination and support sustainable cocoa production under climate change.</p>

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Computer vision reveals flower visitor interactions are mediated by agroforestry management, driving cocoa yield

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月10日

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  • Manuel Toledo-Hernández,
  • Wenxiu Xu,
  • Julian Barillaro,
  • Marcel Balle,
  • Valentina Fortunato,
  • Xiaoye Tong,
  • Fupeng Li,
  • Mirco Solé,
  • Kevin F. A. Darras,
  • Thomas C. Wanger

摘要

Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) is a multi-billion-dollar crop affected by climate change. Improving poorly understood pollination services in agroforests offers a pathway to increase yields sustainably. Here, we combine embedded computer vision and structural equation models to assess interactions among flower visitors, shade-tree diversity, canopy cover, and fruit set in cocoa systems of China and Brazil. We show that flowers are visited by arthropods functioning as nectar and pollen foragers (23.1%), herbivores (6.1%), predators (2.3%), and multifunctional visitors (63%), showing that pollination extends beyond specialized pollinators. Forager activity increases with shade-tree diversity and canopy cover. In China, foraging midges enhance fruit set, while in Brazil multifunctional ants play a direct role via plant-arthropod interactions. In China, higher canopy cover reduces aphids in flowers and weakens aphid-ant pressure on midges, whereas in Brazil it is associated with reduced fruit set. Overall, agroforestry management can enhance pollination and support sustainable cocoa production under climate change.