scholarly journals Using flower strips to promote green lacewings to control cabbage insect pests

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael Alcalá Herrera ◽  
Belén Cotes ◽  
Nuria Agustí ◽  
Marco Tasin ◽  
Mario Porcel
Keyword(s):  
Natural Enemies ◽  
Habitat Management ◽  
Insect Pests ◽  
Floral Resources ◽  
Choice Test ◽  
Beneficial Arthropods ◽  
Borago Officinalis ◽  
Green Lacewings ◽  
Cabbage Pests ◽  
The Impact

AbstractHabitat management improves biological control by increasing the abundance and fitness of natural enemies through the provision of floral resources along field edges or between crops. Among the natural enemies reliant on flower resources, green lacewings often stand out due to their abundance, predation capacity and polyphagy. We evaluated the impact of tailored flower strips on the enhancement of natural enemies, especially green lacewings, in three organic cabbage (Brassica oleracea) farms in Southern Sweden. Insects were sampled from the flower strips, and cabbage pests and predators were visually recorded in the crop. In a laboratory assay, the pollen feeding preferences of Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens, 1836) were evaluated in a dual-choice test. The pollen consumed by the Chrysopidae was extracted from laboratory and field specimens, then quantified and identified. Flower strips were found to attract predators and parasitoids, whose abundance increased as flowers bloomed. Cabbage plants next to the flower strips showed lower pest infestation as compared to cabbage plant control, although no significant differences were observed in the number of predators. Chrysopidae used flower strips as feeding, reproduction and shelter sites and mainly consumed pollen from Phacelia tanacetifolia Benth. Under laboratory conditions, C. carnea showed a preference for P. tanacetifolia and Coriandrum sativum L. pollen over Borago officinalis L. and Fagopyrum esculentum Moench. We show that tailored flower strips could be an efficient tool for enhancing beneficial arthropods and should be considered in integrated pest management for cabbage crops.

The impact of planting buckwheat strips along lowbush blueberry fields on beneficial insects

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robyn McCallum ◽  
Nancy L. McLean ◽  
G. Christopher Cutler
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Natural Enemies ◽  
Habitat Management ◽  
Floral Resources ◽  
Field Margins ◽  
Beneficial Insects ◽  
Lowbush Blueberry ◽  
Bee Community ◽  
Fagopyrum Esculentum Moench ◽  
The Impact

Pollination and pest control are important in many agroecosystems. Beneficial insects that provide these services (e.g. bees and natural enemies) often require floral resources beyond crop bloom. Planting floral resources along crop field margins may be a useful tactic to support communities of beneficial insects in agroecosystems. We examined the effect of planting buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) along lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium Aiton) field margins on beneficial insect abundance and species richness. We found that bee abundance was higher in buckwheat transects than control transects in 2014 and 2015, but not 2016, and that bee species richness was higher in buckwheat transects than in control transects in 2015 only. High variability occurred across years. All bee genera recorded during blueberry bloom were also collected in buckwheat transects, suggesting buckwheat is a useful resource for bee community involved in blueberry pollination. The effect of buckwheat on natural enemies was variable and inconsistent. We conclude buckwheat influenced bee and natural enemy communities during certain years, but field edges in the lowbush blueberry fields studied may already adequately support beneficial insects. Thus, not all habitat management efforts with augmentative floral plantings may consistently boost communities of beneficial insects.

scholarly journals A Comparison of Flower and Grass Strips for Augmentation of Beneficial Arthropods in Apple Orchards

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhaoke Dong ◽  
Mengjing Xia ◽  
Cheng Li ◽  
Baofeng Mu ◽  
Zhiyong Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Natural Enemies ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
Habitat Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
The Other ◽  
Alternative Prey ◽  
Apple Orchards ◽  
Beneficial Arthropods ◽  
Arthropod Predators

Sowing plants that provide food resources in orchards is a potential habitat management practice for enhancing biological control. Flowering plants (providing pollen and nectar) and grasses (providing alternative prey) can benefit natural enemies in orchards; however, little is known about their relative importance. We studied the effect of management practices (flower strips, grass strips, and spontaneous grass) on arthropod predators under organic apple management regimes in apple orchards in Beijing, China. Orchards located at two different sites were assessed for 3 years (2017–2019). The cover crops had a significant impact on the abundance and diversity of arthropod predators. The grass treatment consistently supported significantly greater densities of alternative prey resources for predators, and predators were more abundant in the grass than in the other treatments. The Shannon–Wiener diversity was significantly higher for the cover crop treatment than for the control. Community structure was somewhat similar between the grass and control, but it differed between the flower treatment and grass/control. Weak evidence for an increase in mobile predators (ladybirds and lacewings) in the orchard canopy was found. Ladybirds and lacewings were more abundant in the grass treatment than in the other treatments in 2019 only, while the aphid abundance in the grass treatment was lowest. The fact that grass strips promoted higher predator abundance and stronger aphid suppression in comparison to the flower strips suggests that providing alternative prey for predators has great biocontrol service potential. The selection of cover crops and necessary management for conserving natural enemies in orchards are discussed in this paper.

scholarly journals Crop Diversification Affects Biological Pest Control

2013 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 449 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dimitrije Marković
Keyword(s):  
Pest Control ◽  
Habitat Management ◽  
Crop Diversification ◽  
Agricultural Systems ◽  
Beneficial Arthropods ◽  
Habitat Manipulation ◽  
Biological Pest Control ◽  
Agricultural Ecosystems ◽  
The Impact

Crop monocultures encourage the multiplication and spread of pest insects on massive and uniform crop. Numerous studies have evaluated the impact of plant diversification on pests and beneficial arthropods population dynamics in agricultural ecosystems and provided some evidence that habitat manipulation techniques like intercropping can significantly influence pest control. This paper describes various potential options of habitat management and design that enhance ecological role of biodiversity in agroecosystems. The focus of this review is the application and mechanisms of biodiversity in agricultural systems to enhance pest management.

scholarly journals The effect of within-crop habitat manipulations on the conservation biological control of aphids in field-grown lettuce

2011 ◽  
Vol 101 (6) ◽  
pp. 623-631 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.J. Skirvin ◽  
L. Kravar-Garde ◽  
K. Reynolds ◽  
C. Wright ◽  
A. Mead
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Natural Enemies ◽  
Floral Resources ◽  
Cereal Crops ◽  
Field Crops ◽  
Natural Regulation ◽  
Wildflower Strips ◽  
Natural Pest Regulation ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Regulation Changes

AbstractWithin-crop habitat manipulations have the potential to increase the biological control of pests in horticultural field crops. Wildflower strips have been shown to increase the abundance of natural enemies, but there is little evidence to date of an impact on pest populations. The aim of this study was to determine whether within-crop wildflower strips can increase the natural regulation of pests in horticultural field crops. Aphid numbers in plots of lettuce grown adjacent to wildflower strips were compared with those in plots grown in the absence of wildflowers. The presence of wildflower strips led to a decrease in aphid numbers on adjacent lettuce plants during June and July, but had less impact in August and September. The decrease in aphid numbers was greatest close to the wildflower strips and, the decrease in aphid numbers declined with increasing distance from the wildflower strips, with little effect at a distance of ten metres. The main natural enemies found in the crop were those that dispersed aerially, which is consistent with data from previous studies on cereal crops. Analysis and interpretation of natural enemy numbers was difficult due to low recovery of natural enemies, and the numbers appeared to follow changes in aphid abundance rather than being directly linked to the presence of wildflower strips. Cutting the wildflower strips, to remove floral resources, had no impact on the reduction in aphid numbers achieved during June and July, but decreased the effect of the wildflower strips during August and September. The results suggest that wildflower strips can lead to increased natural regulation of pest aphids in outdoor lettuce crops, but more research is required to determine how this is mediated by natural enemies and how the impact of wildflower strips on natural pest regulation changes during the growing season.

scholarly journals Dampak Tanaman Transgenik Bt terhadap Populasi Serangga Pengendali Hayati

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 76
Author(s):  
Bahagiawati A. Husin
Keyword(s):  
Transgenic Plants ◽  
Transgenic Plant ◽  
Natural Enemies ◽  
Plant Resistance ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Insect Pests ◽  
Plant Resistance To Insects ◽  
Sequential Experiments ◽  
Genetic Engineering Technology ◽  
The Impact

<p class="p1">An alternative technique to improve plant resistance to insect pests is plant transformation using the genetic engineering technology. Several transgenic plants resistant to insect have been produced and commercially released to environment in some industrial and developing countries. Before release, transgenic plants need to be assessed for their potential risks to human health and environment. One of the environmental risk assessments is the potential risk to non-target insects, including the biocontrol insects. Laboratories, glasshouse, and field experiments have been conducting the study of the impact of transgenic plant resistance to insect, especially transgenic Bt plants to the population of predators and parasitoids. However the results were controversial. The objective of this review is to inform some of controversial results, and to suggest serial experiments need to be done to solve the problem. The impact of the transgenic plant resistance to insects depends on several factors, such as genes that are used to transform the plants, the kind of plant pests, and the kind and stages of the insect natural enemies. Results of the experiments were influenced by sites of the experiments (laboratory, glasshouse, or field) and contact of the natural enemies to the toxin. Some experiments showed that the transgenic Bt plants have no impact to the natural enemies population, and otherwise. Due to the controversial results, the experiment and assessment should be done in depth and carefully studied. A sequential experiments need to be adopted to avoid the misleading interpretation, and the assessment need to be based on a case by case study.</p>

scholarly journals Pollen Feeding Reduces Predation of Northern Corn Rootworm Eggs (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae, Diabrotica barberi) by a Soil-Dwelling Mite (Acari: Laelapidae: Stratiolaelaps scimitus)

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 979
Author(s):  
Deirdre A. Prischmann-Voldseth ◽  
Stephanie J. Swenson ◽  
Robert Brenner
Keyword(s):  
Natural Enemies ◽  
Insect Pests ◽  
Floral Resources ◽  
Corn Rootworm ◽  
Diabrotica Barberi ◽  
Dietary Preferences ◽  
Pollen Feeding ◽  
Corn Rootworms ◽  
Feeding Specialization ◽  
Stratiolaelaps Scimitus

Landscape diversification with flowering plants can benefit pollinators and natural enemies, although insect pests can also use floral resources for nutrition and chemoprotection. Corn rootworms (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae, Diabrotica spp.) are major pests of corn (Zea mays L.), and while subterranean larvae primarily feed on corn roots, adult rootworms commonly consume floral resources from other plant species. We quantified the species, density, and sex of adult corn Diabroticite rootworm beetles on wild and cultivated sunflower, corn, and squash, quantified pollen within the bodies of adult northern corn rootworms [NCR, D. barberi (Smith & Lawrence)], and investigated how consumption of sunflower and corn pollen by NCR adults impacted predation of their eggs by two soil-dwelling mites with different feeding specialization. NCR were the most common Diabroticite species on sunflower inflorescences and western corn rootworm (WCR, D. v. virgifera LeConte) were more abundant in corn and squash blossoms. Pollen feeding by NCR adults did not impact egg predation by omnivorous Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Schrank) (Acari: Sarcoptiformes, Acaridae), but predatory Stratiolaelaps scimitus (Womersley) (Acari: Mesostigmata, Laelapidae) ate eggs less frequently and took longer to feed on eggs from NCR females that had fed on sunflower pollen. This research suggests pollen feeding by adult NCR can impact predation of their eggs. While increasing plant diversity can benefit natural enemies and pest control within agroecosystems, it is important to consider how floral resources alter dietary preferences of biocontrol agents.

scholarly journals Climate Change–Induced Stress Reduce Quantity and Alter Composition of Nectar and Pollen From a Bee-Pollinated Species (Borago officinalis, Boraginaceae)

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Descamps ◽  
Muriel Quinet ◽  
Anne-Laure Jacquemart
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Stress ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Temperature Rise ◽  
Elevated Temperatures ◽  
Interactive Effects ◽  
Floral Resources ◽  
Total Amino Acid ◽  
Borago Officinalis ◽  
The Impact

In temperate ecosystems, elevated temperatures, and drought occur especially during spring and summer, which are crucial periods for flowering, pollination, and reproduction of a majority of temperate plants. While many mechanisms may underlie pollinator decline in the wake of climate change, the interactive effects of temperature and water stress on the quantity and quality of floral nectar and pollen resources remain poorly studied. We investigated the impact of temperature rise (+3 and +6°C) and water stress (soil humidity lower than 15%) on the floral resources produced by the bee-pollinated species Borago officinalis. Nectar volume decreased with both temperature rise and water stress (6.1 ± 0.5 μl per flower under control conditions, 0.8 ± 0.1 μl per flower under high temperature and water stress conditions), resulting in a 60% decrease in the total quantity of nectar sugars (mg) produced per flower. Temperature rise but not water stress also induced a 50% decrease in pollen weight per flower but a 65% increase in pollen polypeptide concentration. Both temperature rise and water stress increased the total amino acid concentration and the essential amino acid percentage in nectar but not in pollen. In both pollen and nectar, the relative percentage of the different amino acids were modified under stresses. We discuss these modifications in floral resources in regards to plant–pollinator interactions and consequences on plant pollination success and on insect nutritional needs.

scholarly journals The Role of Annual Flowering Plant Strips on a Melon Crop in Central Spain. Influence on Pollinators and Crop

Insects ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Celeste Azpiazu ◽  
Pilar Medina ◽  
Ángeles Adán ◽  
Ismael Sánchez-Ramos ◽  
Pedro del Estal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Block Design ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Flowering Plant ◽  
Floral Resources ◽  
Central Spain ◽  
Borago Officinalis ◽  
Randomized Block Design ◽  
Commercial Field

Planting flower strips adjacent to crops is among the habitat-management practices employed to offer alternative floral resources to pollinators. However, more information is needed to understand their potential spill-over of pollinators on nearby insect-pollinated crops. Over the course of two consecutive years, the suitability of a flower mixture of 10 herbaceous plants for pollinators was evaluated on a weekly basis, in a randomized block design of two melon plots (10 × 10 m2) with or without 1 m-wide flower strips. Floral coverage and pollinator visits to the plant species, as well as pollinator visits and the yield and quality of the crop, were assessed. Additionally, the selected mixture was tested for 1 year in a commercial field in order to ascertain how far the flower strip could influence visitors in the crop. The most suitable species for a flower strip in central Spain based on their attractiveness, floral coverage and staggered blossom were Coriandrum sativum L., Diplotaxis virgata L., Borago officinalis L. and Calendula officinalis L. The flower strip can act as either pollinator competitor or facilitator to the crop, depending on their floral coverage and/or the predominant species during the crop bloom period. The concurrence of blooming of the rewarding plant C. officinalis with the melon crop should be avoided in our area. In the commercial field, the bee visitation rate in the melon flowers decreased with the distance to the flower strip. No influence of the specific flower strip evaluated on crop productivity or quality was found.

scholarly journals Quantitative impacts of different planting arrangements on the populations of natural enemies in soybean

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 42605
Author(s):  
Marina Mouzinho Carvalho ◽  
Leidiane Coelho Carvalho ◽  
Regiane Cristina Oliveira de Freitas Bueno
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Natural Enemies ◽  
Population Survey ◽  
Insect Pests ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Pitfall Traps ◽  
Beneficial Arthropods ◽  
Soybean Cultivars ◽  
Crop Harvest ◽  
Growth Habits

Natural biological control is an important alternative for the control of insect pests using natural enemies that occur naturally in agroecosystems. The potential of these insects can increase when they are adequately managed. Thus, the objective of this study was to quantify the populations of natural enemies in soybean cultivars with different growth habits planted in different arrangements. The experiment consisted of eight treatments: four planting arrangements and two soybean cultivars, with four replicates. The populations of natural enemies were evaluated from the vegetative stage V3 to crop harvest using a shaking-cloth. A population survey of the beneficial arthropods present on the soil surface was performed in the reproductive stages R2 and R3 with the installation of modified pitfall traps. The main natural enemies that occurred in the culture were Class Arachnida, Order Heteroptera, Order Hymenoptera, Order Coleoptera and Order Dermaptera. The populations of the natural enemies assessed using the shaking-cloth did not show significant differences. However, in the evaluations with the modified pitfall traps in the reproductive stage R3 in the crossed arrangement, the populations of the Coleoptera and Dermaptera orders were higher in the determinate cultivar than in the indeterminate cultivar.

Management of beneficial invertebrates and their potential role in integrated pest management for Australian grain systems

2008 ◽  
Vol 48 (12) ◽  
pp. 1531 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanne C. Holloway ◽  
Michael J. Furlong ◽  
Philip I. Bowden
Keyword(s):  
Integrated Pest Management ◽  
Pest Management ◽  
Natural Enemies ◽  
Insect Pests ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Insect Pest ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Pest Species ◽  
Grain Crops ◽  
The Impact

Beneficial invertebrates (predators and parasitoids) can make significant contributions to the suppression of insect pest populations in many cropping systems. In Australia, natural enemies are incorporated into integrated pest management programs in cotton and horticultural agroecosystems. They are also often key components of effective programs for the management of insect pests of grain crops in other parts of the world. However, few studies have examined the contribution of endemic natural enemies to insect pest suppression in the diverse grain agroecosystems of Australia. The potential of these organisms is assessed by reviewing the role that natural enemies play in the suppression of the major pests of Australian grain crops when they occur in overseas grain systems or other local agroecosystems. The principal methods by which the efficacy of biological control agents may be enhanced are examined and possible methods to determine the impact of natural enemies on key insect pest species are described. The financial and environmental benefits of practices that encourage the establishment and improve the efficacy of natural enemies are considered and the constraints to adoption of these practices by the Australian grains industry are discussed.

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