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Intercropping with aromatic plants hindered the occurrence of Aphis citricola in an apple orchard system by shifting predator-prey abundances
Citation
Song, B and Tang, G and Sang, X and Zhang, J and Yao, Y and Wiggins, N, Intercropping with aromatic plants hindered the occurrence of Aphis citricola in an apple orchard system by shifting predator-prey abundances, Biocontrol Science and Technology, 23, (4) pp. 381-395. ISSN 0958-3157 (2013) [Refereed Article]
Copyright Statement
Copyright 2013 Taylor and Francis
DOI: doi:10.1080/09583157.2013.763904
Abstract
Enhancing biological control of pests through habitat management in agricultural systems has gained increasing attention. Three different aromatic plants, ageratum (Agerarum houstonianum Mill.), French marigold (Tagetes patula L.) and basil (Ocimum basilicum L.), were chosen as intercrops for apple orchards to evaluate the effects of intercropping on Aphis citricola Van der Goot and its local natural enemies in China. We found that compared with natural vegetation, A. citricola abundance was significantly decreased by 29.26%, 35.80% and 38.28% in plots intercropped with ageratum, French marigold and basil, respectively. The number of natural enemies of A. citricola in plots intercropped with T. patula and O. basilicum were significantly higher than in plots of natural vegetation. Equally important, intercropping affected the composition of natural enemies and the population dynamics of A. citricola and its natural enemies. Annual cumulative numbers of natural enemies were significantly negatively correlated with
A. citricola annual cumulative individual numbers except for O. tantillus. Our
results demonstrate that intercropping with aromatic plants could be an effective method for biological control of A. citricola in apple orchards.
Item Details
| Item Type: | Refereed Article |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | plant-herbivore interactions, agriculture, invertebrates, orchard |
| Research Division: | Agricultural, Veterinary and Food Sciences |
| Research Group: | Crop and pasture production |
| Research Field: | Crop and pasture protection (incl. pests, diseases and weeds) |
| Objective Division: | Plant Production and Plant Primary Products |
| Objective Group: | Industrial crops |
| Objective Field: | Industrial crops not elsewhere classified |
| UTAS Author: | Wiggins, N (Dr Natasha Wiggins) |
| ID Code: | 89218 |
| Year Published: | 2013 |
| Web of Science® Times Cited: | 20 |
| Deposited By: | Plant Science |
| Deposited On: | 2014-02-26 |
| Last Modified: | 2018-05-04 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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