The impact of plant associations on Macrosteles quadrilineatus management in carrots |
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Authors: | Zsofia Szendrei |
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Affiliation: | 1. Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Agricultural Entomology, Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, , Hangzhou, 310058 China;2. LuoYang Entry‐Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, , Luoyang, 471000 China |
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Abstract: | Habitat diversification can influence the interactions of insects with plants and this can be used in agroecosystems for the management of pest populations. Plant diversification can be achieved through planting crops, such as trap crops, or by adjusting weed management. Aster leafhopper, Macrosteles quadrilineatus Forbes (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), is a polyphagous species that uses cereals, vegetables, and weeds as host plants. The influence of weeds on M. quadrilineatus abundance was investigated experimentally in carrot [Daucus carota L. cv. Canada (Apiaceae)] field plots by adjusting the level of management of two groups of weeds (broadleaf and grass) and by comparing it to weed‐free plots. The preference of M. quadrilineatus for different cereal and weed species relative to carrots was tested in choice test assays. Habitat context influenced the abundance of M. quadrilineatus in the field experiments. The presence of border crops such as oat, rye, barley, wheat, and triticale did not significantly attract or repel this insect to carrot plots compared to the no‐border treatment. However, spelt‐bordered plots had 42% fewer M. quadrilineatus than three treatments, triticale, wheat, and barley, that had the highest insect abundance. The type of weed management affected M. quadrilineatus abundance in carrot plots, but not the frequency of herbicide application. Plots that had carrot growing with broadleaf‐weeds had about 59% fewer M. quadrilineatus compared with those growing with crabgrass or carrot alone. In the greenhouse choice tests, grasses (e.g., cereals) attracted and broadleaf‐weeds repelled M. quadrilineatus relative to carrots. In summary, carrot growers may be able to manage this pest by reducing the interaction of cereal cover crops with carrots and eliminating grassy weeds in commercial production fields. |
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Keywords: | aster leafhopper associational resistance weed cereal border crop herbicide generalist pest management insect– plant interactions herbivore Hemiptera Cicadellidae |
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