Attract, reward and disrupt: responses of pests and natural enemies to combinations of habitat manipulation and semiochemicals in organic apple

Joakim Pålsson,Teun Dekker,Marco Tasin,Mario Porcel

doi:10.1007/s10340-021-01410-2

Abstract

The widespread use of pesticides along with the simplification of the landscape has had undesirable effects on agroecosystems, such as the loss of biodiversity and the associated ecosystem service biological control. How current production systems can be remodelled to allow for a re-establishment of biological pest control, while preserving productivity, is a major challenge. Here, we tested whether a combination of tools could augment or synergize biological control of insect pests in apple (Malus domestica), comprised of a tortricid pest complex, a geometrid pest complex and the rosy apple aphid. The tools aimed at disrupting mating behaviour of multiple pest species (multispecies mating disruption, “Disrupt”, MMD), attracting natural enemies (a blend of herbivory-induced volatiles, “Attract”, A), or providing refuge and rewards for a diverse insect community (perennial flower strip, “Reward”, R) over a 3-year period. Suction samples were consistently richer in generalist predators but not in parasitoids when multiple tools including MMD + A + R or MMD + A were employed. In addition, lepidopteran pest levels were significantly lower in these plots than in MMD or MMD + R at the end of the 3-year experiment. This was, however, not reflected in survival of artificially established aphid colonies. Our data indicates that multiple, complementary tools can greatly enhance natural enemy level, but also that long-term implementation is needed to fully realize the augmentatory or synergistic potential of complementary components and restore biological control as an ecosystem service of practical relevance.

Highlights

Communicated by Blas Lavandero.The intensification of agriculture over the last six decades was achieved through an exorbitant use of agrochemical inputs
We are left with a major challenge to re-establish ecosystem services such as biological control in order to increase the sustainability of crop production (Tittonell 2014)
A. podana, H. nubiferana, P. heparana and S. ocellana were the most abundant species, whilst A. orana, A. rosana and C. pomonella were caught in lower numbers (Fig. 1)

Summary

Introduction

The intensification of agriculture over the last six decades was achieved through an exorbitant use of agrochemical inputs. Whereas this has greatly improved the gross yield, the long-term negative consequences are environmental pollution, pest resistance, loss of biodiversity along with a pronounced decrease of agroecosystem resilience (Rockstrom et al 2017). Landscape simplification accelerated a substantial decrease of local diversity in agroecosystems, which in turn, does not compensate for local high‐intensity management (Tscharntke et al 2005). Ecosystem services and resilience is directly correlated with diversity. We are left with a major challenge to re-establish ecosystem services such as biological control in order to increase the sustainability of crop production (Tittonell 2014)

Methods

Results

Conclusion