Cultivar Mixture Enhances Crop Yield by Decreasing Aphids

Xueying Duan,Zhanhong Ma,Zihua Zhao,Shiye Pan,Feng Gao,Mingyuan Fan,Bingyao Chu

doi:10.3390/agronomy12020335

Xueying Duan, Zhanhong Ma + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12020335

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Abstract

The reduction in biodiversity owing to agricultural intensification has brought negative effects on sustainable crop production in the agro-environment. Plant diversity can help regulate insect pests; however, research that demonstrates that genotypic diversity of multiple varieties with prominent agroecological practices to suppress insect pests and benefit crop yield at agricultural landscapes is limited. To examine the effects of diversity of wheat varieties on aphids and crop productivity, we performed field experiments by designing plots of single (resistant/susceptible) and cultivar mixtures in 2018–2020. The effects of population abundance of cereal aphids (Sitobion miscanthi and Rhopalosiphum padi) and crop yield on resistant and susceptible wheat varieties and mixture of wheat cultivars were determined to reveal the most dominant mixed broadcasting mode in Kaifeng of China. The results showed that cultivar mixture significantly decreased aphid abundance compared with the single varieties (resistant/susceptible). Cultivar mixture had a higher yield compared with the single varieties (resistant/susceptible). Additionally, cultivar mixture had significantly higher thousand-grain weights than susceptible and resistant wheat varieties in 2019 and 2020. Cultivar mixture enhanced wheat yield by decreasing cereal aphids, indicating a bottom-up or top-down effect from genetic diversity to pest abundance. Our results indicated that appropriate cultivar mixtures could manage insect pests to some extent and stabilize crop yield.

Highlights

Wheat is a staple food consumed by 35% of the world’s population, and it occupies an important position in the grain production of China [1]
The aphid abundance in 2019 was significantly higher in the susceptible wheat treatment than in other treatments, and no significant difference was found in aphid abundance
No significant difference was found in aphid between the resdisatnacnet awmhoenagt ttrheeattmhreenettarenadtmtheent5s-c(uFilgtiuvraer 1mAi)x.tTuhree aatvfierrasgt eanadphsiedcoanbudnidna- nce was vestigations

Summary

Introduction

Wheat is a staple food consumed by 35% of the world’s population, and it occupies an important position in the grain production of China [1]. Pest damage can cause an average of 15% reduction in crop production; cereal aphids, corn borers, and rice planthoppers all have unfavorable effects on crop yield [2,3]. Farmers strongly depend on pesticides and chemical fertilizers to improve the yield and quality of crops and use vast monocultures [4,5]. The long-term use of chemical inputs has caused ecological destruction and reduction in ecosystem function and has led to high levels of pesticide resistance and resurgence of insect pests [4]. The reduction in crop diversity owing to agricultural intensification has increased the vulnerability of crops to abiotic and biotic stresses and necessitated the increased dependence on agrochemical inputs [6,7]. Other farming practices are needed to ensure pest management and safe food production for sustainable environmental development [9]

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