Abstract
Introducing insectary plants along with principal crops is an effective way to increase the biological diversity of beneficial insects and improve the stability of ecological equilibrium in agrocenoses and could be an alternative to chemical plant protection, particularly in organic farming. The goal of this study was to determine the effect of white mustard as a companion plant in broad bean cultivation on the occurrence of Aphis fabae Scop., Syrphidae, and Coccinellidae. The study also aimed at finding the optimum row separation of broad bean plants. It also evaluated the effectiveness of the thinning of mustard in a specific time to eliminate excessive competition with the main crop. The results showed that white mustard contributed to visible suppression of A. fabae abundance on broad bean (to the level similar as with the use of chemical protection). S. alba contributed to an increased abundance of hoverflies and lady beetles on broad bean despite the relatively low abundance of their prey, i.e., aphids. Mustard thinning positively affected abundance of larvae and adults of lady beetles as well as improved predator-prey ratio for hoverfly larvae and adult lady beetles. The most appropriate distance between broad bean rows when white mustard was introduced was 65 cm, with the concomitant conduct of mustard thinning when the broad bean plants reached flower bud formation. White mustard can be recommended as an element increasing the role of natural enemies of aphids in mixed crops, however, its strong growth should be taken into account and the plant density should be properly adjusted to avoid excessive competition with main plant.
Highlights
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Introducing plants, those producing large amounts of pollen, along with principal crops is an effective way to increase the biological diversity of beneficial insects and improve the stability of ecological equilibrium in agrocenoses [1,2,3,4]
Emphasis has been given to the high competitiveness of mustard for aboveground parts which leads to a reduction in the yield of faba beans seeds [9]
The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of white mustard as a companion plant in broad bean cultivation on the occurrence of A. fabae, hoverflies, and lady beetles and on the growth of broad bean plants; determine optimum row separation of broad bean plants; and evaluate the effectiveness of thinning of companion plants in a specific time, to eliminate excessive competition with the main crop
Summary
Introducing plants, those producing large amounts of pollen (such as white mustard), along with principal crops is an effective way to increase the biological diversity of beneficial insects and improve the stability of ecological equilibrium in agrocenoses [1,2,3,4]. White mustard (Sinapis alba L.) is known to reduce feeding by some soil pests (e.g., beet cyst eelworm Heterodera schachtii Schmidt) [6,7] Because of their allelopathic properties, the root exudates of this plant have been studied for their potential as proecological herbicides [8]. It is necessary to select the appropriate row spacing between plants cultivated under companion planting system [10,11]
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