Intercropping shifts the balance between generalist arthropod predators and oilseed pests towards natural pest control

Abstract

Pest management in intensive crop production currently underutilizes natural biological control, and frequently results in pesticide application. Intercropping modifies physical and ecological conditions in the field and alters the predator-prey dynamics to potentially benefit generalist arthropod predators. We investigated the assemblages of ground-dwelling arthropod predators and crop pests of spring turnip rape (Brassica rapa L. ssp. oleifera) and faba bean (Vicia faba L.) in a replicated two-year field experiment. Pitfall traps and pan traps were used to sample arthropod predators and pests. Arthropod assemblages were compared between intercropping and monocropping systems to illustrate the changes. Intercropping was associated with lower abundance of turnip rape pests compared with monoculture. The total abundance of ground-dwelling predators did not differ between cropping systems. Carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) and spiders (Araneae) were the dominant generalist predator taxa. Faba bean monoculture supported the highest abundance of harvestmen (Opiliones) and the lowest abundance of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). The turnip rape monoculture had the highest abundance of spiders in the first year but not in the second. The abundance and species assemblage of carabids indicated a response to season progress but not to cropping system. The abundance of turnip rape pests reflected host crop proportions in each cropping system. Because the cropping method had no significant impact on predator abundance, intercropping potentially facilitated natural biological control resulting from a higher ratio of ground-dwelling predators to pests. Differential within-season dynamics among abundant predator taxa also implied a temporal shift in predation characteristics, and hence, vulnerability of crop production to pest injuries. To utilize natural biological control more effectively at the field scale, intercropping with no shared pests between crops, minimal chemical pest control, and heterogeneous agricultural landscapes are needed.