Abstract
Identifying the behavior of natural enemies during the crop offseason is a key tool for integrated pest management. The objective of this work was to evaluate the population density of natural enemies of the plants Chloris distichophylla, Andropogon bicornis, and Erianthus angustifolium and to analyze the influence of the structural complexity of these plants on the present population. During the offseasons of 2014, 2015, and 2016, 150 plants of each species were evaluated and subdivided into different clump diameters. The species Lycosa spp., Eriops connexa, Cicloneda sanguinea, Coleomegilla quadrifasciata, Lebia concinna, and Harmonia axyridis were identified. A. bicornis was the plant with the highest population density, followed by C. distichophylla and E. angustifolium. Plants with greater structural complexities sheltered a higher population density of natural enemies.
Highlights
The relationship between insects and host plants is one of the most important interactions between living beings on earth; the processes that formed this interface and the current dynamics are among the most important challenges for ecological research (Lewinsohn, Jorge, & Prado, 2012)
The evaluated plants were subdivided into five different clump diameters, equaling 10 plants for each diameter (5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 cm for C. distichophylla and 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 cm for A. bicornis and E. angustifolium)
The analysis of variance showed a significant interaction between the factors analyzed, and b oth the year and plant species and their respective morphological structure had an influence on the population density of present arthropods
Summary
The relationship between insects and host plants is one of the most important interactions between living beings on earth; the processes that formed this interface and the current dynamics are among the most important challenges for ecological research (Lewinsohn, Jorge, & Prado, 2012) These processes generate positive and negative impacts on agriculture; research data report the use of plants by insects considered pests for crops located in areas adjacent to crops are su ch as soybean, corn and wheat (Klein, Redaelli, & Barcelos, 2012; Pasini, Lúcio, & Ribeiro, 2015; Engel, Pasini, Hörz, & Dalla Nora, 2017). The presence of spontaneous plants can influence the dynamics of natural enemies in and arou nd crops (Altieri, Silva, & Nicholls, 2003)
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