Abstract
Plant diversification mitigates colonization by herbivorous insects in agricultural systems. Tomato and sweet corn generate raw material, for industrial processing, with outstanding production in Goiás state, Brazil. Yet, little is known about the potential of sweet corn as a companion plant for sucking insects, and natural enemies, in tomato plants. We collected pests and natural enemies in tomato (pre-flowering stage) plants under three treatments: isolated tomato plants (T1), tomato plants with sweet corn in the border (T2), and tomato plants with polyculture (garlic, lettuce, and squash) in the border (T3). The insects were collected by yellow sticky traps. Dalbulus maidis (29.52%), Frankliniella schultzei (23.90%), F. occidentalis (18.72%) and Myzus persicae (15.20%) corresponded to 87.34% of the total insects collected. Tomato plants cultivated with sweet corn on the border had lower infestation of the thrips, F. schultzei as well as the aphid M. persicae. The number of D. maidis and F. occidentalis adults did not change according to the treatments. Diabrotica speciosa and Astylus variegatus were more collected in tomato plants with adjacent sweet corn. Predators and parasitoids represented only 6.62% of the total abundance. Cycloneda sanguinea and parasitoids were more collected in tomato plants with polyculture (T3). Tomato with sweet corn or polyculture favored the abundance of the predator Sphaerophoria scripta. Considerations around the control of insect pests and the sustenance of natural enemies in tomato plants, with sweet corn acting as a companion plant, in the pre-flowering stage of that Solanaceae, are demonstrated.
Highlights
Production of tomatoes for processing sauces, extracts, juices and other by-products has a striking spot in Goiás state, Brazil (Carvalho & Pagliuca, 2007)
A total of 994.25 insects was captured when the tomato was grown with adjacent polyculture (T3) during the experimental period. This value decreased to 569 insects on T2 and increased to 771.50 insects on T1 (P = 0.02) (Figure 2). These results indicate sweet corn was able to retain insects avoiding its colonization in tomato plants
The environmental complexity built at the present study favored insect diversity in industrial tomato fields
Summary
Production of tomatoes for processing sauces, extracts, juices and other by-products has a striking spot in Goiás state, Brazil (Carvalho & Pagliuca, 2007). This increase was boosted in the last decades due to the installation of agroindustries that benefit this raw material. The infestation of insects and tropical diseases, besides privation of technologies to manage crops, are genuine obstacles to industrial tomato production in Brazil. This scenario justifies high tomato rates of imports by processing industries to satisfy the growing demand (Silva et al, 2003). More improved versions of this system include the jas.ccsenet.org
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