Enhancing floral and habitat diversity for augmenting natural enemies in rice ecosystem of Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India
118 / 11
Authors
-
R Nalini
-
S Porpavai
Abstract
Field experiments on "Enhancing floral and habitat diversity for augmenting natural enemies in Thanjavur rice belt" was conducted during kharif (2017 and 2018) and rabi (2017). In habitat diversified rice crop, the main crop of rice was maintained along with flowering vegetation in field bunds viz., cowpea, green gram, black gram, sunflower, gingelly, bhendi, cluster bean, maize and marigold. Weeds mainly from Umbelliferae, Leguminosae and Compositae that support natural enemies were also maintained adjacent to rice bunds. Noncrop
habitat included straw heaps on rice bunds. Daincha was planted in rogue spacing and bird perches installed to encourage both the natural enemies and insectivorous birds. The mean value of insect pest population was about 56 per cent lower in habitat diversified rice crop (7.39 insects /5 sweeps) than that of pure rice crop (16.87 insects /5 sweeps). In the case of mean value of natural enemy population, habitat diversified rice crop (26.74 individuals /5 sweeps) recorded two times higher population than that of pure rice crop (13.40 individuals /5 sweeps). In habitat diversified rice crop the pest-defender ratio was high in all the periods of observation compared to pure rice crop. The mean pest:defender ratio was 1: 3.74 in habitat diversified rice crop as compared to 1: 0.89 in pure rice crop. The mean grain yield recorded was 4.99 t/ha in habitat diversified rice crop as compared to 4.36 t/ha in pure rice crop. In habitat diversified rice crop, the per cent increased grain yield recorded over pure rice crop ranged from 10.43 to 21.18.Crop diversification and non-crop habitats certainly encouraged natural biological control by supplementing food resource and shelter. Over the years complex food web would persist leading to sustainable and ecofriendly insect pest management in rice ecosystem.
References
Altieri MA (1999). The Ecological Role of Biodiversity in
Agroecosystems. Agriculture, Ecosystems &
Environment. 74: 19-31 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/
S0167-8809(99)00028-6
Altieri MA and Letourneau DL (1982). Vegetation
management and biological control in agro
ecosystems. Crop Prot. 1: 405-430
Altieri MA and Nicholls CI (2004). Biodiversity and Pest
Management in Agroecosystems (2nd ed.). Food
Products Press, ISBN 1560229255, New York
Beizhou S, Jie Z, Jinghui H,Hongying W, Yun K and Yuncong
Y (2011). Temporal dynamics of the arthropod
community in pear orchards intercropped with
aromatic plants. Pest Management Science 67(9):
-1114
Corbett A (1998). The importance of movement in the
response of natural enemies to habitatmanipulation.
In: Pickett CH, Buggs RL, editors. Enhancing
biological control. Berkeley, Calif. (USA),
University of California Press pp. 25-48
Das PK, Mathur KC and Natarajan K (1987). Natural enemies
of rice and grass gall midges. Indian J. Agric. Sci.
(12): 915-919
FAO. 2016. Rice Market Monitor, 19(1): 37
Fao.org/faostat/en/#data/EP
Hogg BN, Bugg RL and Daane KM (2011). Attractiveness of
common insectary and harvestable floral resources
to beneficial insects. Biological Control 56: 76-84
Johnson NF and Triplehorn CA (2005). Borror and DeLong's
Introduction to the Study of Insects (7th edition),
Brooks Cole ISBN 0030968356, Belmont
Lan LP, HuyenNPD, Quang NK and Minh NV (2001). Habitat
diversity: An approach to the preservation of
natural enemies of the tropical irrigated rice insect
pests. In: Mew, T.W., Borromeo, E., Hardy, B. (eds.)
Exploiting diversity for sustainable pest
management. Proceedings of the impact symposium
on exploiting biodiversity for sustainable pest
Floral and habitat diversity for augmenting rice natural enemies Nalini and Porpavai
ï² 293 ï²
management, 21st - 23rd August, 2000, Kumming.
International Rice Research Institute, Los Banos
pp. 51-63
Sheehan W (1986). Response by specialist and generalist
natural enemies to agroecosystemdiversification:
a selective review. Environ. Entomol. 15: 456-461
TNAU Crop Production Guide (2012). Dept. of Agriculture,
Govt. of Tamil Nadu and Tamil Nadu Agricultural
University, Coimbatore pp. 40 -48
Vaithilingam R (2015). Policy Note- Department of
Agriculture, Government of Tamil Nadu
van Rijn PCJ and Sabelis MW (2005). The impact of plantprovided
food on herbivore-carnivore dynamics,
In: Plant-Provided Food for Carnivorous Insects: A
ProtectiveMutualism and its Applications, eds. F.L.
Wäckers, P.C.J. van Rijn & J. Bruin, pp. 223-266,
Cambridge University Press, ISBN 9780521819411,
Cambridge
Wäckers FL, van Rijn PCJ and Bruin J (2005). Plant-provided
food for carnivorous insects: A protective
mutualism and its applications, Cambridge
University Press, ISBN9780521819411, Cambridge
Wäckers FL, van Rijn PCJ and Heimpel GE (2008). Honeydew
as a food source fornatural enemies: Making the
best of a bad meal? Biological Control 45: 176-184
Way MJ and Heong KL (1994). The role of biodiversity in
the dynamics and management of insectpests of
tropical irrigated rice: A review. Bull. Entomol. Res.
: 567-587
Xiaoping Y, Heong KL, Cui H and Barrion AT (1995). Role of
non-rice habitats for conserving eggparasitoids of
rice planthoppers and leafhoppers. In: Hokyo N,
Norton G, editors. Proceedingsof the International
Workshop on Pest Management Strategies in Asian
MonsoonAgroecosystem (Kumamoto, 1995). pp.
-77