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Insects
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Pest Management in Sustainable Farming Systems
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Pest Management in Sustainable Farming Systems

A special issue of Insects (ISSN 2075-4450).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2019) | Viewed by 30834

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Finbarr Horgan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Centre for Pesticide Suicide Prevention, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
2. BHF Centre for Cardiovascular Science, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, UK
3. EcoLaVerna Integral Restoration Ecology, Bridestown, Kildinan, Cork, Ireland
4. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestales, Universidad Católica del Maule, Escuela de Agronomía, Casilla 7-D, Curicó, Chile
Interests: herbivory and herbivore ecology; insect ecology; pollinators; dung beetles; conservation; crop and grassland entomology; wildlife-friendly farming
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Driven by the need to achieve global food security, and faced by growing concerns with resource depletion, researchers are challenged to design farming systems that achieve both economic and environmental sustainability. These systems must avoid pest damage while reducing the use of chemical pesticides. Authors are invited to submit research papers describing methods of pest control for clearly specified, sustainable farming systems. Papers may focus on any part of the knowledge-to-action pipeline. Research on management interventions that apply knowledge of the behaviours and/or ecology of harmful and beneficial insects are particularly welcome. Papers may also consider natural biocides approved or destined for organic agriculture, or innovations that clearly focus on reducing insecticide applications. Biological control agents can be regarded in a broad sense by including seed predators for weed control, or decomposers that reduce populations of nuisance flies. Papers should address aspects of sustainability by highlighting the comparative productivity and/or profitability advantages associated with their subject interventions.

Dr. Finbarr Horgan
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Insects is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biological control
  • decision support systems
  • ecological engineering
  • ecological intensification
  • integrated pest management
  • one health
  • organic agriculture
  • pheromones
  • silvopastoral systems

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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28 pages, 3493 KiB  
Article
Effects of Vegetation Strips, Fertilizer Levels and Varietal Resistance on the Integrated Management of Arthropod Biodiversity in a Tropical Rice Ecosystem
by Finbarr G. Horgan, Eduardo Crisol Martínez, Alexander M. Stuart, Carmencita C. Bernal, Elena de Cima Martín, Maria Liberty P. Almazan and Angelee Fame Ramal
Insects 2019, 10(10), 328; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects10100328 - 1 Oct 2019
Cited by 35 | Viewed by 4516
Abstract
Integrated biodiversity management aims to conserve the beneficial species components of production ecosystems and reduce the impacts of pests. In 2011 and 2013, experiments were conducted at Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines, to compare arthropod communities in rice plots and on levees with and [...] Read more.
Integrated biodiversity management aims to conserve the beneficial species components of production ecosystems and reduce the impacts of pests. In 2011 and 2013, experiments were conducted at Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines, to compare arthropod communities in rice plots and on levees with and without vegetation strips. Vegetation strips included spontaneous weeds, sesame and okra (2011), or mung bean (2013). The plots were treated with one of three nitrogen levels and in one experiment were planted with planthopper-resistant (IR62) and susceptible (IR64) rice varieties. Parasitoids and predators of lepidopteran pests and of the ricebug, Leptocorisa oratorius, were more abundant in high-nitrogen rice plots where their prey/hosts also had highest densities. Planthoppers and leafhoppers were more abundant in low-nitrogen plots. Weedy and sesame/okra bunds provided habitat for a range of natural enemies including spiders, parasitoids and predatory bugs, but did not have higher pest numbers than cleared bunds. Higher abundances of the predator Cythorhinus lividipennis and higher parasitism of planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens) eggs by Anagrus sp. were associated with sesame/okra bunds in late season rice plots. Mung bean also provided habitat for key predators and parasitoids that spilled over to adjacent rice; however, mung bean was also associated with higher numbers of lepidopteran and grain-sucking pests in the adjacent rice, albeit without increased damage to the rice. For ricebug in particular, damage was probably reduced by higher parasitoid:pest ratios adjacent to the vegetation strips. Varietal resistance and mung bean strips had an additive effect in reducing abundance of the planthopper Sogatella furcifera and the leafhopper Nephotettix virescens. Reduced numbers of these latter pests close to vegetation strips were often compensated for by other plant-sucking bugs, thereby increasing the intensity of potentially stabilizing interspecific interactions such as competition. We highlight the benefits of diversifying rice landscapes and the need to optimize vegetation strips, e.g., by including lepidopteran trap-plants, for intensive rice production systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pest Management in Sustainable Farming Systems)
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14 pages, 1396 KiB  
Article
Diverging Effects of Landscape Factors and Inter-Row Management on the Abundance of Beneficial and Herbivorous Arthropods in Andalusian Vineyards (Spain)
by Christine Judt, Gema Guzmán, José A. Gómez, José M. Cabezas, José A. Entrenas, Silvia Winter, Johann G. Zaller and Daniel Paredes
Insects 2019, 10(10), 320; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects10100320 - 26 Sep 2019
Cited by 25 | Viewed by 4010
Abstract
Land use at landscape and field scales can increase the diversity and abundance of natural enemies for pest control. In this study, we investigated interactions between landscape elements (semi-natural vegetation, olive orchards, vineyards, other agricultural areas) and inter-row management (vegetation cover vs. bare [...] Read more.
Land use at landscape and field scales can increase the diversity and abundance of natural enemies for pest control. In this study, we investigated interactions between landscape elements (semi-natural vegetation, olive orchards, vineyards, other agricultural areas) and inter-row management (vegetation cover vs. bare soil) in relation to arthropod populations in Andalusian vineyards. Arthropods were collected from grapevine foliage in 15 vineyards using suction sampling. Landscape structure was analyzed within a 750 m radius surrounding the studied vineyards. Arthropods were categorized into functional groups (predators, parasitoids, herbivores), and their responses to the most influencing factors were analyzed by likelihood methods and model selection. Of the total of 650 arthropods collected, 48% were predators, 33% herbivores and 19% parasitoids. Numbers of predatory aeolothrips, parasitoids and herbivorous cicadas in the study vineyards decreased with an increased proportion of vineyards in the surroundings. Spider populations in vineyards increased with increasing proportions of other agricultural fields (non-flowering crops) in the surroundings. Semi-natural elements and olive orchards had no influence on the abundance of collected arthropods. We observed synergistic effects between landscape elements and inter-row management. The total numbers of arthropods, herbivores and parasitoids in vineyards benefitted from inter-row vegetation, while spiders benefitted from bare soil. Our findings underline the importance of both surrounding landscape elements and vineyard ground cover management to promote beneficial arthropods for potential natural pest control. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pest Management in Sustainable Farming Systems)
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11 pages, 275 KiB  
Article
Interactions between Fungal-Infected Helicoverpa armigera and the Predator Chrysoperla externa
by Pamella Mingotti Dias, Elisângela de Souza Loureiro, Luis Gustavo Amorim Pessoa, Francisco Mendes de Oliveira Neto, Ricardo Alexandre de Souza Tosta and Paulo Eduardo Teodoro
Insects 2019, 10(10), 309; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects10100309 - 20 Sep 2019
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3416
Abstract
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the interactions between Chrysoperla externa (Hagen, 1861) and the eggs and first-instar larvae of Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner 1805) infected by entomopathogenic fungi. The H. armigera eggs and larvae were treated with sterile distilled water [...] Read more.
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the interactions between Chrysoperla externa (Hagen, 1861) and the eggs and first-instar larvae of Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner 1805) infected by entomopathogenic fungi. The H. armigera eggs and larvae were treated with sterile distilled water + 0.01% Tween 80 (T1, control), Beauveria bassiana (Bals.) Vuill (T2), Metarhizium anisopliae (Metsch.) Sorok (T3), or Metarhizium rileyi (Farlow) Samson. (T4) at different concentrations (1 × 107, 1 × 108, and 1 × 109 con. mL−1). For each treatment, a single third-instar C. externa was offered prey (a combination of 80 eggs and 50 first-instar H. armigera larvae) at 0, 24, and 48 h after inoculation. Ten trials were completed for each treatment, and the entire experiment was repeated three times. Neither the concentrations of fungi nor the application method affected consumption by C. externa. Because all the predator larvae reached the pupal phase, with 100% viability in adults, these results suggest that entomopathogenic fungi and C. externa are compatible and that the simultaneous use of these biological control agents is possible for managing H. armigera. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pest Management in Sustainable Farming Systems)
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16 pages, 918 KiB  
Article
Impact Assessment of Biological Control-Based Integrated Pest Management in Rice and Maize in the Greater Mekong Subregion
by Dirk Babendreier, Min Wan, Rui Tang, Rui Gu, Justice Tambo, Zhi Liu, Manfred Grossrieder, Monica Kansiime, Anna Wood, Feng Zhang and Dannie Romney
Insects 2019, 10(8), 226; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects10080226 - 30 Jul 2019
Cited by 23 | Viewed by 5606
Abstract
The impact and sustainability of two interventions that have been formulated to introduce integrated pest management (IPM) into rice and maize crops in Southwestern China, Laos, and Myanmar between 2011 and 2016, and were assessed at the end of 2017. From 22 Trichogramma [...] Read more.
The impact and sustainability of two interventions that have been formulated to introduce integrated pest management (IPM) into rice and maize crops in Southwestern China, Laos, and Myanmar between 2011 and 2016, and were assessed at the end of 2017. From 22 Trichogramma rearing facilities established during the interventions, 11 were still producing substantial quantities of biocontrol agents 1.5 years after project support had ended, while seven had stopped operations completely, and four were doing stock rearing only. Through the implementation of biological control-based IPM, slightly higher yields were achieved in maize and rice (4–10%), when compared to control farmers, but the difference was not statistically significant. However, the use of pesticides nearly halved when farmers started using Trichogramma egg-cards as a biological control agent. Support from either public or private institutions was found to be important for ensuring the sustainability of Trichogramma rearing facilities. Many of the suggested IPM measures were not adopted by smallholder farmers, indicating that the positive impacts of the interventions mostly resulted from the application of Trichogramma biological control agents. The following assessment suggests that further promotion of IPM adoption among farmers is needed to upscale the already positive effects of interventions that facilitate reductions in synthetic pesticide use, and the effects on sustainable agricultural production of rice and maize in the target area more generally. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pest Management in Sustainable Farming Systems)
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18 pages, 1720 KiB  
Article
Carry-Over Niches for Lepidopteran Maize Stemborers and Associated Parasitoids during Non-Cropping Season
by Bonoukpoè Mawuko Sokame, François Rebaudo, Boaz Musyoka, Julius Obonyo, Duna Madu Mailafiya, Bruno Pierre Le Ru, Dora Chao Kilalo, Gerald Juma and Paul-André Calatayud
Insects 2019, 10(7), 191; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects10070191 - 28 Jun 2019
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3642
Abstract
Sources of infestation are the key elements to be considered in the development of habitat management techniques for the control of maize stemborers. Several wild plants, grasses mostly, have been identified that serve as hosts for stemborers and their parasitoids during the off-season [...] Read more.
Sources of infestation are the key elements to be considered in the development of habitat management techniques for the control of maize stemborers. Several wild plants, grasses mostly, have been identified that serve as hosts for stemborers and their parasitoids during the off-season when maize is not present in the field. However, their abundance is much lower in wild plants compared to cultivated fields. Thus, the role of wild plants as a reservoir for cereal stemborers and their parasitoids is still controversial, particularly in agro-ecosystems with reduced wild habitat. We studied the occurrence of different maize stemborers and associated parasitoids in maize stem residues and wild grasses during non-cropping seasons as potential carry-over populations to subsequent early season maize plants. Surveys were conducted in the central region of Kenya during long and short dry seasons in maize residues and wild grasses as well as during the two rainy seasons in maize plants at earlier and late whorl stages during the years of 2017 and 2018. Wild habitat had a higher species diversity than maize residues habitat, but maize residues had a higher abundance of maize stemborer species, such as Busseola fusca, Sesamia calamistis, and Chilo partellus, and of associated parasitoid species (i.e., Cotesia flavipes and Cotesia sesamiae) than wild plants. Our surveys, complemented by field parasitoid releases of C. flavipes and C. sesamiae, indicated that maize residues constitute a better refugia reservoir not only of the maize stemborers but also of C. flavipes and C. sesamiae during non-cropping seasons as compared to wild plants and, thus, might constitute in this region the main source of both stemborers and C. flavipes/C. sesamiae carry-over in maize plants during the subsequent cropping season. Thus, systematic destruction of maize residues would not help the biological control of lepidopteran stemborers. This is particularly true in areas with reduced wild habitat. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pest Management in Sustainable Farming Systems)
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14 pages, 2704 KiB  
Article
The ‘Botanical Triad’: The Presence of Insectary Plants Enhances Natural Enemy Abundance on Trap Crop Plants in an Organic Cabbage Agro-Ecosystem
by Binita Shrestha, Deborah L. Finke and Jaime C. Piñero
Insects 2019, 10(6), 181; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects10060181 - 22 Jun 2019
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 5850
Abstract
Habitat manipulation through the incorporation of non-crop plants such as trap crops (to lure pests away from the cash crop) and insectary plants (to provide resources for natural enemies) into agro-ecosystems is an ecological approach to pest management. In a field-scale study, we [...] Read more.
Habitat manipulation through the incorporation of non-crop plants such as trap crops (to lure pests away from the cash crop) and insectary plants (to provide resources for natural enemies) into agro-ecosystems is an ecological approach to pest management. In a field-scale study, we quantified the effects of integrating the use of trap crops with insectary plants as a novel method to control pest herbivores in an organic cabbage agro-ecosystem. We hypothesized that pests would be concentrated in the trap crop habitat and suppressed by insectary-subsidized natural enemies in situ. We documented arthropod abundance (both adults and immature stages) associated with (1) two insectary plant species (sweet alyssum, Lobularia maritima, and buckwheat, Fagopyrum esculentum) either alone or in combination; (2) a trap crop mixture of mighty mustard (Brassica juncea), red Russian kale (Brassica oleracea var. acephala), and glossy collards (Brassica oleracea var. italica), and (3) cabbage cash crop (Brassica oleracea var. capitata). Trap crops were more attractive to pests than the cash crop. On a per-plant basis, densities of the herbivores Evergestis rimosalis, Trichoplusia ni, and Plutella xylostella were 154, 37, and 161× greater on the kale trap crop than on the cabbage cash crop, and 54, 18, and 89× greater on the collards trap crop than on the cash crop. Insectary plants contributed to the consumption of pests that aggregated on the trap crop. Parasitism of E. rimosalis by the braconid wasp Cotesia orobenae was significantly increased, and the abundance of eggs and larvae of the predatory coccinellid beetle Coleomegilla maculata was greater on the trap crop in the presence of insectary plants compared to trap crops that lacked insectary plants. The ‘Botanical Triad’ of cash crop, trap crop, and insectary plants represents a new type of agro-ecosystem manipulation that integrates ecosystem service providers (e.g., predators and parasitoids) within the cropping system. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pest Management in Sustainable Farming Systems)
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Review

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23 pages, 401 KiB  
Review
Current Knowledge of the Entomopathogenic Fungal Species Metarhizium flavoviride Sensu Lato and Its Potential in Sustainable Pest Control
by Franciska Tóthné Bogdányi, Renáta Petrikovszki, Adalbert Balog, Barna Putnoky-Csicsó, Anita Gódor, János Bálint and Ferenc Tóth
Insects 2019, 10(11), 385; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects10110385 - 2 Nov 2019
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3043
Abstract
Fungal entomopathogens are gaining increasing attention as alternatives to chemical control of arthropod pests, and the literature on their use under different conditions and against different species keeps expanding. Our review compiles information regarding the entomopathogenic fungal species Metarhizium flavoviride (Gams and Rozsypal [...] Read more.
Fungal entomopathogens are gaining increasing attention as alternatives to chemical control of arthropod pests, and the literature on their use under different conditions and against different species keeps expanding. Our review compiles information regarding the entomopathogenic fungal species Metarhizium flavoviride (Gams and Rozsypal 1956) (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) and gives account of the natural occurrences and target arthropods that can be controlled using M. flavoviride. Taxonomic problems around M. flavoviride species sensu lato are explained. Bioassays, laboratory and field studies examining the effect of fermentation, culture regimes and formulation are compiled along with studies on the effect of the fungus on target and non-target organisms and presenting the effect of management practices on the use of the fungus. Altogether, we provide information to help conducting basic studies, and by pointing out relatively uncharted territories, help to set new research areas. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pest Management in Sustainable Farming Systems)
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