Tithonia diversifolia as a banker plant for beneficial arthropods protecting sugarcane fields from the Yellow Sugarcane Aphids in Tanzania
To find sustainable ways to protect its sugarcane areas from the key pest Sipha flava (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in north Tanzania, the local company TPC Limited funded a 6-months project in coordination with CIRAD to assess different agroecological practices, such as the use of companion plants around sugarcane fields. In this study, the influence of the flowering species Tithonia diversifolia located at the field edges as a potential banker plant for conservation biological control of the yellow sugarcane aphid was evaluated. Predatory species were identified by direct capture and/or regular observations, and the intensity of aphid damage was evaluated through number of colonies. Twenty-four aphid predator species were identified being hosted by T. diversifolia, and the vicinity of this plant reduced by 86 % the number of S. flava colonies in the sugarcane edges. These species belonged mostly to family Coccinellidae (ladybugs), Syrphidae (hoverflies), Chrysopidae (green lacewings), Dolichopodidae (long legged flies). This is the first paper evaluating T. diversifolia's potential as a banker plant in sugarcane crops for pest control.
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | conference_item biblioteca |
| Language: | eng |
| Published: |
IOBC-WPRS
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| Online Access: | http://agritrop.cirad.fr/609030/ http://agritrop.cirad.fr/609030/1/p.%2070%20of%20IOBC%20report.pdf |
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