Premium
Predation pressure in U gandan cotton fields measured by a sentinel prey method
Author(s) -
Howe Andy G.,
Nachman Gösta,
Lövei Gábor L.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
entomologia experimentalis et applicata
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.765
H-Index - 83
eISSN - 1570-7458
pISSN - 0013-8703
DOI - 10.1111/eea.12267
Subject(s) - predation , biology , plasticine , intercropping , monocropping , habitat , pest analysis , biological pest control , ecology , herbivore , ecosystem , crop , lepidoptera genitalia , natural enemies , agronomy , botany , agriculture , cropping , petrology , geology
Pest suppression by natural enemies is an important ecosystem service, which is a valuable resource to poor smallholders in developing countries. Diverse natural enemy assemblages of arthropod predators and parasitoids are documented in various regions in A frica, but our knowledge of their impact on herbivores in agroecosystems remains limited. We conducted experiments in cotton, G ossypium hirsutum L . ( M alvaceae), under typical local agronomic practices in Uganda to assess levels of predation pressure ascribed to natural enemies. We measured predation rates on artificial caterpillars made of plasticine glued to cotton plants. Predation pressure on cotton fields varied between 1.96 and 4.1% per day, but was not significantly influenced by cotton treatments (insecticide/no insecticide, monocropping/intercropping with P haseolus spp.). Predation pressure in non‐crop habitats adjacent to cotton fields was up to 12× higher than in the fields. Marks left on the artificial caterpillars revealed that arthropods and birds were largely accountable for predation in cotton fields, whereas arthropods and small mammals were dominant in non‐cultivated habitats.