ISHS Acta Horticulturae 558: I International Symposium on Litchi and Longan
GROUND COVER PLANTS IN A LITCHI-FORAGE COMPLEX |
| Authors: | D.G. Liu, B.L. Tan, M.D. Huang, R.J. Zhang |
| Keywords: | arthropod community, Desmodium intortum, diversity, IPM |
| Abstract:
The arthropod communities and microclimate in a litchi-forage complex system was compared with a simple system, where cover plants were removed. The dominance of major pests and natural enemies was lower in the complex system than that in the simple system. Geometrid larvae were the most common pests in both systems. In comparison with the simple system, there was a decrease in the percentage of phytophagous insects including major pests in the complex system, accompanied by increases in spiders, parasitoids, predators, polyphagous and other insects. There was also higher species richness, abundance, evenness, and diversity of arthropods. Relative humidity was higher and temperatures near the ground was also lower during summer and fall. Use of the litchi-forage complex system has proved to be a good approach for conserving and utilizing arthropod diversity in orchards. | |
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