Intercropping for Management of Insect Pests of Castor, Ricinus communis, in the Semi—Arid Tropics of India

Intercropping for Management of Insect Pests of Castor, Ricinus communis, in the Semi—Arid Tropics of India

Intercropping is one of the important cultural practices in pest management and is based on the principle of reducing insect pests by increasing the diversity of an ecosystem. On—farm experiments were conducted in villages of semi—arid tropical (SAT) India to identify the appropriate combination of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of insect science (Tucson, Ariz.) Vol. 12; no. 14; pp. 1 - 10
Main Authors: Srinivasa Rao, M., Rama Rao, C.A., Srinivas, K., Pratibha, G., Vidya Sekhar, S.M., Sree Vani, G., Venkateswarlu, B.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: United States University of Wisconsin Library 01-02-2012
Oxford University Press
Subjects:
Achaea janata
agronomical evaluation
Animals
Arachis hypogaea
Araneae
Beans
Borers
Castor beans
Castor oil plant
Control
Cropping systems
Crops, Agricultural - growth & development
cultural practices
Desert Climate
ecosystem diversity
Empoasca
Euphorbiaceae
gross margin
Growth
India
Insect Control - methods
Insecta
Leaves
Methods
Microplitis
Natural enemies
Pest control
Pests
Ricinus communis
Shoots
India
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Summary:Intercropping is one of the important cultural practices in pest management and is based on the principle of reducing insect pests by increasing the diversity of an ecosystem. On—farm experiments were conducted in villages of semi—arid tropical (SAT) India to identify the appropriate combination of castor (Ricinus communis L.) (Malpighiales: Euphorbiaceae) and intercropping in relation to pest incidence. The diversity created by introducing cluster bean, cowpea, black gram, or groundnut as intercrops in castor (1:2 ratio proportions) resulted in reduction of incidence of insect pests, namely semilooper (Achaea janata L.), leaf hopper (Empoasca flavescens Fabricius), and shoot and capsule borer (Conogethes punctiferalis Guenee). A buildup of natural enemies (Microplitis, coccinellids, and spiders) of the major pests of castor was also observed in these intercropping systems and resulted in the reduction of insect pests. Further, these systems were more efficient agronomically and economically, and were thus more profitable than a castor monocrop.
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Editor: Xinzhi Ni was Editor of this paper.
ISSN:1536-2442
1536-2442
DOI:10.1673/031.012.1401