Parasitoids diversity in organic Sweet Pepper (Capsicum annuum) associated with Basil (Ocimum basilicum) and Marigold (Tagetes erecta )

Abstract

The sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) is one of the most important crops in Brazilian farming. Many insect are related to this crop, compromising the quantity and quality of the fruit, representing a production problem. Vegetable diversification is one of the main elements that can be managed for suppressing undesirable insect populations in organic production, once that supports the presence of natural enemies. The basil Ocimum basilicum L. and the marigold Tagetes erecta L. are attractive and nutritious plants for parasitoids, being important candidates for diversified crops. This study evaluated the parasitoids attracted by the association of basil and marigold to organic sweet pepper crop. The experiment comprised three treatments: a) sweet pepper monoculture; b) sweet pepper and basil intercropping; c) sweet pepper and marigold intercropping. Hymenopteran parasitoids were collected over 14 weeks. 268 individuals from 12 families and 41 taxa were collected. Sweet pepper monoculture, sweet pepper-basil intercropping, and sweet pepper-marigold intercropping hosted 40, 98, and 130 individuals and richness of 24, 24, and 23, respectively. Furthermore, the insects of greater abundance in the basil and marigold were different to those collected in the monoculture. The number of parasitoids increased in the associations of sweet pepper with basil and marigold, providing advantages in the use of vegetable diversification for the organic pepper crops management.

Arthropods inhabiting flowering non-crop plants and adaptive vegetables planted around paddy fields of freshwater swamps of South Sumatra, Indonesia

“…The marigold yellow color is an attraction for parasitoids to perch and suck the nectar. The shape and color of marigolds are the most ideal for parasitoids looking for food (Souza et al 2019). Several types of parasitoid Brassicaceae pests found inhabiting marigolds, for example, the Family Braconidae, Ichneumonidae, Eulophidae, and Pteromalidae (Velcheva et al 2017) and Tachinidae (Razmi et al 201).…”

Diversity, Abundance, and Distribution Patterns of Natural Enemy Insects on Chili (Capsicum annum L.) in Bincau Village, Banjar Regency, South Kalimantan

“…It follows the research results reported by Putra & Utami (2020), who researched chili plants in Wiyoro Village, Banguntapan District, Bantul Regency, Yogyakarta Special Region. Souza et al (2019) investigated red chili plantations in Pakem District, Sleman Regency, Yogyakarta Special Region, that the three families are natural enemy insect families that dominate in chili plantations. Furthermore, Souza et al (2019) added that the diversity of natural enemy insects in chili plants is indeed low, namely that only a few species are found consisting of one family.…”

Dolichopodidae abundance in different cover crop species

“…Regarding the Dolichopodidae family, there is no consensus in the existing literature regarding visitation behavior to plants with floral resources (KEVAN & BAKER, 1983;JAMEs et al, 2014;PAIVA et al, 2018), suggesting that this behavior can vary according to the predator taxonomic level. Although, several plants may present resources of interest to natural enemies, cover crops have recently stood out (LUO et al, 2019;sOUZA et al, 2019), indicating their potential to be an essential tool in integrated pest management. The use of cover crops in agriculture has another benefit due to its importance in improving the physico-chemical properties of the soil (JUNIOR-ARAÚJO et al, 2015).…”