Assessing risks and benefits of floral supplements in conservation biological control

By K. Winkler, Felix L. Wäckers, A. Termorshuizen, J. C. Lenteren. BioControl (Dordrecht), 2010

98 citations recorded by the source corpus.

The use of flowering field margins is often proposed as a method to support biological control in agro-ecosystems. In addition to beneficial insects, many herbivores depend on floral food as well. The indiscriminate use of flowering species in field margins can therefore lead to higher pest numbers. Based on results from field observations and laboratory experiments we assessed risks as well as benefits associated with the provision of nectar plants in field margins, using Brussels sprouts as a model system. Results show that Brussels sprouts bordered by nectar plants suitable for the cabbage white Pieris rapae L., suffered higher infestation levels by this herbivore. In contrast, nectar plants providing accessible nectar for the diamondback moth Plutella xylostella L., did not raise densities of P. xylostella larvae in the Brassica crop. Margins with Anethum graveolens L., selected on the basis of its suitability as nectar plant for parasitoids, significantly increased the number of adult Diadegma semiclausum Hellén in the crop. This didn’t translate into enhanced parasitism rates, as parasitism of P. xylostella by D. semiclausum exceeded 65 % in all treatments, irrespective of the plants in the field margin. Our findings emphasize the importance of taking a multitrophic approach when choosing flowering field margin plants for biocontrol or other ecosystem services.

Subfields: Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, Insect Science

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/323e3659eb2adc6ac54dbfdbc2e97e8b59bf4b74

How researchers see this paper

The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.

In Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

1. S. Wratten
2. G. Gurr
3. Felix L. Wäckers
4. M. Gillespie
5. A. Campbell
6. A. Wilby
7. P. Sutton
8. W. E. Snyder

In Insect Science

1. S. Wratten
2. G. Gurr
3. Felix L. Wäckers
4. M. Gillespie
5. A. Campbell
6. A. Wilby
7. G. Bazzocchi
8. P. Sutton

Citations in the corpus

• Do sown flower strips boost wild pollinator abundance and pollination services in a spring-flowering crop? A case study from UK cider apple orchards (2017, background): “…flowering vegetation or naturally regenerated 93 vegetation may be ineffective in supporting key groups of beneficial insects 94 (Campbell et al., 2012; Olson and Wäckers, 2007) and may also generate negative 95 effects, such as increased pest problems (Wäckers et al., 2007; Winkler et al., 2010).”
• Beyond nectar provision: the other resource requirements of parasitoid biological control agents (2016, background): “The effect is not always consistent (Berndt et al., 2002; Lee & Heimpel, 2005; Winkler et al., 2010), perhaps because some parasitoids are not limited by sugar supply in the field (Heimpel & Jervis, 2005).”
• Features and Functions of Multifunctional Urban Agriculture in the Global North: A Review (2020, background): “Moreover, not all biodiversity is necessarily “desired”: some pests and pathogens are polyphagous and can benefit from vegetational diversification, and potentially dangerous mosquitos can proliferate due to the presence of stagnant water for irrigation (Winkler et al., 2010).”