Research Project
Full description Floral strips can support natural enemy communities in agriculture, which in turn can suppress pest populations and thereby improve crop yields. Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) floral strips were added to experimental plots of organic green beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) in subtropical Australia and paired with control plots, without floral strips, to determine their impact on arthropod communities, crop yields, and pest control costs. Crop yields were higher, and costs of pest control lower in plots with floral strips compared to control plots. However, this was not explained by an increased abundance or diversity of natural enemies or a decreased abundance of pests (=all herbivores). Natural enemy communities were also similar between buckwheat floral strips and the crop, suggesting that the floral strips support natural enemy communities already present within crops. Semi-natural edge habitat, adjacent to control plots, however, had a unique community of both predators and parasitoids, which may not impact pest control within the crop. These results suggest that higher crop yields can be achieved with reduced inputs, such as insecticides, by adding floral strips to crops. The mechanisms by which floral strips support these increased crop yields may be explained by other ecosystem services like pollination and future investigations should consider this alongside conservation biological control when measuring these relationships.