![]() The “resource concentration hypothesis” posits that less diverse systems are susceptible to insect pest damage because these large clusters of resources (e.g., monocultures) are easier for pests to locate. The “enemies hypothesis” states that more natural enemies should be found in diverse plantings because of greater availability of alternative food, shelter, and habitat. Root (1973) formulated two hypotheses that are central to understanding how diversity influences insect populations in agroecosystems. However, the interactions among vegetation, natural enemies, alternative prey, and pests are not thoroughly understood and more research is needed to understand the complexities of these relationships. These three communities have close and complex relationships with the vegetation found in these systems. When considering biological control within agroecosystems, there are essentially three interacting arthropod communities of interest: plant-feeding pests, natural enemies, and alternative prey. What differentiates agroecosystems from natural ecosystems is the degree of human input ( Gliessman 1990). It is important to remember that the primary objective in any agroecosystem is crop production, and that these crops are susceptible to but also reliant on the same processes found in natural ecosystems these processes include trophic interactions, predator–prey dynamics, plant species competition, successional dynamics, and nutrient cycling ( Hecht 1987). Therefore, the primary goal of farmscaping should be to shift the ecological balance back toward a more favorable equilibrium to improve pest control ( Norris 1986). ![]() The perturbation of natural processes in simplified systems has a tendency to shift the ecological balance to favor pests ( Altieri and Letourneau 1982). The AgroecosystemĪn agroecosytem can be thought of as a community of living organisms in conjunction with the nonliving components of their environment, interacting as a system that has been modified by humans to produce food, fiber, or other agricultural products ( Waltner-Toews 1996). For example, trap crops work to attract pest species away from a cash crop, not as a mechanism to attract and conserve natural enemies.Īdult imported cabbageworm butterflies ( P. However, it is important to note that while some overlap exists among techniques, the primary goals of each are slightly different. The term farmscaping is more commonly referred to as “conservation biological control or ecological engineering” and has been broadened to incorporate other types of companion plantings such as: 1) living mulches or trap crops 2) fence rows or borders 3) island patches within rows or occupying entire rows spaced at regular intervals within the field or 4) herb or flower cash crops intercropped with vegetable or fruit crops ( Gurr et al. A technique common in conservation agriculture is farmscaping, which refers to the arrangement or configuration of plants that promote biological pest management by attracting and sustaining beneficial organisms ( Bugg and Pickett 1998 Fig. Conservation agriculture emphasizes proactive, multitactic practices in contrast to the “single approach” reactive methods generally used in conventional systems. Herein, we discuss the strategy of farmscaping, review the theory of how it can improve pest management, and discuss the practicalities and risks involved in incorporating farmscapes into integrated pest management programs.Īs we move into a new era of pest management, programs must use practices aimed at achieving sustained, improved crop production and profitable agriculture, while simultaneously conserving natural resources and protecting the environment. However, by adding these resources back to simplified agriculture systems, they provide numerous other ecosystem services such as erosion control, reduced runoff, esthetic benefits, increased revenue, nutrient management, pollination services, soil health, as well as improved pest suppression. ![]() Farmscaping is an ecologically based, whole-farm approach to enhancing the efficacy and local abundance of arthropod natural enemies through modification of the environment. A technique common in this approach to pest management is farmscaping, which refers to the arrangement or configuration of plants that promote biological pest management by attracting and sustaining beneficial organisms. Redesigning farms to take advantage of natural biological control can improve the sustainability of integrated pest management programs. New pest management programs must strive to achieve sustained, improved crop production and profitable agriculture, while simultaneously conserving natural resources and protecting the environment.
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