Conservation agriculture compared to conventional tillage improves the trade-off between ground-dwelling arthropod trophic groups for natural pest regulation in cotton cropping systems

IF 3.5 2区环境科学与生态学 Q1 BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION

Global Ecology and Conservation Pub Date : 2024-09-26 DOI:10.1016/j.gecco.2024.e03223

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Conservation agriculture is an innovative approach based on minimal soil disturbance, soil cover with crop residues, and crop rotation, which increases the biodiversity of soil macrofauna thus contributing to nutrient cycling and soil aggregation. In addition, macrofaunal abundance may play a role at regulating insect pest populations. The study aims to predict the effects of soil management practices (conventional tillage and conservation agriculture) on the abundance of soil macrofauna and herbivore predation in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) based cropping systems. We conducted a field experiment with a randomized complete block comprising two treatments, Conventional Tillage (CT) and Conservation Agriculture (CA), and six replications in a cotton-maize rotation system from 2020 to 2023. Soil monoliths and pitfall traps were installed in both treatments to collect ground-dwelling arthropods, to analyse the influence of soil management practices on their abundance, their trophic groups, and the rate of pest predation by generalist predators. Pest predation rates were assessed using artificial caterpillars made from plasticine. The results showed significant positive effects of soil management practices on herbivory rate, herbivore abundance, predator abundance, omnivore-predator abundance and pest predation rate. The average herbivory rate was 9.8 % in the conservation agriculture plots and 11.6 % in the conventional tillage plots. Overall, the predation rate was 58.9 % in the conservation agriculture plots and 21.8 % in the conventional tillage plots. The abundance of predators and of omnivore-predators were significantly higher in conservation agriculture than in conventional tillage. These findings suggest that conservation agriculture practices improve soil macrofauna and pest regulation, with potential benefits on soil quality and sustainability in cotton cropping systems.

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与传统耕作相比，保护性耕作改善了棉花种植系统中地栖节肢动物营养群之间的权衡，从而实现病虫害的自然控制

保护性农业是一种创新方法，其基础是尽量减少对土壤的扰动、用作物残茬覆盖土壤和轮作，从而增加土壤大型动物的生物多样性，促进养分循环和土壤聚合。此外，大型底栖生物的丰度可能对害虫种群起到调节作用。本研究旨在预测土壤管理方法（传统耕作和保护性农业）对棉花（Gossypium hirsutum L.）种植系统中土壤大型底栖动物数量和食草动物捕食的影响。我们于 2020 年至 2023 年在棉花-玉米轮作系统中进行了一项田间试验，试验采用随机完全区组，包括常规耕作（CT）和保护性农业（CA）两种处理和六个重复。在两个处理中都安装了土壤单体和坑式陷阱，以收集地栖节肢动物，分析土壤管理措施对其丰度、营养群和一般捕食者对害虫捕食率的影响。害虫捕食率是用塑料制成的人工毛虫进行评估的。结果表明，土壤管理措施对食草动物捕食率、食草动物丰度、捕食者丰度、杂食性捕食者丰度和害虫捕食率都有明显的积极影响。保护性耕作地块的平均草食率为 9.8%，常规耕作地块的平均草食率为 11.6%。总体而言，保护性耕作地块的捕食率为 58.9%，常规耕作地块为 21.8%。保护性耕作地块的捕食者和杂食性捕食者数量明显高于常规耕作地块。这些研究结果表明，保护性耕作能改善土壤大型动物和害虫的调节能力，对棉花种植系统的土壤质量和可持续性具有潜在的益处。

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来源期刊

Global Ecology and Conservation Agricultural and Biological Sciences-Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

CiteScore

8.10

自引率

5.00%

发文量

346

审稿时长

83 days

期刊介绍： Global Ecology and Conservation is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal covering all sub-disciplines of ecological and conservation science: from theory to practice, from molecules to ecosystems, from regional to global. The fields covered include: organismal, population, community, and ecosystem ecology; physiological, evolutionary, and behavioral ecology; and conservation science.