Engineering smallholder common bean cropping systems with flowering plants increases hoverfly populations and crop yields
Yamikani Kaliwo, Ellen Kumchenga, Yolice L. B Tembo, Trust Kasambala Donga, Vernon H. Kabambe, Philip C. Stevenson, Steven R. Belmain

TL;DR
Adding flowering plants around bean crops boosts hoverfly numbers, reduces aphid damage, and increases bean yields.
Contribution
Demonstrates that integrating flowering plants into bean fields enhances biological pest control and crop productivity.
Findings
Bean crops with flowering plant borders had 51% less aphid damage than controls.
Ocimum basilicum surrounding bean fields resulted in the highest yield (917 kg/ha).
Flowering plant borders increased bean yields by 22-42% compared to untreated fields.
Abstract
Bean aphids are a major constraint to bean production worldwide and are commonly managed through intensive pesticide use. In many farming systems, particularly where crop production is increasingly intensified, reliance on chemical control has reduced the use and the appreciation of agroecological pest management strategies, including conservation biological control. The widespread application of pesticides not only suppresses natural enemies of aphids but also contributes to broader declines in insect diversity, especially when combined with the loss of non-crop habitats that support beneficial insects. To address this, we assessed whether engineering bean crop habitats with flowering plants could enhance adult hoverfly populations and increase hoverfly larval abundance within bean fields. The potential of four flowering plant species (Galinsoga parviflora, Ocimum basilicum, Bidens…
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Taxonomy
TopicsInsect-Plant Interactions and Control · Agricultural pest management studies · Insect Pest Control Strategies
