Bulletin of Insectology (2006) 59, 121-127

Hamid A. Hamid, Laura Dalla Montà and Andrea Battisti (2006)
Undersowing cruciferous vegetables with clover: the effect of sowing time on flea beetles and diamondback moth
Bulletin of Insectology 59 (2), 121-127
Abstract: The effects of undersowing cruciferous vegetables with clover on the population of flea beetles (Phyllotreta spp.; Coleoptera Chrysomelidae) and the diamondback moth [Plutella xylostella (L.); Lepidoptera Plutellidae] were tested, as well as its impact on the crop yield. In 2003, a spring and summer field experiment was conducted, each involving cabbage and cauliflower, at the Experimental Farm of the University of Padua, Italy. Cabbage and cauliflower were undersown with clover, which was seeded 9 days before the crop transplanting, simultaneously with transplanting, and 9 days after transplanting, and were tested against those raised on bare soil as a control. The 37% and 27% fewer flea beetles (Spring and Summer experiment, respectively) were found on cabbage and cauliflower undersown with clover seeded simultaneously with transplanting compared to those undersown with clover seeded after transplanting. In contrast, the diamondback moth density did not vary among the different undersowing treatments in either season. The effect of the undersowing on the crop yield was estimated by comparing the mean weight of the harvested crop heads for each treatment. For cabbage, the mean head weight was reduced in both seasons in plots where clover was seeded simultaneously with transplanting. For cauliflower, the mean head weight did not differ significantly among the different treatments during the Summer experiment. Results show that while sowing clover before or during transplanting of cruciferous vegetables reduces infestation by some but not all economic pests, there may also be a negative impact on crop yield. It is therefore suggested that clover should be sown after transplanting to achieve a smaller reduction in pests but no reduction in crop yield.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
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Database assignments for author(s): Andrea Battisti

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
environment - cropping system/rotation

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Plutella xylostella	Cabbage (Brassica oleracea)	Italy
	Phyllotreta cruciferae	Cabbage (Brassica oleracea)	Italy