International Journal of Pest Management (2007) 53, 89-99

Kris A.G. Wyckhuys and Robert J. O'Neil (2007)
Influence of extra-field characteristics to abundance of key natural enemies of Spodoptera frugiperda Smith (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in subsistence maize production
International Journal of Pest Management 53 (2), 89-99
Abstract: We quantified the influence of extra-field characteristics to abundance of the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda Smith, and its key natural enemies in subsistence maize fields in Honduras. In situ sampling in different habitats of the local agro-landscape provided a list of factors of importance to natural enemies in maize: floral cover and richness, grass cover and local abundance of prospective beneficial colonizers. We recorded low fall armyworm infestation levels in maize fields bordered by habitats of high floral richness and cover. In-field abundance of social wasps was related to floral cover, while earwigs were associated with grass cover in habitats situated beyond the field border. Within-field density of the fire ant, Solenopsis geminata Fabricius, was associated with its presence in the surrounding agro-landscape. At a larger spatial scale, we measured relationships between natural enemy abundance and spatial cover of habitats that dominate the extra-field environment. This analysis showed that abundance of spiders and ground beetles was highest in environments dominated by coffee plantations or mid-successional habitats. Our study revealed how composition and spatial structure of local agro-landscapes can have broader implications for biological control in Honduran subsistence maize production.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Kris A.G. Wyckhuys, Robert J. O'Neil

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
environment - cropping system/rotation
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
environment/habitat manipulation

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Spodoptera frugiperda	Maize/corn (Zea mays)	Honduras
Solenopsis geminata (predator)	Spodoptera frugiperda	Maize/corn (Zea mays)	Honduras