Abstract
Abstract Tea is an economically important crop, consumed by billions of people. Despite the increasing market for pesticide-free products, the use of pesticide in tea is still high. In order to investigate whether intercropping promotes biological control organisms, Chamaecrista rotundifolia (Pers.) Greene, Indigofera hendecaphylla Jacq., Trifolium repens L., and Vigna sinensis (L.) were separately intercropped with free weeding as control in a tea plantation at Yangli, China. Arthropods were collected by taking sweep-net samples, and treatment effects on assemblages were investigated. The combined species richness of all arthropods and that of parasitoids was significantly increased in intercropped treatments while the species richness of herbivores and predators was only greater in C. rotundifolia and I. hendecaphylla intercropped treatments. Compared with control, the combined abundance of all arthropods, and that of herbivores was lower, while the abundance of parasitoids and its taxa was greater in all intercropped treatments. The abundance of predators and its taxa was greater only in tea plantations intercropped with C. rotundifolia or I. hendecaphylla. Of the herbivores, the abundance of Empoasca onukii Matsuda, Sternorrhyncha, Aleyrodidae, and Pentatomidae was greater in the areas intercropped with C. rotundifolia in comparison with the control, but the abundance of Thysanoptera and Geometridae caterpillars was lower. The recorded increase in the abundance of beneficial arthropods may explain the lower abundance of Thysanoptera or Geometridae caterpillars detected in the intercropped tea plantations. Our results indicate that intercropping has the potential to enhance arthropod biodiversity, and to provide an option for sustainable pest control in tea plantations.
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Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
Intercropping increased combined arthropod and parasitoid species richness.
- Taxon
- Teat0
- Treatment
- intercropped treatmentse0
- Outcome
- combined species richness of all arthropods and that of parasitoidse0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“The combined species richness of all arthropods and that of parasitoids was significantly increased in intercropped treatments while the species richness of herbivores and predators was only greater in C. rotundifolia and I. hendecaphylla intercropped treatments”
t0“Tea Plantation”
Claim · model-written summary
Herbivore and predator richness was greater only with C. rotundifolia and I. hendecaphylla.
- Taxon
- Teat0
- Treatment
- C. rotundifolia and I. hendecaphylla intercropped treatmentse0
- Outcome
- species richness of herbivores and predatorse0
- Direction
- greatere0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“species richness of herbivores and predators was only greater in C. rotundifolia and I. hendecaphylla intercropped treatments”
t0“Tea Plantation”
Claim · model-written summary
Intercropping lowered total arthropod and herbivore abundance.
Verbatim
e0“Compared with control, the combined abundance of all arthropods, and that of herbivores was lower”
t0“Tea Plantation”
e1“Compared with control, the combined abundance of all arthropods, and that of herbivores was lower, while the abundance of parasitoids and its taxa was greater in all intercropped treatments”
Claim · model-written summary
Intercropping increased parasitoid abundance.
- Taxon
- Teat0
- Treatment
- all intercropped treatmentse0
- Outcome
- abundance of parasitoids and its taxae0
- Direction
- greatere0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“the abundance of parasitoids and its taxa was greater in all intercropped treatments”
t0“Tea Plantation”
Claim · model-written summary
Predator abundance was greater only with C. rotundifolia or I. hendecaphylla.
- Taxon
- Teat0
- Treatment
- intercropped with C. rotundifolia or I. hendecaphyllae0
- Outcome
- abundance of predators and its taxae0
- Direction
- greatere0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“The abundance of predators and its taxa was greater only in tea plantations intercropped with C. rotundifolia or I. hendecaphylla”
t0“Tea Plantation”
Claim · model-written summary
C. rotundifolia increased Empoasca onukii, Sternorrhyncha and Aleyrodidae abundance.
Verbatim
e0“the abundance of Empoasca onukii Matsuda, Sternorrhyncha, Aleyrodidae, and Pentatomidae was greater in the areas intercropped with C. rotundifolia in comparison with the control”
t0“Tea Plantation”
Claim · model-written summary
C. rotundifolia lowered Thysanoptera and Geometridae caterpillar abundance.
- Taxon
- Teat0
- Treatment
- intercropped with C. rotundifoliae1
- Interactor
- ThysanopteraThysanopterae0pest
- Outcome
- abundance of Thysanoptera and Geometridae caterpillarse0
- Direction
- lowere0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“the abundance of Thysanoptera and Geometridae caterpillars was lower”
t0“Tea Plantation”
e1“Of the herbivores, the abundance of Empoasca onukii Matsuda, Sternorrhyncha, Aleyrodidae, and Pentatomidae was greater in the areas intercropped with C. rotundifolia in comparison with the control, but the abundance of Thysanoptera and Geometridae caterpillars was lower”
Claim · model-written summary
Authors infer increased beneficial arthropods may explain lower Thysanoptera or Geometridae abundance.
Verbatim
e0“The recorded increase in the abundance of beneficial arthropods may explain the lower abundance of Thysanoptera or Geometridae caterpillars detected in the intercropped tea plantations”
t0“Tea Plantation”
Claim · model-written summary
Authors propose intercropping as an option for sustainable pest control in tea.
Not reportedDirection
Verbatim
e0“intercropping has the potential to enhance arthropod biodiversity, and to provide an option for sustainable pest control in tea plantations”
t0“Tea Plantation”
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1 paper more in this group
See all 5 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.