Authors: Michaud, JP; Qureshi, Jawwad A; Grant, Angela K

Source: Pest Management Science, Volume 63, Number 9, September 2007 , pp. 903-909(7)

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Abstract:

Larvae of Dectes texanus LeConte cause significant losses to soybean production in the American High Plains by girdling the stalks of mature plants at their base, causing them to lodge. The authors demonstrated that cultivated sunflowers can reduce rates of D. texanus infestation in adjacent soybean fields because adult females prefer sunflower over soybean for feeding and oviposition. Since females do not avoid ovipositing in plants already containing their own eggs or those of conspecific females, sunflower plants can accumulate multiple eggs, and subsequent larval combat typically results in the survival of only one. In west central Kansas, planting one half of a center pivot irrigated field to sunflower in 2004 significantly reduced infestation of soybean plants in the other half of the field within 200 m of the crop border. Beyond 200 m from the sunflowers, the rate of soybean infestation increased significantly. Planting sunflowers in the non-irrigated corners of a center pivot irrigated soybean field in 2005 reduced D. texanus infestation of soybeans by 65% compared with a control field without adjacent sunflowers. Surrounding a 0.33 ha soybean field with six rows of sunflowers in 2006 reduced soybean infestation to < 5% of plants, compared with 96% of sunflower plants. These results reveal that sunflowers can reduce D. texanus infestation in adjacent soybeans by acting as an `ovipositional sink'. Further research is warranted to determine the optimum crop area proportions and spatial configurations that will maximize the efficacy of a sunflower trap crop to reduce soybean losses due to D. texanus-induced lodging. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry

Keywords: companion crop; trap crop; Dectes texanus; Glycine max; Helianthus annuus

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ps.1422

Publication date: 2007-09-01

More about this publication?

• As of January 2010, this journal will no longer be available on IngentaConnect, please visit Wiley InterScience to arrange continued access to this content
• Access this journal at Wiley InterScience
• ingentaconnect is not responsible for the content or availability of external websites

Related content

• In this: publication
• By this: publisher
• In this Subject: Plant Culture
• By this author: Michaud, JP ;  Qureshi, Jawwad A ;  Grant, Angela K

Website © Publishing Technology. Article copyright remains with the publisher, society or author(s) as specified within the article.

• Terms and conditions
• Privacy policy
• Information for advertisers