ISHS Acta Horticulturae 927: XXVIII International Horticultural Congress on Science and Horticulture for People (IHC2010): International Symposium on Greenhouse 2010 and Soilless Cultivation
TESTING BANKER PLANTS FOR PREDATOR INSTALLATION |
| Authors: | P. Parolin, C. Bresch, A. Bout, G. Ruiz, C. Poncet , N. Desneux |
| Keywords: | augmentative biological control, integrated pest management, release strategy, beneficial arthropods, plant morphology, plant functional types |
| DOI: | 10.17660/ActaHortic.2012.927.23 |
| Abstract:
The addition of plants to a crop system in greenhouses can have positive effects on the productivity of crops and enhance the effectiveness of biological pest management. These additional plants – banker plants – may provide shelter or food for biocontrol agents which influence the interactions between phytophagous arthropods, biocontrol arthropods and culture plants. However, despite the clear function of their presence, there is a scientific lack of knowledge about these plants. We hardly understand why certain plant species act as banker plants, and which plant morphologies and structures enhance the desired proliferation of the biocontrol arthropods. Consequently, only few species of banker plants are in use, many of which are not natural in the region of employment. We postulate that the potential of banker plants is by far underestimated. If we know more about the morphologies which bear positive implications for the crop system, we can easily choose additional endemic plant species instead of potential invasive ones. We then can increase the efficiency and optimization of banker plants in pest control for industrial use. Therefore, our study aims at testing which importance banker plants have as biotic components in a crop system. We hypothesize that banker plants are the key to achieving the goal of determining whether biological control of a pest can be accomplished on bedding plant crops with biocontrol agents. The aim of this paper is to review the knowledge about banker plants, their function and morphology. The final scope is to understand how agricultural systems can be optimized with the aid of banker plants, and how the efficacy of biological pest management as an alternative to chemical control may be increased with the aid of additional plants in the system. | |
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