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| Effects of artificial flower and grass strips on carabid diversity and pest control in intensive maize fields |
| Received:February 26, 2025 |
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| KeyWord:non-crop habitat management;biodiversity;natural enemy insects;ecological regulation;intensive cereal farming |
| Author Name | Affiliation | E-mail | | XIANG Ziyi | College of Resources and Environment, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
Agro-Environmental Protection Institute, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Tianjin 300191, China | | | LIU Yuxin | Agro-Environmental Protection Institute, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Tianjin 300191, China | | | WANG Hui | Agro-Environmental Protection Institute, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Tianjin 300191, China | | | YANG Dianlin | Agro-Environmental Protection Institute, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Tianjin 300191, China | | | ZHANG Haifang | Agro-Environmental Protection Institute, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Tianjin 300191, China | | | ZHAO Jianning | College of Resources and Environment, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
Agro-Environmental Protection Institute, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Tianjin 300191, China | zhaojianning@caas.cn | | ZHANG Yanjun | Agro-Environmental Protection Institute, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Tianjin 300191, China | zhangyanjun@caas.cn |
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| Abstract: |
| To investigate the ecological processes and effectiveness of artificial flower strips in enhancing surface-dwelling beetle populations in highly intensified maize cropping systems. A typical maize production region in north China was selected for the study. Pitfall traps were used to monitor beetle community diversity in artificial flower and grass strips, adjacent maize fields, and the junction between the two. In addition, the predation efficiency and crawling ability of natural enemies were tested. The study compared the differences in predation efficiency and crawling speed of beetles that had inhabited artificial flower and grass strips and control strips. The effects of artificial flower and grass strip establishment on beetle diversity, migration, and predation effectiveness within intensive maize cropping systems were assessed, along with the impact of these ecological measures on pest control and maize yield. Compared with the control strips planted with maize, artificial flower and grass strips significantly increased beetle richness and abundance, with increases of 1.67 times and 1.59 times, respectively. The beetle abundance at the junction between the artificial flower and grass strip and maize field was significantly higher than that in the maize field 10 meters from the artificial flower and grass strip, and beetle abundance decreased with increasing distance from the artificial flower and grass strip, exhibiting an overflow effect. Compared to the control strip, artificial flower and grass strips significantly enhanced the predation efficiency of P. occipitalis beetles, with a 39.92% increase on average. Ultimately, artificial flower and grass strips significantly reduced total pest populations in adjacent maize fields by 48.31% and increased maize yield per unit area by 13.32%. Overall, The establishment of artificial flower and grass strips at the edges of intensive maize fields can conserve beetle biodiversity, enhance the predation capacity of certain beetle species, reduce pest occurrences, and improve maize yield. This study highlights the potential of artificial flower and grass strips in protecting natural enemies for ecological pest control in intensive cereal farming. |
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