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2022
Journal article
Plant-Rich Field Margins Influence Natural Predators of Aphids More Than Intercropping in Common Bean.
Field margins support important ecosystem services including natural pest regulation. We investigated the influence of field margins on the spatial and temporal distribution of natural enemies (NEs) of bean pests in smallholder farming systems. We sampled NEs from high and low plant diversity bean fields using sweep netting and coloured... -
2021
Journal article
Natural Pest Regulation and Its Compatibility with Other Crop Protection Practices in Smallholder Bean Farming Systems.
Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) production and storage are limited by numerous constraints. Insect pests are often the most destructive. However, resource-constrained smallholders in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) often do little to manage pests. Where farmers do use a control strategy, it typically relies on chemical pesticides, which have adverse effects on... -
2021
Journal article
Beneficial insects are associated with botanically rich margins with trees on small farms.
Beneficial insect communities on farms are influenced by site- and landscape-level factors, with pollinator and natural enemy populations often associated with semi-natural habitat remnants. They provide ecosystem services essential for all groecosystems. For smallholders, natural pest regulation may be the only affordable and available option to manage pests. We evaluated...Arnold, Sarah E. J. ; Elisante, Filemon ; Mkenda, Prisila A. ; Tembo, Yolice L. B. ; Ndakidemi, Patrick A. …
Community ecology, Biodiversity, Ecosystem services, Agroecology, and Beneficial insects
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2019
Journal article
Multiple ecosystem services from field margin vegetation for ecological sustainability in agriculture: scientific evidence and knowledge gaps
Background Field margin and non-crop vegetation in agricultural systems are potential ecosystem services providers because they offer semi-natural habitats for both below and above ground animal groups such as soil organisms, small mammals, birds and arthropods that are service supplying units. They are considered as a target area for... -
2019
Journal article
Field Margin Vegetation in Tropical African Bean Systems Harbours Diverse Natural Enemies for Biological Pest Control in Adjacent Crops
Non-crop vegetation around farmland can be valuable habitats for enhancing ecosystem services but little is known of the importance of field margins in supporting natural enemies of insect pests in tropical agriculture. This study was conducted in smallholder bean fields in three elevation zones to assess the importance of field...Mkenda, Prisila A. ; Ndakidemi, Patrick A. ; Stevenson, Philip C. ; Arnold, Sarah E. J. ; Belmain, Steven R. …
ecosystem service, parasitoids, pest regulation, predators, and non-crop vegetation
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2019
Journal article
Characterization of Hymenopteran Parasitoids of Aphis fabae in an African Smallholder Bean Farming System through Sequencing of COI ‘Mini-Barcodes’
Parasitoids are among the most frequently reported natural enemies of insect pests, particularly aphids. The efficacy of parasitoids as biocontrol agents is influenced by biotic and abiotic factors. For example, hyperparasitoids can reduce the abundance of the primary parasitoids as well as modify their behavior. A field study was conducted...