Refuges, flower strips, biodiversity and agronomic interest.
Several arthropods are natural predators of pests, and they are able to reduce and control their population development. FREDON Nord Pas-de-Calais (Federation Regionate de Defense contre les Organismes Nuisibles = Regional Federation for Pest Control) has begun for a long time to form farmers to the recognition of beneficial arthropods and to show them their usefulness. These beneficial insects or arachnids are present everywhere, in orchards and even in fields which are areas relatively poor in biodiversity. Adults feed in the flower strips instead larvae and some adults feed on preys such as aphids or caterpillars. Most of the time, beneficial insects can regulate pest but sometimes, in agricultural area, they can't make it early enough and efficiently. Their action begin too late and there biodiversity and number are too low. It's possible to enhance their action by manipulating the ecological infrastructures, like sewing flower strips or installing refuges. Flower strips increase the density of natural enemies and make them be present earlier in the field in order to control pests. Refuges permit beneficial's to spend winter on the spot. So they're able to be active and to grow in number earlier. From 2004 to 2007, on the one hand, FREDON Nord Pas-de-Calais has developed a research program. Its purpose was to inventory practices and also tools and means available and to judge the advisability of using such or such beneficial refuge in orchards. On the second hand, it studied the impact in orchard of refuges on population of beneficial's and the difference there were between manufactured refuges and homemade refuges. Interesting prospects were obtained with some of them. Otherwise, since 2003, FREDON has studied flower strips influence on beneficial population and their impact on pest control. In cabbage fields, results of trials have shown that flower strips lead to a reduction of aphid number under acceptable economic level, up to 50 meters from flower strips. Results showed that in France it was mainly syrphids that control aphid populations. The choice of flowers Families to include in flower strip is important. You have to avoid choosing the same plant family as the one of the crop you want to protect because you would risk to attract pests and diseases in the field. In fact, it's important to choose the optimal diversity of plant Family and not the greatest diversity.
Roy
Grégory
G
FREDON Nord Pas-de-Calais, 265 rue Becquerel, BP 74, FR-62750 Loos-en-Gohelle, France. gregory.roy@fredon-npdc.com
Wateau
Karine
K
Legrand
Mickaël
M
Oste
Sandrine
S
D000383:Agriculture / Q000379:methods; D000818:Animals; D001042:Aphids / Q000469:parasitology; D044822:Biodiversity; D017753:Ecosystem; D035264:Flowers / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000469:parasitology*; D007313:Insecta / Q000472:pathogenicity; D009036:Moths / Q000254:growth & development / Q000469:parasitology; D010572:Pest Control, Biological / Q000379:methods; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000469:parasitology