Department of Entomology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA.
Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Environ Entomol. 2021 Aug 12;50(4):852-859. doi: 10.1093/ee/nvab039.
Crop diversification often promotes farm sustainability. However, proper management of newly introduced crops is difficult when pests are unknown. Characterizing herbivore dynamics on new crops, and how they respond to agronomic factors, is crucial for integrated pest management. Here we explored factors affecting Lygus spp. (Hemiptera: Miridae) herbivores in quinoa crops of Washington State. Quinoa is a newly introduced crop for North America that has multiple varieties and a range of agronomic practices used for cultivation. Through arthropod surveys and discussions with growers, we determined that Lygus spp. was the most abundant insect herbivore and likely contributed to low quinoa yields in previous seasons. We assessed how different varieties (Pison and QQ74), irrigation regimes (present and not), and planting methods (direct-seeded and transplanted) affected Lygus population dynamics. Lygus phenology was correlated with timing of quinoa seed-set in July and August, corresponding to a period when quinoa is most susceptible to Lygus. Both irrigation and planting manipulations had significant effects on Lygus abundance. Irrigation reduced Lygus abundance compared with nonirrigated plots in 2018. Planting method had a significant effect on Lygus populations in both 2017 and 2018, but effects differed among years. Variety had a significant effect on Lygus abundance, but only in nonirrigated plots. Overall, our study shows that Lygus is a common insect herbivore in quinoa, and careful selection of variety, planting method, and irrigation regime may be key components of effective control in seasons where Lygus abundance is high.
作物多样化通常可以促进农业的可持续性。然而，如果害虫未知，那么新引入作物的适当管理就会很困难。描述新作物上的食草动物动态，以及它们如何对农业因素做出反应，对于综合虫害管理至关重要。在这里，我们探讨了影响华盛顿州藜麦作物上的盲蝽科（半翅目：盲蝽科）食草动物的因素。藜麦是一种新引入北美的作物，有多种品种和一系列用于种植的农业实践。通过对节肢动物的调查和与种植者的讨论，我们确定盲蝽科是最丰富的昆虫食草动物，可能是导致前几个季节藜麦产量低的原因。我们评估了不同品种（Pison 和 QQ74）、灌溉制度（有和没有）和种植方式（直播和移栽）如何影响盲蝽种群动态。盲蝽的物候与 7 月和 8 月藜麦种子形成的时间相关，这一时期是藜麦最容易受到盲蝽侵害的时期。灌溉和种植处理都对盲蝽的丰度有显著影响。与未灌溉的地块相比，2018 年灌溉减少了盲蝽的丰度。种植方式对 2017 年和 2018 年的盲蝽种群都有显著影响，但在不同年份的影响不同。品种对盲蝽的丰度有显著影响，但仅在未灌溉的地块。总的来说，我们的研究表明，盲蝽是藜麦中的一种常见昆虫食草动物，在盲蝽丰度较高的季节，仔细选择品种、种植方式和灌溉制度可能是有效控制的关键组成部分。
