Assessing the performance of pea and lentil at different seeding densities as trap crops for the management of wireworms in spring wheat

Abstract

Wireworms, the larvae of click beetles (Elateridae), are difficult to manage due to their habitats and behaviour. Wireworms pose a major threat to the wheat crop in the north‐western USA. Seed treatment with neonicotinoids, biological control management and some cultural controls are recommended to manage these pests. Trap cropping is an emerging way to manage wireworms. In strawberry and potato crops, trap cropping has been found effective at attracting wireworms away from the principal crop. An earlier study in the Golden Triangle area of Montana found that pea and lentil could be effective trap crops for managing wireworms in spring wheat. In the present study, experiments were conducted at two locations. The effectiveness of peas and lentils as trap crops with wheat at different seeding densities was assessed [pea at 0, 4, 8, 16 seeds/sq.ft. or 0, 43, 86, 172 seeds/sq.m.; lentil at 0, 6, 12, 18 OR 0, 65, 130, 194 seeds/sq.m.; both with wheat at 0, 11, 22, or 28 seeds/sq.ft. or 0, 120, 230, 300 seeds/sq.m.] in a randomized design where all three crops were intercropped. Both trap crops were found to be effective in protecting wheat at standard seeding rates of 8 seeds/sq.ft. for pea and 12 seeds/sq.ft. for lentils. At these seeding rates, higher numbers of wireworms were found to be attracted to the trap crop, resulting in higher yield (7%–10%) of the associated spring wheat plant stands at 22 seeds/sq.ft. To develop an effective trap crop strategy, the pea–wheat and lentil–wheat spatial patterns that are possible need to be assessed in further field trials. Proper design and evaluation of the cost–benefit ratio of pea and lentil as trap crops are likely to produce good results for wheat crops in Montana.

Impacts of neonicotinoid seed treatments on soil-dwelling pest populations and agronomic parameters in corn and soybean in Quebec (Canada)

“…Some approaches are still being tested, such as mass trapping of adult wireworms with light traps [104], crop rotations with brown mustard or buckwheat [105], attraction to insecticide-treated wheat grown between untreated potato rows [106]; they represent alternative control measures that are under development in Canada. Other methods, such as trap crops using pea and lentil [107] or the use of entomopathogenic fungi such as Metarhizium anisopliae [108,109,110] could be tested on a large scale against wireworms. Furlan et al [111] proposed a mutual funds approach covering the risk of implementing IPM programs for Italian producers, which increased farmer profits while reducing the use of pesticides.…”

Biologie en gedrag van ritnaalden, emelten, wortelduizendpoten en ondergrondse springstaarten : literatuuronderzoek naar de biologie, waaronder de fenologie, en het gedrag van bodemplagen; zoektocht naar aangrijpingspunten voor nieuwe en aangepaste maatregelen tegen bodemplagen

“…Hokkanen (1991) beschrijft ongeveer 40 succesvolle toepassingen van vanggewassen in verschillende gewassen. Enkele voorbeelden van deze strategie zijn a) tarwe als vanggewas indien één week voor aardbei aangeplant (Vernon et al, 2000), b) erwten als vanggewas met aardappel , c) tarwe als tussengewas met erwt en linzen (Adhikari & Reddy, 2017;Sharma et al, 2019). Er zijn verder behoorlijk wat verschillen in geschiktheid van plantensoorten voor zowel ritnaalden (Kabanov, 1975;Keaster et al, 1975;Shirck, 1945) als kniptorren (Brian, 1947) waarbij verschillende plantenstoffen, inclusief afwerende stoffen, de attractiviteit bepalen.…”

Integrated Pest Management of Wireworms (Coleoptera: Elateridae) and the Rhizosphere in Agroecosystems

“…In cereal production, using legumes as intercrops enhances yield and increases microbial diversity and biomass in the rhizosphere [112,113,[117][118][119]124,125]. Legumes, such as pea and lentil, are also effective trap crops, attracting wireworms away from the main wheat crop and, subsequently, reducing damage [126][127][128]. Peas planted in potato fields have also been more attractive than wheat and oilseed to wireworms in field trials [126].…”