Responses of aphids to a silvoarable agroforestry landscape

Published source details Naeem M., Compton S.G., Incoll L.D., Wright C. & Corry D.T. (1997) Responses of aphids to a silvoarable agroforestry landscape. Agroforestry Forum, 8, 18-20.
Share Tweet Email

This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

	Action	Category
	Use alley cropping Action Link

Use alley cropping

A replicated, controlled trial in 1993 and 1995 in West Yorkshire, UK (Naeem et al. 1997) found winter barley Hordeum vulgare and winter wheat Triticum sp. had lower grain aphid Sitobion avenae (pest) densities in alley cropped plots than in control plots without tree rows. In 1993, alley cropped wheat had fewer grain aphids (average 8-23 aphids/wheat ear) than controls (22-39 aphids) in three of four plots, and alley cropped barley had fewer aphids in all four plots. Alley cropped plots had a lower ratio of wingless to winged grain aphids than controls (2.5-6.8 wingless to 1 winged aphid in alley cropped plots; 2.0-4.9 wingless to 1 winged aphid in controls). Wind speed was lower in alley cropped plots than in controls without trees. Alley cropped plots were 14 m wide containing a 10 m-wide crop area separated by 2 m-wide tree rows. Controls had only boundary hedges and no tree rows. Tree rows (established 1988) contained ash Fraxinus excelsior, cherry Prunus spp., sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus and walnut Juglans regia, planted in sets of five and spaced 4 m apart. Hazel Corylus avellana bushes were planted between the trees. There were four replicates. Aphids were sampled by suction sampling and direct counts.