Biodiversity and Pest Management in Agroecosystems

253 Pages·2004·3.76 MB·English

by  Clara Nicholls

Miguel Angel Altieri, PhD
Clara Ines Nicholls, PhD
Biodiversity
and Pest Management
in Agroecosystems
Second Edition
Pre-publication tionships between insect pest man-
REVIEWS, agement,diversifiedcroppingsystems,
COMMENTARIES, andfieldboundaryvegetationshould
EVALUATIONS... readthisbook.”
MattLiebman,PhD
ProfessorofAgronomy,
“Thisbookisanimportantcontribu- IowaStateUniversity
tion to the literature on ecologi-
cally based pest management. In addi-
tion to reviewing relevant aspects of
ecological theory and the broader agro-
ecologicalcontextofpestmanagement,it
presents numerous data sets and case “Thisbookisessentialreadingfor
studiesfrombothtemperateandtropical anyone interested in develop-
farming systems. Biodiversity and Pest ing truly logical pest management
ManagementinAgroecosystemsreflectsthe practicesinanycountry.Theauthors
authors’manyyearsofexperience,par- gowaybeyondIPMandinputsubsti-
ticularlyinthechaptersoninsectmanage-
tution approaches to show how a
mentinmultiplecroppingsystems,insect
well-designedagroecosystemcanac-
ecologyinorchardscontainingcovercrops,
tuallysponsoritsownpestmanage-
andnon-cropvegetationeffectsoninsect
populationsincropfields.Manynewrefer- ment.”
ences have been added to this edition.
Thissecondeditionalsoincludesanew PeterRosset,PhD
chapteroninsectdynamicsinagroforest- Co-Director,FoodFirst/InstituteforFood
ry systems. Anyone interested in rela- andDevelopmentPolicy
More pre-publication
REVIEWS, COMMENTARIES, EVALUATIONS . . .
“Altieri and Nicholls, in this com- casestudies.Thefirstthreechapters
pletelyreworkedandupdatededi- provide a firm grounding for pest
tion,makeoneofthebestattemptstodate management in ecological theory.
to present pest management with the The next five chapters very effec-
whole-systemsapproach—biodiversityand tively present examples that apply
habitatmanagementinanagroecosystems
the theory in agroecosystems from
framework.Thisisabookabout how to
aroundtheworld,andinsystemsthat
useecologicalknowledgetodesignagro-
rangefrommultiplecropping,toor-
ecosystems with built-in pest manage-
mentprocessesand,asaresult,reduceor chards with cover crops, to agro-
eliminate the use of synthetic chemical forestrysystemswiththeintegration
pesticides.Theauthorsbuildonthegrow- oftrees.Thereviewoftheinfluence
ing body of knowledge about the vital ofsurroundinghabitatsonpestman-
importanceofbiodiversityformaintain- agementveryappropriatelyplacesthe
ingbalanced,long-termecosystemfunc- process off the farm into the land-
tion,anditsimportantroleinagriculture. scapelevel.Theconcludingtwochap-
Thisbookwillappealtoresearchersde- tersofthebookexplorehowbiodiversity
veloping agroecologically based pest
andhabitatmanagementmustbepart
managementstrategiesandtopractitio-
of the transition to sustainability in
ners looking for possible options to ap-
agriculture, presenting exciting and
ply on their own farms.
challenging goals for the future.”
Theveryextensiveandcurrentreview
oftheliteraturemakesthisbookaremark-
ablyusefulcontributiontoagroecological Stephen R. Gliessman, PhD
knowledge. Most chapters complement Alfred Heller Professor of Agroecology,
this review with several very in-depth University of California, Santa Cruz
Food Products Press®
An Imprint of The Haworth Press, Inc.
New York • London • Oxford
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Biodiversity
and Pest Management
in Agroecosystems
Second Edition
FOOD PRODUCTS PRESS®
Crop Science
Amarjit S. Basra, PhD
Senior Editor
Mineral Nutrition of Crops: Fundamental Mechanisms and Implicationsby Zdenko Rengel
Conservation Tillage in U.S. Agriculture: Environmental, Economic, and Policy Issues
by Noel D. Uri
Cotton Fibers: Developmental Biology, Quality Improvement, and Textile Processingedited
by Amarjit S. Basra
Heterosis and Hybrid Seed Production in Agronomic Cropsedited by Amarjit S. Basra
Intensive Cropping: Efficient Use of Water, Nutrients, and Tillageby S. S. Prihar, P. R.
Gajri, D. K. Benbi, and V. K. Arora
Physiological Bases for Maize Improvementedited by María E. Otegui and Gustavo A.
Slafer
Plant Growth Regulators in Agriculture and Horticulture: Their Role and Commercial
Usesedited by Amarjit S. Basra
Crop Responses and Adaptations to Temperature Stressedited by Amarjit S. Basra
Plant Viruses As Molecular Pathogensby Jawaid A. Khan and Jeanne Dijkstra
In Vitro Plant Breedingby Acram Taji, Prakash P. Kumar, and Prakash Lakshmanan
Crop Improvement: Challenges in the Twenty-First Centuryedited by Manjit S. Kang
Barley Science: Recent Advances from Molecular Biology to Agronomy of Yield
and Qualityedited by Gustavo A. Slafer, José Luis Molina-Cano, Roxana Savin,
José Luis Araus, and Ignacio Romagosa
Tillage for Sustainable Croppingby P. R. Gajri, V. K. Arora, and S. S. Prihar
Bacterial Disease Resistance in Plants: Molecular Biology and Biotechnological
Applications by P. Vidhyasekaran
Handbook of Formulas and Software for Plant Geneticists and Breedersedited by Manjit
S. Kang
Postharvest Oxidative Stress in Horticultural Cropsedited by D. M. Hodges
EncyclopedicDictionaryofPlantBreedingandRelatedSubjectsbyRolfH.G.Schlegel
Handbook of Processes and Modeling in the Soil-Plant Systemedited by D. K. Benbi
and R. Nieder
The Lowland Maya Area: Three Millennia at the Human-Wildland Interfaceedited
by A. Gómez-Pompa, M. F. Allen, S. Fedick, and J. J. Jiménez-Osornio
Biodiversity and Pest Management in Agroecosystems, Second Editionby Miguel A. Altieri
and Clara I. Nicholls
Plant-Derived Antimycotics: Current Trends and Future Prospectsedited by Mahendra Rai
and Donatella Mares
Concise Encyclopedia of Temperate Tree Fruitedited by Tara Auxt Baugher and Suman
Singha
Landscape Agroecologyby Paul A. Wojtkowski
Concise Encyclopedia of Plant Pathologyby P. Vidhyasekaran
Biodiversity
and Pest Management
in Agroecosystems
Second Edition
Miguel Angel Altieri, PhD
Clara Ines Nicholls, PhD
Food Products Press®
An Imprint of The Haworth Press, Inc.
New York • London • Oxford
Published by
FoodProductsPress®,animprintofTheHaworthPress,Inc.,10AliceStreet,Binghamton,NY
13904-1580.
©2004byTheHaworthPress,Inc.Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisworkmaybereproducedor
utilizedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronicormechanical,includingphotocopying,microfilm,
andrecording,orbyanyinformationstorageandretrievalsystem,withoutpermissioninwriting
from the publisher. Printed in the United States of America.
Cover design by Brooke R. Stiles.
Cover photos of vineyards by Miguel Altieri.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Altieri, Miguel A.
Biodiversityandpestmanagementinagroecosystems/MiguelAngelAltieri,ClaraI.Nicholls.—
2nded.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.
ISBN 1-56022-922-5 (hardcover : alk. paper)—ISBN 1-56022-923-3 (softcover : alk. paper)
1.Insectpests—Biologicalcontrol.2.Insects—Ecology.3.Biologicaldiversity.4.Agricultural
ecology.I. Nicholls, Clara I. II. Title.
SB933.3 .A38 2003
632'.7—dc21
2002014860
CONTENTS
Preface to the Second Edition ix
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction 1
Chapter 1. The Ecological Role of Biodiversity
in Agriculture 3
Traditional Agroecosystems As Models of Biodiverse Farms 6
The Ecological Role of Biodiversity 9
The Nature of Biodiversity in Agroecosystems 10
Chapter 2. Agroecology and Pest Management 17
The Nature of Agricultural Habitats and Its Relation
to Pest Buildup 17
Crop Diversification and Biological Control 23
Chapter 3. Plant Diversity and Insect Stability
in Agroecosystems 29
Ecological Theory 29
Theory Dilemmas 39
Chapter 4. Insect Manipulation Through Weed
Management 47
Weeds As Sources of Insect Pests in Agroecosystems 48
The Role of Weeds in the Ecology of Natural Enemies 49
Insect Dynamics in Weed-Diversified Crop Systems 55
Isolating the Ecological Effects of Weed Diversity 67
Crop-Weed Management Considerations 68
Chapter 5. Insect Management in Multiple-Cropping
Systems 77
Patterns of Insect Abundance in Polycultures 78
Herbivore Trends in Polycultures 85