Biocontrol Services in Bioenergy Crops vary with Plant Perenniality and Diversity

Meehan, T., B. Werling, M. Gardiner, H. Gaines, C. Gratton and D. Landis

Presented at the GLBRC Sustainability Retreat (2010-02-10 to 2010-02-12 )

Arthropod predators provide valuable services by consuming insect pests that attack crops. We related variation in these “biocontrol services” to the perenniality and diversity of biofuel crops at both local and landscape scales. Specifically, we measured predation of corn earworm eggs and predatory arthropod diversity in corn fields, switchgrass-dominated grasslands and diverse prairie sites in landscapes containing varying percentages of annual and perennial habitats. At the local scale, egg predation was greater in perennial grasslands than in annual corn and increased with the number of flowering-plant species. Egg predation also increased with the area of perennial habitats in the surrounding landscape. Furthermore, predator diversity increased with local plant diversity and with the area of perennial habitats in the surrounding landscape. On the whole, results are consistent with the hypothesis that diverse, perennial biofuel crops will promote biocontrol services within bioenergy crops and across agroecosystems.

Back to meeting | Show |
Sign In