Effect of intercropping on sucking pests, predators and parasitoids in groundnut-cowpea intercropping system
Swaroopa K, Sandhya Rani C, Chiranjeevi Ch and Prasanna Kumari V
Among different ratios of groundnut-cowpea intercropping systems, the highest mean population of thrips and leaf hoppers were recorded in groundnut and cowpea sole crops (4.29 and 4.08 thrips/ plant & 5.58 and 10.64 leaf hoppers/ plant, respectively) followed by groundnut and cowpea crops in 3:1 ratio of groundnut + cowpea intercropping systems (3.50 and 3.69 thrips/ plant & 4.98 and 8.18 leaf hoppers/ plant, respectively) and comparatively least population recorded in both groundnut cowpea crops at 7:1 ratio of groundnut + cowpea intercropping system (2.90 and 3.10 thrips/ plant; 4.09 & 7.83 leaf hoppers/ plant, respectively). The highest mean population of Coccinellids and spiders in groundnut and cowpea crops were observed in 3:1 (1.64, 1.65 coccinellids/ plant and 1.48, 1.83 spiders/ plant, respectively) and 7:1 ratios (1.20, 1.62 coccinellids/ plant and 1.34 and 1.38 spiders/ plant, respectively) of groundnut + cowpea intercropping systems among all intercropping ratios. The highest net returns and maximum B: C ratios were obtained in 7:1 ratio of groundnut + cowpea intercropping system. A total of 10 families of parasitoids were observed in bulk plot of 3:1 ratio groundnut- cowpea intercropping system.