Published in Scientific Papers. Series A. Agronomy, Vol. LXIV, Issue 2
Written by Veselka VLAHOVA
Trap crops are considered a useful strategy for insect pest control and offer several benefits in a pest management system. The principle of trap cropping relies on pest preference for certain plant species, cultivars or a certain stage of crop development. Farmers are motivated to utilize trap cropping because of the various difficulties in coping with the pest situation in other ways. Trap cropping, the use of alternative host plants to attract, intercept and/or retain targeted insect pests for the purpose of reducing damage to a main crop, is one such strategy. This paper aims at presenting various crops suitable for an insect trap, which may be used in farms, as for the organic ones a sweep net shall be used to collect insect pests instead of pesticides. When trap crops successfully attract pest populations, treatments are localized only in this area, thus limiting the damage to the main crops. The two main techniques used in choosing a trap crop will be considered. We will look at the different types of trap crop locations in the study area. The so-called 'push-pull’ strategy shows very good results in Kenya. Whether using the same or different species, it is essential that the trap crop is more attractive than the main crop. Examples will be given of perimeter trap cropping, row and strip trap cropping, as well as their effectiveness in fiber, trench, cereals and vegetable crops in the USA, Thailand, Kenya, New Zealand and others. The advantages of trap crops in reduction of usage of insecticides are highlighted: reduction of pest incidence to manageable levels; conservation of indigenous natural enemies by providing shelter to be useful in the agrocenosis; growing harvested crops trap. The shortcomings mentioned by the farmers are reported in order to clarify their use.
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