Abstract
Conservation agriculture is an innovative approach based on minimal soil disturbance, soil cover with crop residues, and crop rotation, which increases the biodiversity of soil macrofauna thus contributing to nutrient cycling and soil aggregation. In addition, macrofaunal abundance may play a role at regulating insect pest populations. The study aims to predict the effects of soil management practices (conventional tillage and conservation agriculture) on the abundance of soil macrofauna and herbivore predation in cotton ( Gossypium hirsutum L.) based cropping systems. We conducted a field experiment with a randomized complete block comprising two treatments, Conventional Tillage (CT) and Conservation Agriculture (CA), and six replications in a cotton-maize rotation system from 2020 to 2023. Soil monoliths and pitfall traps were installed in both treatments to collect ground-dwelling arthropods, to analyse the influence of soil management practices on their abundance, their trophic groups, and the rate of pest predation by generalist predators. Pest predation rates were assessed using artificial caterpillars made from plasticine. The results showed significant positive effects of soil management practices on herbivory rate, herbivore abundance, predator abundance, omnivore-predator abundance and pest predation rate. The average herbivory rate was 9.8 % in the conservation agriculture plots and 11.6 % in the conventional tillage plots. Overall, the predation rate was 58.9 % in the conservation agriculture plots and 21.8 % in the conventional tillage plots. The abundance of predators and of omnivore-predators were significantly higher in conservation agriculture than in conventional tillage. These findings suggest that conservation agriculture practices improve soil macrofauna and pest regulation, with potential benefits on soil quality and sustainability in cotton cropping systems. • The herbivory rate was lower in the conservation agriculture plots than in the conventional tillage plots. • Overall, the predation rate was higher in conservation agriculture plots than in conventional tillage plots. • The abundance of predators and of omnivore-predators were significantly higher in conservation agriculture than in conventional tillage.
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Claims 3
Claim · model-written summary
Herbivory was lower under conservation agriculture than conventional tillage, at 9.8% versus 11.6%.
- Taxon
- cotton
Gossypium hirsutumt0 - Treatment
- conservation agriculturee0
- Outcome
- herbivory ratee0
- Direction
- lowerinferrede0
- Value
- 9.8 %e0
- Comparator
- conventional tillagee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The average herbivory rate was 9.8 % in the conservation agriculture plots and 11.6 % in the conventional tillage plots”
t0“cotton”
Claim · model-written summary
Predation was higher under conservation agriculture than conventional tillage, at 58.9% versus 21.8%.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutumt0
- Treatment
- conservation agriculturee0
- Outcome
- predation ratee0
- Direction
- higherinferrede0
- Value
- 58.9 %e0
- Comparator
- conventional tillagee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Overall, the predation rate was 58.9 % in the conservation agriculture plots and 21.8 % in the conventional tillage plots”
t0“cotton”
Claim · model-written summary
Predator and omnivore-predator abundances were significantly higher under conservation agriculture.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutumt0
- Treatment
- conservation agriculturee0
- Outcome
- abundance of predators and of omnivore-predatorse0
- Direction
- highere0
- Comparator
- conventional tillagee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The abundance of predators and of omnivore-predators were significantly higher in conservation agriculture than in conventional tillage. These findings”
t0“cotton”
The same questions in other papers
tillage · pest · Gossypium hirsutum (cotton)Positive and negative results
5 papers in the same direction as this paper · 5 in the opposite direction · 1 reporting no difference from an alternative
- negative
- no effect
- negative
8 papers more in this group
See all 12 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.