How to translate text using browser tools
1 April 2017 Cotton Flower-visiting Insects in Small-scale Farm Fields in Mwachisompola, Zambia
Daphne M. Mayes, Holly Petrillo
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

Global declines in wild and managed pollinator species have increased the need to evaluate the current status of these populations and understand their needs for sustainability. Farming systems can be a useful place to examine the presence and activity of flower-visiting insects, because the blooming period of the crop provides a predictable floral resource which serves as an attractant to some species. The density and species richness of cotton flower-visiting insects were measured in five conservation and five conventional cotton fields in Mwachisompola, Zambia. Between the two farm types, density and species richness were not significantly different; however, only 33% of the total observed species were found within both farm systems. We found a significant negative relationship between species richness and field size regardless of farm type. Our results suggest that cotton fields attract both pollinator and predatory flower-visiting insects regardless of management, however more work is needed to better understand the effects of field size and surrounding natural areas.

© 2017 Kansas Entomological Society
Daphne M. Mayes and Holly Petrillo "Cotton Flower-visiting Insects in Small-scale Farm Fields in Mwachisompola, Zambia," Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 90(2), 122-130, (1 April 2017). https://doi.org/10.2317/JKES1703.1
Received: 2 February 2017; Accepted: 1 November 2017; Published: 1 April 2017
KEYWORDS
Africa
conservation farming
field size
pollinators
RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS
Get copyright permission
Back to Top