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Trap Cropping

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Agro-ecological Approaches to Pest Management for Sustainable Agriculture

Abstract

Trap crops are plants grown before or with the main crop in a smaller area (the trap crop). They are the more preferred hosts when grown with the main crop. Trap crops can increase the efficiency of control by concentrating the pests in one location and by applying a chemical treatment without spraying the main crop, or by destroying the trap crops and associated pests through tillage or burning. It is also possible to release biological control agents into the trap crops, using it as a nursery for beneficial organisms that will then spread into the main crop. The trap crops are effectively employed for the control of several herbivores, nematodes, and weeds in several agroecosystems. Trap cropping is economical to adopt, saves on input use, and is effective against pests, resulting in increased productivity.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

    P. Parvatha Reddy (Former Director)

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  1. P. Parvatha Reddy
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Reddy, P.P. (2017). Trap Cropping. In: Agro-ecological Approaches to Pest Management for Sustainable Agriculture. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-4325-3_9

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