Comparative Effects of Living and Non-living Mulches on Insect Pest Management in Agroecosystems

Abstract

Organic farming and sustainable agriculture call for non-chemical, economic, and eco-friendly pest management techniques. Scientific efforts are underway to develop new or optimize the existing techniques. In this regard, habitat modification with mulching has been widely investigated on the suppression of insect pest abundance. In general, vegetationally diverse cropping systems impairs the herbivore’s ability to locate the host plant by creating physical barriers, disrupting the visual and olfactory cues, and enhancing plant defenses that lead to the reduc-tion of pest abundance and disease incidences. Also, mulching increases natural enemy population density because of greater habitat diversity and food resources, thereby decreasing herbivore abundance indirectly by improving biological control activity. However, in some cases, mulching has negatively affected the crop yield by competing for available resources (water, nutrients, light, space, etc.), impacted natural enemy abundance and efficiency, or provided alternate hosts/refuge for the pest insects. Besides, mulching can also play a pivotal role in conserving and support the declining pollinator population by providing nectar and pollen, nesting sites, and refuge from predators. Overall, if appropriately planned, mulching might contribute significantly to insect pests’ non-chemical control and promote the diversity and abundance of natural enemies and pollinators.