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Effects of plant competition and herbivore density on the development of the turnip root fly (Delia floralis) in an intercropping system

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Abstract

In this study, interactive effects of plant competition and herbivory on plant quality and herbivore development were examined in a greenhouse experiment where cabbage plants [Brassica oleracea L. var. capitata (Brassicaceae)] were intercropped with red clover [Trifolium pratense L. (Fabaceae)]. Cabbages were grown with two red clover densities and attack rates by the root feeding herbivore the turnip root fly, Delia floralis Fall. (Diptera: Anthomyiidae). Above ground and below ground cabbage biomass was reduced through intercropping and larval damage. Intercropping also resulted in lower nitrogen and higher carbon root levels compared with levels in the roots of monocultured cabbage. Furthermore, both root nitrogen and carbon levels increased with herbivory. Root neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and lignin content increased in response to both increased plant competition and higher egg densities. For lignin, an interaction effect was observed in the form of elevated levels in intercropped plants subjected to larval damage, while levels in roots of monocultured cabbage remained unchanged. The quality changes brought about by clover competition affected D. floralis development negatively, which resulted in reduced pupal weight. In addition, increased egg density also decreased larval growth. The effects on the development of D. floralis in relation to host plant quality are discussed.

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Acknowledgements

This project was funded by the Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning (FORMAS) and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU). Robert Glinwood, Department of Ecology (SLU), is thanked for comments on the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Crop Production Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), P.O. Box 7043, 750-07, Uppsala, Sweden

    Maria Björkman

  2. Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden

    Richard J. Hopkins

  3. Department of Botany, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden

    Peter A. Hambäck

  4. Department of Plant Protection Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Alnarp, Sweden

    Birgitta Rämert

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  1. Maria Björkman
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Correspondence to Maria Björkman.

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Handling editor: Gimme Walter

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Björkman, M., Hopkins, R.J., Hambäck, P.A. et al. Effects of plant competition and herbivore density on the development of the turnip root fly (Delia floralis) in an intercropping system. Arthropod-Plant Interactions 3, 55–62 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11829-009-9055-x

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