Development of best-practices for conserving beneficial insects within Iowa's agricultural landscape
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The Department of Entomology seeks to teach the study of insects, their life-cycles, and the practicalities in dealing with them, for use in the fields of business, industry, education, and public health. The study of entomology can be applied towards evolution and ecological sciences, and insects’ relationships with other organisms & humans, or towards an agricultural or horticultural focus, focusing more on pest-control and management.
History
The Department of Entomology was founded in 1975 as a result of the division of the Department of Zoology and Entomology.
Related Units
- College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (parent college)
- Department of Zoology and Entomology (predecessor, 1975)
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Abstract
The annual value of crop pollination and biological control of plant pests provided by beneficial insects is estimated to be worth at least $22 billion to United States crop production. Beneficial insects that supply these services to agricultural lands are threatened by limited or suboptimal resources due to the loss of biodiversity in agroecosystems, which is a growing concern in agricultural states like Iowa. Conservation practices are recommended to address a multitude of conservation concerns related to Iowa's declining natural resources; however, guidelines for best practices that conserve beneficial insects are not well defined. Due to the valuable relationship of beneficial insects and successful crop production, there is a need for developing best practices that conserve beneficial insects within Iowa's agricultural landscape. The first objective was to design mixtures of native perennial plants that range in diversity and resource availability and evaluate these different plant communities as candidates for buffer strips that attract and conserve beneficial insects. The second objective was to evaluate the insect community in non-crop buffer strips already established on organic farms and in the adjacent organic crops and conventional row crops. This research seeks to identify mixtures of native perennial plants optimized with resources attractive to pollinators and natural enemies and to determine if these mixtures can enhance Iowa's buffer strips to conserve beneficial insects and protect their services. Best-practices for conserving beneficial insects can be adapted for different regions, land uses, and habitat restoration scenarios beyond the study system used for this research.