Method for preventing and controlling tomato leaf miners by using companion plants

Abstract

The invention discloses a method for preventing and controlling tomato leaf miners by using companion plants, and belongs to the field of biological prevention and control of agricultural invasive pests. According to the method, sesame is used as a companion plant to carry out ecological regulation and control on tomato leaf miners, a sesame planting belt is arranged between tomato plants, sesame and tomatoes are subjected to seedling culture at the same time, and a row of sesame is transplanted in the sesame planting belt; the sesame is planted in the tomato planting habitat, so that the field biodiversity is enriched, a good living and inhabiting environment is provided for important predatory natural enemy insects such as the nematocridae and the like of the tomato leaf miner, and the pest control capability of the natural enemy is enhanced, so that ecological regulation and control are effectively implemented on the major invasive pest tomato leaf miner, excessive dependence on chemical pesticides is reduced, and the economic benefit of the tomato leaf miner is improved. The agricultural production cost is saved, and three positive influences of economic benefits, social benefits and ecological benefits are brought. The invention lays a solid foundation for sustainable development of biological control of tomato leaf miner, and has important value and far-reaching significance in modern agricultural production.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of biological pest control, and more specifically to a method for preventing and controlling tomato leafminer by utilizing companion plants. Background Art

[0002] Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), an annual herbaceous plant belonging to the genus Solanum in the Solanaceae family, is one of the important vegetables widely grown around the world. During its growth cycle, tomatoes are attacked by a mixture of pests, including the tomato leafminer (Tuta absoluta), a major invasive vegetable pest, which poses a serious threat to tomato yield and quality.

[0003] Sesame (Sesamumindicum L.), belonging to the family Pedulaceae, is an annual herb and one of the oldest oil crops. Sesame has a long history of cultivation in my country. It is a large variety among small varieties of oil crops. It has extremely high nutritional value, a broad consumer group, and a wide range of uses. It is an indispensable material for many traditional foods in my country. At the same time, sesame has a long flowering period, which can last for about 30 to 40 days. It not only provides rich nectar resources for pollinating insects, but also plays a role in attracting natural enemies and providing shelter in the field.

[0004] Companion plants refer to plant combinations that are intentionally planted together in horticultural or agricultural practices based on the specific relationship between plants and insects or between plants in order to attract pollinators and natural enemy insects, control pests, improve soil, etc. In pest management, the role of natural enemies is indispensable. How to improve the diversity and population of natural enemies is a hot topic in current agricultural research and practice. By consciously regulating non-crop plant habitats and enhancing the effectiveness of natural enemies, the effect of biological control can be further improved, which is an effective strategy for agricultural pest control. In the agricultural ecosystem of greenhouse tomatoes, the growth of the tomato leafminer population causes damage to tomatoes, but its natural enemy, the tobacco blind bug, can limit the excessive growth of its number to a certain extent. Sesame, as a companion plant, can provide food sources, breeding sites, shelters and a suitable growth environment for the natural enemy insect tobacco blind bug, which is conducive to improving the effect of biological control of tomato leafminers.

[0005] At present, chemical control is still the main method for preventing and controlling tomato leafminers, but the long-term and large-scale unscientific use of chemical pesticides has led to a series of ecological problems such as the development of pest resistance, the destruction of ecological balance, environmental problems of pesticide residues, and the reduction of biodiversity. Therefore, protecting and utilizing the natural enemy of tomato leafminers, the tobacco blind bug, is a key way to achieve sustainable control of tomato leafminers. However, the application of sesame as a companion plant in the prevention and control of tomato leafminers has not been fully studied and reported. Summary of the invention

[0006] The main purpose of the present invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the existing ecological prevention and control technology of tomato leafminers, provide a method for preventing and controlling tomato leafminers by using companion plants, use sesame as a companion plant to implement ecological regulation of tomato leafminers, set a sesame planting belt between tomato plants, grow sesame and tomato seedlings at the same time, and transplant a row of sesame in the sesame planting belt; plant sesame in the tomato planting habitat, enrich the field biodiversity, provide a good living habitat for important predatory natural enemy insects of tomato leafminers such as tobacco blind bugs, enhance the pest control ability of natural enemies, thereby effectively implementing ecological regulation of the major invasive pest tomato leafminers.

[0007] To achieve the above purpose, the solution provided by the present invention is:

[0008] Use companion plants to control tomato leafminers. Set up sesame planting belts at both ends of the open tomato greenhouse. Raise sesame and tomato seedlings at the same time. Plant after 20-25 days. Plant at least one row of sesame seedlings in the sesame planting belt. The spacing between sesame seedlings is 0.2 to 0.5 meters. The distance between sesame seedlings and tomato seedlings in the greenhouse is 0.2 to 0.5 meters.

[0009] Planting sesame at both ends of the tomato greenhouse can provide a nutrient source and shelter for the natural enemy of the tomato leafminer, the tobacco blind bug, and enhance the pest control ability of the tobacco blind bug. Generally, the growth period of tomatoes after transplanting is about 100-120 days, and the growth period of sesame is about 90 days. Therefore, in the case of simultaneous seedling cultivation, sesame as a companion plant can attract the natural enemy insect tobacco blind bug during most of the growth period of tomatoes, thereby controlling the population density of the tomato leafminer and regulating its ecology.

[0010] Preferably, the length-to-width ratio of the open tomato greenhouse is 10:(0.5-1.0).

[0011] Preferably, the tomato and sesame seedling raising and transplanting method specifically comprises the following steps:

[0012] (1) In the greenhouse, sesame and tomato seedlings were grown using the floating seedling method;

[0013] (2) Transplant sesame 5-7 days before transplanting tomatoes.

[0014] Preferably, in step (1), the seedling tray selected for growing sesame seedlings by the floating seedling method is a foam tray with 128 or 160 holes.

[0015] In the present invention, in the step (2), sesame can be transplanted 21 days after the start of seedling raising, and additional transplanting is required 5-7 days after the first batch of sesame is transplanted.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0017] The present invention provides a method for controlling tomato leafminers using companion plants, which is a new method for ecological regulation of tomato pests. The method only requires reasonable layout of some sesame seeds in the field, with the spacing between sesame seedlings being 0.2 to 0.5 meters, and the distance between sesame seedlings and tomato seedlings in the greenhouse being 0.2 to 0.5 meters. The method is easy to operate, does not require additional management, and does not affect the normal planting of tomatoes. By planting companion plants in the agricultural ecosystem, farmland biodiversity is improved, a good living environment is provided for natural enemy insects, the use of chemical pesticides is reduced, and a benign agricultural ecological cycle system is formed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 Illustration of raising seedlings for the companion plant sesame;

[0019] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of sesame planting;

[0020] Figure 3 The attraction of sesame to the predatory natural enemy, the tobacco blind bug;

[0021] Figure 4 This is the effect diagram of sesame's ecological regulation on its predatory natural enemy, the tobacco blind bug;

[0022] Figure 5 This is a diagram showing the control effect of sesame on the pest tomato leafminer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The technical solution of the present invention will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the drawings in the implementation cases of the present invention. It should be noted that the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making modifications that contribute to creative contributions are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0024] To use companion plants to control tomato leafminers, it is necessary to set up sesame planting belts at both ends of the open tomato greenhouse. Sesame and tomato seedlings should be raised at the same time and planted 20-25 days after seedling raising. At least one row of sesame seedlings should be planted in the sesame planting belt. The spacing between sesame seedlings is 0.2 to 0.5 meters, and the distance between sesame seedlings and tomato seedlings in the greenhouse is 0.2 to 0.5 meters.

[0025] Sesame has a history of thousands of years of cultivation in China and is one of the four major edible oil crops in China. Sesame not only plays an important role in China's food culture, but also has an influence that cannot be ignored in the fields of agricultural economy, international trade and healthy food. As a companion plant for greenhouse tomatoes, sesame needs to be grown in the greenhouse together with tomatoes using the floating seedling method. The seedling tray selected for sesame seedlings is a foam tray with 128 or 160 holes. The process of companion plant sesame seedling cultivation is as follows: Figure 1 As shown. Sesame should be transplanted 5-7 days before tomato. Sesame can be transplanted 20-25 days after the seedlings are grown, and additional transplanting is required 5-7 days after the first batch of sesame is transplanted.

[0026] The following examples can help professionals in this field to understand the present invention more clearly, but do not limit the present invention in any way. The specific operations are as follows:

[0027] (1) Overview of the test area

[0028] The test tomato greenhouses are located in Xiaojie Street, Eshan Yi Autonomous County, Yuxi City, Yunnan Province. Each greenhouse covers an area of ​​80 square meters. The area is located in the mid-subtropical semi-humid cool winter plateau monsoon climate zone with a mild climate and sufficient sunshine, which is suitable for greenhouse tomato and other vegetable cultivation.

[0029] (2) Planting experiment design

[0030] The experiment was divided into a treatment group and a control group. In the treatment group, sesame planting belts were set at both ends of the open tomato greenhouse. A row of sesame seedlings was planted in the sesame planting belt. The spacing between the sesame seedlings was 0.2 meters, and the distance between the sesame seedlings and the tomato seedlings in the greenhouse was 0.2 meters. The planting of sesame was as follows: Figure 2 shown.

[0031] The control group greenhouse was planted with tomatoes alone, without any other crops.

[0032] (3) Test time

[0033] The outbreak period of tomato leafminer is from August to October, so sesame seedlings were raised in the greenhouse using the floating seedling method at the end of June, and the first batch of transplanting began in mid-July to ensure that its growth period can cover the pest outbreak period. Additional transplanting was carried out 7 days after the first batch of sesame was transplanted, and tomatoes were transplanted.

[0034] (4) Experimental investigation methods

[0035] The field survey started on the second day after the tomatoes were transplanted, and was conducted every 7 days, for a total of 6 times. When encountering non-human objective factors or other situations that are not suitable for the survey, the survey time was adjusted appropriately. Specifically, the number of tobacco blind bugs on sesame and tomato plants, and the number of leaves on tomato plants with tomato leafminer infestations were investigated.

[0036] (5) Test investigation results

[0037] 1. Counting the number of tobacco stink bugs on sesame and tomato plants

[0038] Table 1 Statistics of the number of tobacco stink bugs on plants in the experimental group and the control group

[0039]

[0040] The test results show (see Table 1) that the number of tobacco blind bugs on sesame plants can reach up to 329 per greenhouse, which is significantly higher than that of the tomato plants in the experimental group and the control group. The number of tobacco blind bugs on tomato plants in the experimental group is also significantly higher than that in the control group. This shows that in the tomato greenhouse ecosystem, natural enemy insects, tobacco blind bugs, prefer to live on sesame plants, and sesame has an attractant effect on tobacco blind bugs. At the same time, the number of tobacco blind bugs on tomatoes in the greenhouse of the experimental group planted with sesame is also relatively large, that is, the density of natural enemies in the greenhouse is high, which is conducive to improving the biological control effect of tomato leaf miner. Figure 3 It can be seen that sesame has an attractive effect on the predatory natural enemy, the tobacco blind bug. The results shown in Table 1 can be referred to Figure 4 .

[0041] 2. Counting the number of tomato leafminers on tomato plants

[0042] Table 2 Statistics of the number of tomato leafminers on tomato plants in the experimental and control groups

[0043]

[0044] Since the larvae of tomato leafminers burrow into leaves and it is difficult to directly observe the larvae, the number of tomato leafminers is reflected by counting the damaged leaves with wormholes. The test results show (see Table 1) that on the 21st day after tomato transplanting, obvious tomato leafminer damage began to appear in the control group, and according to the results of the subsequent four surveys, when neither the experimental group nor the control group used chemical agents to control tomato leafminers, the number of wormholes on the tomato plants in the experimental group was lower than that in the control group during the 21st-42nd day of the survey, indicating that planting sesame as a companion plant can promote the biological control of tomato leafminers, especially in the early stage of damage. The results shown in Table 2 can be referred to Figure 5 .

[0045] Finally, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and there are many variations. The above examples are only preferred embodiments of the present invention. All variations that can be directly derived or associated with the content disclosed by ordinary technicians in this field should be considered as the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for controlling tomato leafminer using companion plants, characterized in that: Sesame planting belts are set up at both ends of the open tomato greenhouse, and sesame and tomato seedlings are grown at the same time. They are transplanted after 20-25 days of seedling cultivation. At least one row of sesame seedlings is planted in the sesame planting belt. The spacing between sesame seedlings is 0.2-0.5 meters, and the distance between sesame seedlings and tomato seedlings in the greenhouse is 0.2-0.5 meters.

2. The method for controlling tomato leafminer using companion plants according to claim 1, characterized in that: The length-to-width ratio of the open tomato greenhouse is 10:(0.5-1.0).

3. The method for controlling tomato leafminer using companion plants according to claim 1, characterized in that: The seedling transplanting methods of sesame and tomatoes include: (1) Sesame and tomato are grown using the floating seedling method; (2) Transplant sesame 5-7 days before transplanting tomatoes.

4. The method for controlling tomato leafminer using companion plants according to claim 3, characterized in that: In the step (1), the seedling tray selected for sesame seedling cultivation by the floating seedling cultivation method is a foam tray with 128 or 160 holes.

5. The method for raising seedlings and transplanting for controlling tomato leafminer using companion plants according to claim 3, characterized in that: In the step (2), the sesame is transplanted 20-25 days after the sesame seedlings begin to grow.

6. The method for raising seedlings and transplanting for controlling tomato leafminer using companion plants according to claim 3, characterized in that: The sesame needs to be transplanted again 5-7 days after the first transplant.

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