Study

Management of Acyrthosiphon kondoi Shinji, blue-green aphid, and Therioaphis trifolii (Monell) f. maculata, spotted alfalfa aphid, by grazing and cutting lucerne

  • Published source details Bishop A.L., Greenup L.R. & Holtkamp R.H. (1980) Management of Acyrthosiphon kondoi Shinji, blue-green aphid, and Therioaphis trifolii (Monell) f. maculata, spotted alfalfa aphid, by grazing and cutting lucerne. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, 20, 710-716.

Actions

This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

Action Category

Use grazing instead of cutting for pasture or grassland management

Action Link
Natural Pest Control
  1. Use grazing instead of cutting for pasture or grassland management

    A before-and-after trial in 1979 in lucerne Medicago sativa in New South Wales, Australia (Bishop et al. 1980) found a smaller reduction in predatory adult brown lacewings Micromus sp. after grazing (57% decline, from 8.6 to 3.7 adults/2 m²) than after cutting (91-94% decline, 5.1-7.0 to 0.3-0.6 adults). Numbers remained higher in grazed than cut lucerne seven days after treatment. Brown lacewing larvae declined by 82% in grazed compared to 98% in cut lucerne. Grazing and cutting caused similar declines for transverse ladybirds Coccinella transversalis (68% vs. 78-83%, respectively). Blue-green aphids Acyrthosiphon kondoi Shinji declined less under grazing (70% decline, from 93 to 28 aphids/3.1 m²) than cutting (89-90% decline, 66-113 to 6.6-12.1 aphids) but numbers were similar after seven days. Mowing, windrowing (piling cut vegetation in rows on the field) and baling lucerne before collection had little effect on pest or natural enemy numbers compared to harvesting directly into a trailer. Treatments included grazing (84 cattle for 1 day on 0.45 ha), cutting with a forage harvester and collecting the crop immediately (0.3 ha), and mowing and windrowing before baling and collection (0.3 ha). Aphids and predators were sampled with a suction sampler at 10 random quadrat sites/treatment.

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