Trap crops are grown to attract insects or other organisms to protect main crops from pest attack. Protection may be achieved either by preventing the pests from reaching the crop or by concentrating them in certain parts of the field where they can be destroyed.
The principle of trap cropping rests on the fact that virtually all pests show a distinct preference to a certain crop stage.
Farmers are being motivated to utilize trap cropping because of the difficulties in cropping with the pest situations in other ways.
Resistance Additionally, pests have often evolved resistance to commonly used pesticides, which requires some alternative control strategies.
Further, motivations to use trap cropping are economical and environmental benefits are often associated with this strategy.
Besides its potential role in improving the environmental soundness, trap cropping techniques may have special preference in conventional agriculture for sustainable farming in developing countries.
Additionally, the increasing sector of organic farming also could exploit this strategy of pest control.
Features of the trap cropping are that it must be attractive to the pest than the main crop, should occupy as small an area as possible and should be established at an early or later stage or along with the main crop.
Important crops The important trap crops commonly used in pest management include bhendi/okra in cotton to trap bollworms at the ratio of 1:10 and marigold at the border of the field. Sesamum is commonly being planted to attract diamondback moth in both cabbage and cauliflower. Two rows of sesamum for every 25 rows of cabbage or cauliflower can be planted to trap pests.
In groundnut, castor or sunflower can be used to attract leaf eating caterpillar on the border of the field. In tomato, marigold or cucumber is commonly used for every 15 rows of the main crop to attract tomato fruit borer. In case of field beans, chrysanthemum acts as a trap crop against leaf minor.
Marigold is a potential trap crop in potato and rice against nematodes and snails, respectively.
(Dr. D. N. Kambrekar is a Scientist, Agricultural Entomology, Regional Agricultural Research Station, UAS Campus, Bijapur-586 101 (Karnataka), Email: kambrekardn@gmail.com Phone: 08352-230568.)
