The Effect of Intercropping Cabbage-Cowpea on Insects Population, Diversity and Interactions

Knowing the right crop to intercrop is very important in successful pest management strategy. Our study used complete randomized block design (RCBD) with three replicates to investigate the effect of intercropping cabbage and cowpea on insects’ population, diversity and Interactions. The insects found on our study were Brassicae brevicoryne, Plutella xylostella, Hellula undalis, Zonocerus variegatus, Trichoplusia ni, Aphid craccivora, Empoasca spp, Megalurothrips sjostedti and Anoplocnemis curvipes. Our study demonstrated that number of different insect pests attacked the cabbage and cowpea crops, at different stages of plant growth indicating that pest infestation of the two crops were growth stage specific. Our results suggest that intercropping cabbage and cowpea could promote the growth of natural enemies. Our study shows that intercropping cabbage and cowpea is very an effective pest management strategy against B. brassicae and P. xylostella, A. craccivora and M. sjostedti.

Keywords: Intercropping, Cowpea, Cabbage, Pest, Population, Growth