Abstract:

The structures and characteristics of the arthropod communities of jujube orchards with different habitats were analyzed based on the survey in the suburb of Taigu County, Shanxi Province, Northern China. The results indicated that the largest number of arthropod species and the least number of individuals were in the treatment with weeds (P<0.05), and the least number of arthropod species and the largest number of individuals were in the treatment without weeds (P<0.05). In the comparison of species richness of different groups, the phytophagous group was the largest, but the predatory and parasitoid groups were the smallest in the treatment without weeds; the phytophagous group was the least, but predatory and parasitoid groups were the largest in the treatment with weeds. There were no significant differences (P>0.05) of species and individuals within the parasitoid group between the treatment with soybean and the treatment without weeds. The analysis based on the ShannonWiener diversity index and relative stability values suggested that the richer the plant diversity, the better regulation ability among arthropod communities. More crops and properly remaining weeds could reduce the possibility of natural enemies migrating out. In addition, intercropping more crops in jujube orchards was more beneficial not only in getting a larger net return but also in increasing diversity and evenness of beneficial insects and decreasing the degree of pest dominance.

Key words: Arthropods, jujube orchard, soybean, cotton, weeds, intercropping, community structure, species diversity