Insect Predator-Prey Relationships in Croplands

The growing emphasis on environmental and food safety has intensified interest in development of biological control as a means of controlling pests. The study was conducted in the croplands of Faisalabad District. Main focus was on predator prey relationships of some of the predominant predator groups belonging to orders Coleoptera and Hymenoptera with some known major pest species in four major crops viz. sugarcane, fodder, wheat and mustard coccinellid and carabid predators and aphid pest species occurring in considerable numbers were selected from the field data to ascertain the probable interactions among their populations. Predator prey relationship was assessed from their monthly abundance ratio. Predator-prey relationship of important predators with major prey species was ascertained by DNA/PCR based molecular gut analysis. Laboratory study on predation rate in selected coccinellid (adult and larva) and hymenopteran (adult) predators on some major aphidid and cicadellid pests was also studied. Further studies on predator-prey relationships of insect species need to be done, both in the field and laboratory to successfully incorporate them into IPM programs.