Intercropping effect of strawberry and coriander for controlling the two spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae (Acari: Tetranychidae)

Coriander, Coriandrum sativum L. abbreviated here as Co, belongs to Apiaceae which is an aromatic herbaceous annual plant. In this study, intercropping coriander with strawberry, Fragaria ananassa Duchesne abbreviated as S, in the two patterns 2S: 2Co and 5S: 2Co (row ratios) were assessed for controlling the two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch, compared to strawberry. The results indicated that intercropping coriander and strawberry reduced the density of T. urticae eggs compared with strawberry monocropping. Furthermore, the densities of mobile forms of T. urticae were significantly lower in intercropping systems, especially 2S: 2Co compared with strawberry monocropping. Moreover, the land equivalent ratio (LER), which is used to assess the yield benefit in intercropping systems, was greater than 1 in intercrops, especially 2S: 2Co (1.413 in 2017 and 1.430 in 2018). These results indicated that intercropping strawberry with coriander could be beneficial in integrated management of T. urticae by reducing two-spotted spider mite densities and increasing the crop yields.