Effect of additive intercropping kidney bean Phaseolus vulgaris with some aromatic plants on Thrips tabaci population

Intercropping is defined as the simultaneous cultivating of two or more crops together at the same time within a field. It has many advantages like pest population reduction, which increases crop yield. This study compared the impact of additive intercropping kidney bean Phaseolus vulgaris L. with some aromatic plants on Thrips tabaci Lindeman, 1889 population. The treatments included kidney bean sole crop, 100 + 50 kidney bean + coriander Coriander sativum L., 100 + 50 kidney bean + ajwain Carum copticum L., 100 + 50 kidney bean + basil Ocimum basilicum L., and 100 + 50 kidney bean + dill Anethum graveolens L. There were six sampling dates at weekly intervals after onion thrips emergence on the leaves. Kidney and bean leaves were collected on each sampling date, and the number of thrips larvae or adults was recorded. Results showed that the intercropping system significantly influences the onion thrips population. The minimum and maximum thrips per leaf were recorded in kidney bean + basil mixed and kidney bean sole crop treatments (0.208 and 0.540 Thrips/leaf). Moreover, there was a significant negative relationship between the number of thrips and kidney beans yield. The highest yield was recorded in kidney bean + basil treatments (2756 kg/ha). Besides, intercropping increased the Land Equivalent Ratio (LER) of bean monoculture. For instance, all intercropping treatments had higher LER than kidney bean monoculture. Among the intercropping treatments, the kidney bean + basil treatment had the highest LER (1.433). Finally, intercropping kidney beans with some aromatic plants could be an eco-friendly strategy in integrated pest management.