Evaluating the effects of native flower plantings on pollinators, predators, and pests in citrus groves

Background/Question/Methods

Planting attractive flowering plants near crop fields can improve their potential as habitats and food resources for beneficial arthropods. To determine whether we could improve habitats around existing systems of tree windbreaks bordering citrus groves, we planted different combinations of native flowering plants (the wildflower Gallardia sp., the vine Lonicera sempervirens, and the bush Cephalanthus occidentalis) in different plots of a treatment grove. We paired this with a control grove which lacked flower treatments but was also bordered by windbreaks. Naturally occurring weedy species were incorporated in the study to assess their impacts on common grove arthropods. Since April 2021, we have sampled both arthropods and plants on a monthly basis to determine the effects of our flowering treatments on the abundance of pollinators, arthropod predators, and pests.

Results/Conclusions

Preliminary results suggest that floral visitors are more numerous in our treatment grove; while European honey bees most frequently visited the common weed, Bidens alba, native bees equally visited this species as well as our treatment wildflower, Gallardia sp.. Despite finding a higher abundance and diversity of predator groups in the treatment grove, we found no evidence of higher predation rates nor diminished numbers of citrus pests like Asian citrus psyllids in this grove. Although native flower plantings may boost numbers of beneficial arthropods found in Florida citrus groves, we have not seen a cascading effect yet on citrus pests one year after establishing these plants.