Abstract

Tomato production is constrained by arthropod pests and diseases. Among the arthropod pests, sap-sucking insect pests such as whiteflies (Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius 1889)), aphids (Aphis spp.) and Thrips sp. are the insect pests of economic importance in the study area. The overall result indicated that intercropping significantly reduced the population of these insect pests compared to sole tomato. The most effective population reduction was recorded on tomato - onion (63.13, 56.46 and 25% in aphids, whiteflies and thrips, respectively) next to karate (83.51, 73.74 and 66.04%) and tobacco leaf extract (77.31, 71.51 and 69.34 in aphids, whiteflies and thrips, respectively). The companion crops harbored the predators and parasitoids of diverse species predominantly. Tomato onion intercropping led the best performances in guarding tomato crop from major insect pests compared to other companion crops. Therefore, tomato onion intercrops may be used as the first options in boosting tomato production as an alternative to karate and tobacco leaf extract in sap-sucking insect pests’ management. Further study on the detailed morphological and molecular-based parasitoid species identification and their ecological host ranges are of utmost importance in the sustainable integrated pest management (IPM) strategies in tomatoes.

Key words: Companion crops, pest reduction, beneficial insects, repellence.