Potential of tomato colonization by mirid bugs in Roussillon area (Southern France):effect of crop management and landscape features in crop surroundings

Abstract: Enhancing insect pest control by their natural enemies is considered as a promisingcrop protection strategy to reduce pesticide use. In Mediterranean areas, native natural enemiessuch as mirid bugs (Heteroptera: Miridae) settle spontaneously in protected tomato crops and canplay an important asset for pest regulation, which remains however hardly predictable. Thispresent study aims at identifying key factors of colonization of crops by mirid bugs and morespecifically agronomical practices and landscape features in the tomato crops surroundings. Dataon land-uses proportions, crop management and mirids populations were collected for 34 tomatocrops in Roussillon area (south of France) and analysed using multivariate methods. Exploratoryanalyses show correlations between crop management, proportions of certain land-uses andabundance of mirids in tomato. This is the first step of a whole study aiming to assess thepotential of protected crop colonization by beneficials in order to manage crops and theirsurroundings and enhance this process.