Pest abundance and biocontrol in annual crops in contrasting landscapes

Complex landscapes often enhance pest suppression in crop fields by supporting natural enemy populations. Landscapes with different gradients of composition (% semi-natural habitats) and configuration (edge density) at different spatial scales were assessed for pest abundance and parasitism rate. This study includes observations in 25 wheat fields and 16 maize fields across the Veneto Region, Italy. Landscape variables were calculated similarly for all sites based on two different land-use and land-cover maps. This approach is aimed to test the following hypotheses: (1) complex landscapes are related to higher pest suppression; (2) the effects of landscape composition and configuration on pest suppression differ among spatial scales.