Effect of Additive Series Intercropping Kidney Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) with some Aromatic Plants on Tetranychus urticae Koch. (Acari: Tetranychidae) Population

Intercropping (a farming practice involving two or more crop species, growing together and coexisting for a time) is one of the important cultural practices in pest management and is based on the principle of reducing insect pests by increasing the diversity of an ecosystem. To evaluate the impact of additive series intercropping kidney bean with some aromatic plants on different biological stages (eggs, immatures, and adults) of two-spotted spider mite (TSSM) the experiment was carried out in a randomized complete blocks design (RCBD) with five treatments included kidney bean pure stand, kidney bean+Coriander (100+50) kidney bean+ajwain, (100+50) kidney bean+basil, (100+50) and (100+50) kidney bean+dill and three replicates in the cropping year 2020-21, Lorestan province, Iran. The results showed that the intercropping system significantly influencesd on the different life stages of TSSM, e.g., the minimum and the maximum number of eggs, immatures, and adults of TSSM were found in kidney bean+basil (3.880, 4.103, 1.113) and pure bean (7.783, 7.107, 2.33) treatments, respectively. Also, the correlation test results showed a significant negative relationship between the number of eegs, immatures, and adults with kidney bean yield. Moreover, the highest yield (2756 kg/ha^-1) and Land Equivalent Ratio (1.43) were recorded in kidney bean+basil. Finally, can be expressed intercropping kidney beans with some aromatic plants proved to be an eco-friendly strategy in the reduction of TSSM population in kidney bean farmland.