Arthropod diversity and abundance under irrigated and rainfed conditions in South Africa sugarcane

Insect diversity and abundance are often the base for formulating strategies that involve the appropriate application of pest control methods, considering the ecosystem services provided by insects. Arthropods represent more than half of the global described biodiversity, and form part of several food webs providing ecosystem services and serving as ecosystem engineers. For over 40 years, there have been no updated data on the diversity and abundance of insects in commercial sugarcane under field conditions in South Africa. Thus, a knowledge gap exists on the current diversity and abundance of insects associated with conventional sugarcane in South Africa. Therefore, the aim of this study was to provide recent baseline data on the diversity and abundance of insects in conventional sugarcane, based on two sugarcane fields in KwaZulu-Natal. Three sampling methods, namely pitfall, sticky and water pan traps, were used to sample insects in rainfed and irrigated sugarcane in Gingindlovu and Pongola from March to October 2022. This study collected 12,493 insects belonging to 14 insect orders and 88 families in rainfed sugarcane and 22,309 insects belonging to 14 orders and 94 families in irrigated sugarcane. Significant differences in the diversity indices were found between the sampling methods and between the sampling periods. This study provides recent baseline data on the diversity and abundance of insects in sugarcane.