Vanilla cultivation under trees promotes pest regulation

Research team led by University of Göttingen investigates agroforestry systems in Madagascar. The cultivation of vanilla in Madagascar provides a good income for small-holder farmers, but without trees and bushes the plantations can lack biodiversity. Agricultural ecologists from the University of Göttingen, in cooperation with colleagues from the University in Antananarivo (Madagascar), have investigated the interaction between prey and their predators in these cultivated areas. To do this, they experimentally released dummy prey in order to determine the activity of the natural enemies. The result: more prey were attacked as the proportion of trees increased. This pest control is advantageous for agricultural cultivation. The results of the study have been published in the Journal of Applied Ecology.