Flowering Chamaecrista fasciculata borders enhance natural enemy populations and improve grain quality in field corn

Plants with floral resources are advocated to enhance natural enemy density and efficacy in conservation biological control systems. Field experiments were conducted examine the ability of partridge pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata) planted along two borders organic field corn (Zea mays) plots attract enemies control, yield profit. Partridge significantly increased abundances, including parasitoid predators; however, some key target pest abundances within unaffected. Crop damage was reduced, grain quality improved adjacent compared without pea. Despite these benefits, there no economic gain respect yields or profits.