Biodiversity and Conservation of Arthropod Natural Enemies in Tea Plantations of India: An Appraisal

Abstract

Arthropod natural enemies (predators and parasitoids) play a vital role in controlling the pest population in agricultural systems. But their population is declining rapidly due to some modern agricultural practices like chemical pesticide application demanding more attention to this field. Proper documentation and conservation of these endemic natural enemies in the tea plantations is needed to naturally control the tea pests reducing chemical application. In the present review, natural enemy species recorded from tea plantations of India are listed with an analysis of relative abundance among different families. In addition, some conservation strategies such as modifications of adverse agricultural practices, provision of food and shelters, application of semiochemicals etc are discussed which would help enhancing their population as well as their efficacy in the tea ecosystem. While challenges and future research opportunities in this field are also outlined.