Higher and more stable biological control of multiple herbivore species in diversified strip cropping systems

Context: Agricultural intensification has simplified agroecosystems, reduced biodiversity and weakened natural pest control. Effective biological control requires reliable, long-term control of multiple herbivores. While studies investigated biological control in diversified cropping systems, there is little information to what extent pest suppression is sustained throughout the growing season and whether it provides satisfactory control of several herbivores.
Objectives: Here we assessed how increasing crop diversity and an “attract-and-reward” strategy influence effectiveness and temporal stability of biological control.
Methods: We compared predation, parasitism of eggs and caterpillars in a cabbage system with four levels of crop diversity: cabbage monoculture, cabbage-oat strip cropping, strip cropping with six crops, and an attract-and-reward system in which a strip cropping system was enhanced by inclusion of a parasitoid-attractive cabbage cultivar and nectar-providing buckwheat..., , # Higher and more stable biological control of multiple herbivore species in diversified strip cropping systems

Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.4qrfj6qs4](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.4qrfj6qs4)

## Description of the data and file structure

The data were collected from field experiments designed to evaluate how strip cropping affects the effectiveness and temporal stability of biological pest control in cabbage systems. The study compared four cropping configurations: monoculture, simple strip cropping (cabbage–oat), diversified strip cropping with six crops, and an “attract-and-reward” system combining a parasitoid-attractive cabbage cultivar with buckwheat floral resources. Biological control metrics were assessed in two organically managed farms in the Netherlands during 2023 and 2024. Egg predation, eggs parasitism, and caterpillar parasitism were tested using sentinel eggs of Mamestra brassicae and a release-and-recapture method for Pieris brassicae and Plutella xylostella caterpil..., ,