A research group of Professor Genichiro Arimura of Tokyo University of Science discovered that the unique scent emitted from mentha attracts natural enemies of agricultural pests.This discovery is expected to lead to the establishment of organic farming methods that use mint as a companion plant.
Companion plants are plants that have the effect of suppressing infection by pests and promoting growth by co-planting near crops.Professor Arimura's group is working on the development of organic cultivation technology using mint as a companion plant, and so far it has been clarified that crops near mint have increased defense power.The use of companion plants will help solve the problems of pesticide-dependent modern agriculture and realize organic farming methods that do not use pesticides.
In this study, we focused on the natural enemies of the important pests such as Spodoptera frugiperda, Thrips palmi Karny, Whitefly, and Spider mites, and evaluated the behavior of Bemisia tabaci to the scent of mint.As a result, it was discovered that the scent of candy mint attracts tobacco scabs to the same extent as the scent emitted from eggplant leaves damaged by the larvae of Spodoptera frugiperda. It was found that a stronger palatability was exhibited in the scent of candy mint.It was also found that the predatory property of Bemisia tabaci was increased when there was mint in the vicinity, and it was clarified that the scent of mint not only attracts Bemisia tabaci but also has an appetite-promoting effect.
The results of this research suggest that mint can be used for pest control using natural enemies as a companion plant that attracts natural enemies of pests. It can be expected to contribute to the establishment and dissemination.
