Evaluation of insect diversity and prospects for pest management in agriculture

Insects, when harnessed as part of an agricultural sustainability initiative, can reduce reliance on chemical pesticides and fertilizers. However, their full potential has yet to be realized. Understanding the impact of these factors on insect communities is imperative for agricultural systems. The task gets complicated because of changing weather patterns, which can increase and decrease abiotic variables (e.g., climate), and biotic variables (e.g., food resources). These factors, and their effect on insect diversity, must be understood before insects can be widely used in agricultural operations. This study, conducted in Faisalabad, Pakistan, aims to add to existing knowledge of insect assemblage in an agricultural setting. Insects were collected on a monthly basis over a period of one year using yellow sticky traps, pitfall traps, sweep nets, forceps, and by direct handpicking. A total of 1503 insect specimens were collected, representing 91 species, 74 genera, and 36 families. We assessed variations in abundance, diversity, and species richness over the different months of study. We evaluate the effects of environmental factors on insects' composition using a Principal Component Analysis. In our samples, pest species were the most abundant and they were strongly influenced by temperature. There was a significant negative association of richness with wind speed, and relative humidity for herbivore insects. Overall, insect diversity mostly varied in April and October. The results revealed that relative humidity had a significant effect on the composition of insect assemblages in January, November, and December; whereas temperature had a significant effect on insects examined in May and June. The findings of this research will contribute to the further development of agricultural management systems aimed at reducing pernicious species through biological control elements.