Diversity of insect on cowpea cropping in rainfed land

Abstract

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata subsp. Unguiculata) is a plant that is widely cultivated in dryland or the dry season because it is relatively resistant to drought. Insect diversity in the cowpea ecosystem has different characteristics from other ecosystems. This study aimed to understand the diversity of insects on cowpea cropping in rainfed agricultural land. Insect collection used a survey method in which light trap, pitfall trap, and swing net as tools. Observation time using each tool was 3, 2, and 5 times a week, respectively. The experiment was carried out at rainfed land of Jakenan field station using an area of 2500 m2 with altitude 7 m above sea level (masl). The most dominant insect population on light trap observation was an order of Lepidoptera in the form of moths. In contrast, the observations using a pitfall trap were dominated by an insect from the Hymenoptera order in the form of ants and bees. Furthermore, observation using insect swing net was the Hemiptera order or the ladybug group as the most dominant. The diversity index value was categorized as a medium since the value in the range of 1