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A trap crop is a plant that attracts agricultural creatures usually insects, away from nearby crops. This form of companion planting can save the main crop from decimation by pests without the use of pesticides. 〔Horticulture Research International, Wellesbourne : “(Insects can see clearly now the weeds have gone. )” Finch, S. & Collier, R. H. (2003). Biologist, 50 (3), 132-135.〕 Trap crops can be planted around the circumference of the field to be protected, or interspersed among them, for example being planted every ninth row. ==Usage== Trap crops, when used on an industrial scale, are generally planted at a key time in the pest's lifecycle, and then destroyed before that lifecycle finishes and the pest might have transferred from the trap plants to the main crop. Examples of trap crops include: * Alfalfa planted in strips among cotton, to draw away lygus bugs, while castor beans surround the field, or tobacco is planted in strips among it, to protect from the budworm ''Heliothis.'' * Rose enthusiasts often plant ''Pelargonium'' geraniums among their rosebushes because Japanese beetles are drawn to the geraniums, which are toxic to them. * Chervil is used by gardeners to protect vegetable plants from slugs. * Rye, sesbania, and sicklepod are used to protect soybeans from corn seeding maggots, stink bugs, and velvet green caterpillars, respectively. * Mustard and Alfalfa planted near strawberries to attract lygus bugs, a method pioneered by Jim Cochran. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Trap crop」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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