Study on Diversity of Arthropod Community in a Rice-duck Integrated Farming System in South China

Abstract: The integration of ducks into rice farming has raised concerns about possible effects on arthropod communities due to frequent prédation by ducks. This paper conducted a study using three treatments, including integrated rice-duck cultivation (RD), conventional rice cultivation (CC) and a control treatment (CK), to investigate the impact of rice-duck farming on the diversity of arthropod communities in the field. The results revealed that arthropod numbers in both RD and CC treatments showed varying degrees of reduction when compared with the CK treatment. Arthropod individual numbers, Simpson (D) and Shannon's diversity index (H' ) values in RD were higher than those in CC. Arthropod individual numbers, richness index (R), D and H'values in both tillering and booting phases of the late rice were significantly higher in RD treatment than those in CC treatment. Rice-duck integration system was favorable for the maintenance of arthropod diversity in the cropping field and may help to lessen the decline in abundance and diversity of rice farmland arthropods caused by the utilization of chemical pesticides and fertilizers.