The Effect Of Distance Between Zinnia elegans and Soybean (Glycine max) on the Abundance of Natural Enemies and Pest Attacks, West Aceh

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the effect of Zinnia elegans plant spacing as a refugia
plant on the abundance of natural enemies and the level of pest attacks on soybean (Glycine
max). The study used a non-factorial Randomized Block Design (RBD) with five treatments:
no refugia (J0), and plant spacing of 40 cm (J1), 60 cm (J2), 80 cm (J3), and 100 cm (J4),
each with four replications. The parameters observed included the identification and
population of natural enemy insects, the abundance of natural enemy insects, the area and
intensity of pest attacks. Data analysis was carried out using analysis of variance and
continued with the LSD test at the 5% level. The results showed that the 40 cm plant spacing
(J1) was the most effective treatment, resulting in the highest abundance of natural enemies
(31 individuals from 4 families) and the lowest pest population (2 individuals). Treatment J1
also showed the lowest pest attack area (5.47%) and very light attack intensity (3.62%),
while the control (J0) showed an attack area of 23.47% and an attack intensity of 19.42%,
which is classified as moderate. The high abundance of natural enemies at a planting
distance of 40 cm indicates the effectiveness of refugia in creating microhabitats that support
natural predators in the soybean planting ecosystem. These data indicate that the use of
Zinnia elegans refugia at optimal planting distances can suppress pest attacks while
increasing soybean plant productivity. Therefore, the integration of refugia plants with
appropriate planting distances can be an effective, environmentally friendly biological
control strategy and support sustainable agriculture.