A study was conducted during the 1997 and 1998 kharif seasons in Karnataka, India, to evaluate the impact of intercrops on the conservation of Chrysoperla carnea and other natural enemies in the cotton ecosystem. Cotton hybrid (DCH-32) was grown alone (monocrop) or intercropped with cowpea, soyabean, groundnut, sorghum, chilli and lucerne. The average population of C. carnea and spiders were significantly high on cotton intercropped with lucerne, cowpea, and groundnut. The parasitization of bollworm egg and larvae were significantly high on cotton intercropped with sorghum and lucerne. Among the intercrops tested, lucerne conserved overall high natural enemy populations, while the natural enemy populations were least on cotton intercropped with soyabean. Similarly, the pest load was low on cotton grown in intercropping systems except with soyabean. Significantly higher number of good opened bolls (GOB) and seed cotton yield were harvested from cotton intercropped with lucerne. Cotton intercropped with groundnut and cowpea performed equally better and was at par with cotton intercropped with lucerne. However, intercropping with sorghum recorded the least number of GOB and seed cotton yield.
