Management practices and diversity of flower visitors and herbaceous plants in conventional and organic avocado orchards in Michoacán, Mexico

Abstract

Despite alleged advantages of organic over conventional farming, management effects on biodiversity are still little known. We related the diversity of herbs and flower visitors to management indicators in avocado orchards and hypothesized that inputs, practices, and context influence diversity of herbs and flower visitors. Using basic classification units, matrix correlation, and multivariate analysis of variance, we found that low-toxicity insecticides, infrequent herb cutting, and presence of forest areas were related to high biodiversity. Intensification of agricultural management reduced biodiversity both in organic and conventional management type. Our results advocate for an improved, integrative, management classification considering intensification and ecological context, besides input-type criteria.