PAU entomologist contributes to landmark research published in science advances

Punjab News Express

Jul 24, 2026 - 18:49

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LUDHIANA: Dr Sarwan Kumar, Principal Entomologist in the Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, is among the international team of scientists whose landmark research has been published in the prestigious journal Science Advances, one of the world’s leading scientific journals.

The research article, titled ‘Plant diversity modifies multi-trophic interactions in croplands, grasslands and forests’ provides a comprehensive global assessment of how plant diversity influences interactions among plants, herbivores and their natural enemies. The study analyzed evidence from 149 field studies conducted across 27 countries and five continents, making it one of the most extensive global syntheses of plant diversity-mediated multi-trophic interactions.

The study revealed that increasing plant diversity can fundamentally alter ecological interactions across different ecosystems. In croplands, greater plant diversity was associated with stronger natural enemy pressure relative to herbivores, indicating enhanced top-down biological control of crop pests. The enemy-to-herbivore abundance ratio increased substantially in both organic and non-organic croplands, suggesting that crop diversification can contribute to preventive and sustainable pest management.

In contrast, grasslands and forests primarily exhibited patterns consistent with bottom-up ecological effects, whereby greater plant diversity enhanced plant productivity and supported herbivore and natural-enemy communities. These findings demonstrate that the ecological consequences of plant diversity vary according to ecosystem type and management practices.

The research has important implications for sustainable agriculture. It highlights crop diversification and habitat management as promising approaches for strengthening natural biological control, reducing dependence on chemical pest management and promoting biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.

Dr Kumar's contribution to this major international collaboration further highlights the global research expertise of Punjab Agricultural University in the fields of entomology, biodiversity, ecological interactions and sustainable pest management. The study brings together a large international team of researchers working across ecology, entomology, agriculture and biodiversity science.

The article is published in Science Advances, a journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and is available at: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aeb8680.