Ecological engineering of ground cover vegetation promotes biocontrol services in peach orchards

• We examined the biocontrol services of ground cover vegetation in peach orchards.
• The key insect pests (aphids and Grapholitha molesta) abundance was decreased.
• The generalist predators (spiders, ladybirds and lacewings) abundance was increased.
• The pests were better repelled by the predators in ground cover peach orchards.
• Ecological engineering of ground cover vegetation promoted biocontrol services.

We conducted a 2-year field experiment at two sites in eastern China, examining the effects of the ground cover by Trifolium repens L. on the biocontrol services in peach orchards. The results indicated that compared to those in control areas, the abundances of aphids and Grapholitha molesta decreased, respectively, by 31.4% and 33.3% in Shanghai and by 30.1% and 33.3% in Jiangsu, while the abundance of generalist arthropod predators increased by 116.7% in Shanghai and by 115.8% in Jiangsu in ground cover areas. Compared to that in control areas, the ratio of generalist predator abundance to aphid abundance and to G. molesta abundance increased, respectively, by 260.0% and 384.2% in Shanghai and by 213.3% and 253.1% in Jiangsu in ground cover areas. Our study revealed that the ecological engineering of ground cover by T. repens promoted biocontrol services in peach orchards.