This study aims to compare the diversity and relative abundance of insect families collected in organic and conventional tomato production systems located in Alagoas, Northeast Brazil (09°81'76"S and 36°59'42"W). In this region, the visible spectrum is quite broad with sunlight throughout the year. Between rows of tomato plants, we set up a system of colored traps colored blue, yellow, white, green, red, and transparent. The experiment was between September 2015 and January 2017. The experimental design was completely randomized with six experiments and with five replicates. The data collected were analyzed using the Scott-Knott test at 5% probability. Analysis of the various diversity indices was made using DivEs software. A total of 56,955 insects from 25 families were collected from the organic system, and 10,660 from 22 families in the conventional system. We observed that, in the conventional system, insect diversity and relative abundance (AR) were significantly greater than those of the organic system. The averages of the indices were as follows: For the organic system: Shannon-Wiener, 2.97; Simpson, 0.79; Simpson Dominance, 0.19; Margalef, 5.13; and Pielou, 2.27, respectively. For the conventional system, the indices were 3.49; 0.86; 0.12; 6.93; and 2.56; respectively. Several families of insect orders collected in the colored traps showed significant mean values for families of pollinator insects, predators, parasitoids, and pests. This may aid in decision making for the protection of plants and other agroecosystems. The collected insects did not differ significantly in terms of diversity of families. Colored traps may be exploited for pest control and for conservation of insect.

 

Key words: Vegetables, agricultural management, agroecology, plant protection.