Traditional knowledge of distracting plants for harmful fauna in corn crops of Santa Catarina, Tepoztlán, Morelos

Since pre-Hispanic times, peasants have used distracting plants for insects, birds and rodents to protect corn crops. Unfortunately, modern agricultural technology has displaced this traditional knowledge, although it is still possible to find it in peasant communities. The systematic recovery of this knowledge can represent a valuable contribution of the peasant agro-ecological strategy to overcome adverse environmental factors. In this context, in the Náhuatl community of Santa Catarina, municipality of Tepoztlán, Morelos, this study was carried out to rescue this traditional knowledge through 56 structured interviews with qualitative techniques, such as participatory observation. The result of this study produced the following information on all species used as distracting plants. We identified 12 distracting species distributed in eight families, 11 of which were wild species and one cultivated species. Nine species have succulent foliage for ants to distract them from possible attack on corn; the most used plants were: hueyamatl (Sapium macrocarpum), Trichilia hirta, Leucaena macrophylla and Bocconia arborea. hueyamatl (Sapium macrocarpum), Trichilia hirta, Leucaena macrophylla and Bocconia arborea. To feed birds and rodents, peasants use popoyote maize (rotten Zea mays grains) to feed them; also teosinte plants (Zea mays ssp. mexicana (Schrader) Iltis) in fructification are used as distracting plants for rodents. To scare insects away, mainly budworms (Spodoptera frugiperda), some peasants plant Mexican marigolds around corn crops.