Advancing IPM Through Cover Crops and Strip Tillage
Sustainable Agriculture
Dwayne Joseph
Agriculture Educator
University of Maryland
Chestertown
Abstract
Season-long pest management can be challenging in cantaloupe (Cucumis melo) production. However, integrating living mulches with other management tools may help suppress weeds while also influencing insect populations throughout the cantaloupe life cycle. Field studies were conducted over two seasons to investigate the effects of an interplanted living mulch of red clover (Trifolium pratense) on weed suppression, insect pest pressure, and beneficial arthropods compared to polyethylene mulch systems. Whole plot treatments included a living mulch or polyethylene mulch system, with a split-plot factor of standard or reduced pesticide inputs. The results indicate that the living mulch system provided weed suppression comparable to or better than the polyethylene mulch system in both study years, while standard herbicide inputs within the living mulch system did not consistently enhance control. Additionally, insect pest populations, particularly striped and spotted cucumber beetles, were reduced in living mulch treatments compared to polyethylene mulch systems. Beneficial arthropods were more abundant in the living mulch system, suggesting a potential biological control benefit. Despite these benefits, cantaloupe yield was lower in the living mulch system compared to the polyethylene mulch system. These results suggest that living mulches can play a role in integrated pest management by suppressing weeds and impacting insect populations. However, careful management, including wider planting strips, is needed to minimize competition between the cash crop and cover crop.
Authors: Dwayne Joseph
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Dwayne Joseph Agriculture Agent, University of Maryland, Maryland, 21620