Peas Divert Pecan Pests
Peas Divert Pecan Pests
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| Farmers employing biological controls find trap crops are successful in combating stinkbugs, such as this one almost camouflaged by a pecan leaf. Photo by Bill Ree |
Give insects a better menu and many skipthe cash crops. That's true with stinkbugs, pecan peststhat damage kernels before harvest. In the South, stinkbugs trimpecan profits 3 to 5 percent and hurt some orchard returns up to50 percent. But easy-to-grow black-eyed peas (Vignaunguiculata) divert pests, cut insecticide use in pecanorchards and boost profits, a producer grant onIntegrated Pest Management in Texas shows. Double rows ofpeas every 20 to 25 tree rows served as 10 acres of "trapcrops" in an irrigated orchard. The peas also attractedpredator wasps and other beneficial insects that fed on pests.Sweet-net scouting and nut sampling showed growers theycould eliminate insecticides during the study. Stinkbug damagedecreased by 30 percent, compared with a control orchard. Evenwith lower stinkbug populations the next year, trap croppingreduced kernel damage by 9 percent. For every dollar spent onpeas, the growers prevented $9 of nut damage from stinkbugs.Annual profits from the 65-acre orchard rose nearly $17,000.Staggered plantings for lush, late-season peas could boostreturns even more. Other farmers are benefiting from the results,shared via pecan growers' meetings, conferences and news reports.(Southern Region project 5PG95-21.)
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