SARE 1997 Highlights

Peas Divert Pecan Pests

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 skip the cash crops. That's true with stinkbugs, pecan pests that damage kernels before harvest. In the South, stinkbugs trim pecan profits 3 to 5 percent and hurt some orchard returns up to 50 percent. But easy-to-grow black-eyed peas (Vigna unguiculata) divert pests, cut insecticide use in pecan orchards and boost profits, a producer grant on Integrated Pest Management in Texas shows. Double rows of peas every 20 to 25 tree rows served as 10 acres of "trap crops" in an irrigated orchard. The peas also attracted predator wasps and other beneficial insects that fed on pests. Sweet-net scouting and nut sampling showed growers they could eliminate insecticides during the study. Stinkbug damage decreased by 30 percent, compared with a control orchard. Even with lower stinkbug populations the next year, trap cropping reduced kernel damage by 9 percent. For every dollar spent on peas, 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 boost returns 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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