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Surrounding Crops With Perimeter Fools
Pests
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Randy Blackmer examines
pumpkins planted as a trap crop to draw cucumber beetles away
from squash on his Connecticut farm. Photo by T. Jude Boucher,
Univ. of Conn. |
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Nelson Cecarelli of Northford, Conn., who often lost an entire
season’s cucumber crop to voracious cucumber beetles, planted
squash around his field perimeter, sprayed minimally, and harvested
a bounty of cukes in 2003 and 2004. Cecarelli was one of about 30
farmers in New England to adopt a perimeter trap cropping strategy
recommended by a University of Connecticut researcher who, with
a SARE grant, tested the theory over two seasons – with terrific
results. The system, popular among growers, encircles a vulnerable
vegetable with a crop that can attract and better withstand pest
pressure, reducing the need for pesticides.
“What you’re seeking in a trap crop is something that
gets up and out of the ground fast with lots of foliage and won’t
be overrun easily when beetles come into the field,” said
T. Jude Boucher, Extension Educator and project leader, who recommends
a thick-skinned squash called Blue Hubbard. “If we can stop
beetles during the seedling stage, we can eliminate most of the
damage.”
In 2004, nine New England growers, including Randy Blackmer (below),
increased yields of cucumbers and summer squash by 18 percent and
reduced insecticide use by 96 percent, earning an extra $11,000
each, on average, Boucher said. The research compared a dozen farms
using perimeter trap cropping to farms that used the typical regimen
of four sprays per year.
Growers planting perimeters applauded the time savings in pest
scouting and pesticide spraying, and the improved economics thanks
to lower input costs and higher, better-quality yields.
Despite pessimism that the Blue Hubbard squash wouldn’t appeal
to customers, most participating farmers found that Blue Hubbard
resisted beetle damage and sold at their markets. In post-project
surveys, farmers said the system not only saved money, but also
that planting a perimeter was simpler than applying multiple full-field
insecticide sprays.
“We’re trying to get away from the ‘silver bullet’
mentality that you can put on a pesticide and it’ll stop your
problem,” Boucher said. “We’re changing the pest
populations’ dynamics in the field.”
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