www.sare.org publications manage-insects-on-your-farm beneficial-agents-on-the-farm cover-crops-lure-beneficial-insects-improve-bottom-line-in-cotton Cover Crops Lure Beneficial Insects, Improve Bottom Line in Cotton Cover Crops Lure Beneficial Insects, Improve Bottom Line in Cotton SARE-funded researchers in Georgia seeking new ways to raise healthy cotton — traditionally one of the most pest-plagued, thus one of the most chemically treated commodities — focused on attracting insects that prey on damaging pests. A group of scientists from USDA’s Agricultural Research Service, […]
www.sare.org publications manage-insects-on-your-farm beneficial-agents-on-the-farm principal-insect-predators Principal Insect Predators Principal Insect Predators Spiders. Spiders are among the most neglected and least understood of predators. They rely on a complex diet of prey and can have a strong stabilizing influence on them. Because spiders are generalists and tend to kill more prey than they actually consume, they limit their preys’ initial bursts of growth. Many […]
www.sare.org publications manage-insects-on-your-farm beneficial-agents-on-the-farm table-3-common-predators Table 3: Common Predators Beneficial Agents on the Farm
www.sare.org publications manage-insects-on-your-farm beneficial-agents-on-the-farm predators-2 Predators Predators Predators occur in most orders of insects but primarily in the beetle, dragon-fly, lacewing, wasp and true bug families (Coleoptera, Odonata, Neuroptera, Hemiptera and Diptera, respectively). Their impacts have been highlighted worldwide by eruptions of spider mite pests where chemical insecticides have eliminated the mites’ predators. Tetranychid mites, for example, are usually very abundant […]
www.sare.org publications manage-insects-on-your-farm beneficial-agents-on-the-farm Beneficial Agents on the Farm Beneficial Agents on the Farm Introduction Biological control is the use of natural enemies to manage pests. The natural enemy might be a predator, parasite, or disease that will attack the insect pest. Biological control is a form of enhancing natural defenses to achieve a desired effect. It usually involves raising and releasing one insect […]
www.sare.org publications manage-insects-on-your-farm managing-soils-to-minimize-crop-pests implications-for-fertilizer-practices Implications for Fertilizer Practices Implications for Fertilizer Practices Conventional synthetic fertilizers can dramatically affect the balance of nutritional elements in plants. When farmers use them excessively, these fertilizers likely create nutritional imbalances with their large pulses of available nitrogen, which in turn compromise crops’ resistance to insect pests. In contrast, most organic farming practices lead to increased organic matter […]
www.sare.org publications manage-insects-on-your-farm managing-soils-to-minimize-crop-pests table-2-pest-populations-increase-with-excess-nitrogen-fertility Table 2. Pest Populations Increase With Excess Nitrogen Fertility
www.sare.org publications manage-insects-on-your-farm managing-soils-to-minimize-crop-pests impacts-of-fertilizers-on-insect-pests Impacts of Fertilizers on Insect Pests Impacts of Fertilizers on Insect Pests By modifying the nutrient composition of crops, fertilizer practices can influence plant defenses. A review of 50 years of research identified 135 studies showing more plant damage and/or greater numbers of leaf-chewing insects or mites in nitrogen-fertilized crops, while fewer than 50 studies reported less pest damage. Researchers have […]
www.sare.org publications manage-insects-on-your-farm managing-soils-to-minimize-crop-pests farm-feature-triple-threat-to-pests-cover-crops-no-till-rotation Farm Feature: Triple Threat to Pests: Cover Crops, No-Till, Rotation Farm Feature: Triple Threat to Pests: Cover Crops, No-Till, Rotation Uses cover crops to break up insect and disease cycles Releases parasites against pests Controls weeds with crop rotations, cover crops and no-till Uses no-till to conserve moisture Since the early 1980s, Steve Groff has been building a sustainable farming system on the triple foundations […]
www.sare.org publications manage-insects-on-your-farm managing-soils-to-minimize-crop-pests managing-pests-with-healthy-soils Managing Pests With Healthy Soils Managing Pests With Healthy Soils Healthier soils produce crops that are less damaged by pests. Some soil-management practices boost plant-defense mechanisms, making plants more resistant and/or less attractive to pests. Other practices — or the favorable conditions they produce — restrict the severity of pest damage by decreasing pest numbers or building beneficials. Using multiple […]