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Title: ENHANCED PEST MANAGEMENT WITH COVER CROP MULCHES

Author
item Teasdale, John
item Abdul Baki, Aref
item MILLS, DOUGLAS - UNIV OF MD, COLLEGE PARK
item Thorpe, Kevin

Submitted to: Horticultural International Congress Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/10/2001
Publication Date: 8/1/2001
Citation: TEASDALE, J.R., ABDUL BAKI, A.A., MILLS, D.J., THORPE, K.W. ENHANCED PEST MANAGEMENT WITH COVER CROP MULCHES. HORTICULTURAL INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS PROCEEDINGS. 2001. P. 281.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Living and dead plant vegetation on the surface of soils can provide opportunities for regulating pest populations in no-tillage production systems. Cover crops generate substantial quantities of surface vegetation and residue that can be managed to enhance control of specific pests. Research at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center has shown that weed germination and emergence is inhibited by high levels of cover crop mulch, that small-seeded annual weeds are particularly susceptible to suppression by mulches, and that herbicide use can be reduced when cover crops are incorporated into cropping systems. Growing mixtures of legume and cereal cover crops is a particularly effective way to produce large quantities of cover crop residue for weed suppression. Mulches with a high surface area to soil area ratio and a low amount of internal empty space are most highly correlated with inhibition of weed emergence. Foliar diseases also can be reduced by cover crop mulch, primarily by preventing dispersal of pathogen propagules through splashing and/or wind- borne processes. Insect pest management can be achieved either through reduction of populations emerging from soil or by enhancing populations of predatory insects. In addition to direct effects of cover crops on pest populations, improvements in soil organic matter and fertility by cover crops can reduce pest damage by improving the growth and vigor of crop plants.