USING AN INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT APPROACH TO MITIGATE MULTIPLE PEST CONSTRAINTS AND IMPROVE PROFITS IN SNAP BEANS

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: EVANS-ALLEN
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 1005796
• Project Start Date: Jan 15, 2015
• Project End Date: Sep 30, 2016
• Program Code: [(N/A)]- (N/A)

Recipient Organization
University of Maryland Eastern Shore
11868 College Backborne Road
Princess Anne,MD 21853

Performing Department
Agriculture

Non Technical Summary
Project Summary:This is a full proposal involving three institutions (Virginia Tech, University of Maryland -Eastern Shore and University of Maryland - College Park) serving the Delmarva region. The focus areas are invasive species, and management of weeds and pests. Yields and profits of snap beans are impacted by several pests including herbicide resistant weeds, Mexican bean beetle, leaf hoppers, aphids, caterpillars and stink bugs. Growers rely mostly on broad spectrum and high-risk insecticides and herbicides to address these production challenges. This project proposes to evaluate ecologically based tactics such as the use of reduced tillage, cover crops, and associated conservation biological control to help mitigate weed and insect pest problems while increasing soil quality and reducing the need for pesticides characterized as having unfavorable environmental impacts. Thus, a novelty of this project is that it will allow us to deliver production tactics to vegetable growers that can be used to concurrently aid in insect and weed pest suppression while improving soil quality, associated crop productivity, marketable yield, and production profitability. Snap beans, an economically important crop of conventional and organic producers in the Delmarva region will be used as the study system but the concept is transferable to other crops.To support this research agenda, this project will evaluate effects of cover crop manipulation on: 1) insect and weed pests, 2) natural enemy densities and associated rates of egg parasitism and predation, 3) soil quality parameters that enhance weed suppression and reduce pest injury, and 4) crop productivity and marketable yield. Additional objectives will include 5) evaluating and comparing the economic cost of using cover crops and pesticides in tandem and alone for pest suppression, and 6) evaluating the efficacy of soft insecticides on pest and beneficial arthropods in snap bean plantings. These objectives will be accomplished by conducting replicated field studies in Virginia and Maryland. Our long term aim is to reduce pesticide use in food production and associated health and environmental risks, increase farm profits and lower production costs, and increase the number of farms engaged in local and regional food systems that use sustainable practices. We anticipate this project will inherently embody all priorities listed by the Delmarva Seed Funding program such as addressing stakeholders' priorities impacting Delmarva states, using a multi-disciplinary approach, reducing conventional pesticides dependency, and establishing partnerships with Delmarva institutions to better insure that conventional and organic farmers' interests are served.

Animal Health Component

100%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

(N/A)

Applied

100%

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
216	1419	1130	100%

Knowledge Area
216 - Integrated Pest Management Systems;

Subject Of Investigation
1419 - Leguminous vegetables, general/other;

Field Of Science
1130 - Entomology and acarology;

Keywords

integrated pest management

delmarva

snap beans

net farm profit

stink bug

Goals / Objectives
The main objective of this project is to make snap bean plantings more ecologically and economically sustainable. During the course of this project we will assess the effects of cover crop manipulation on: 1) insect and weed pests, 2) natural enemy densities and associated rates of egg parasitism and predation, 3) soil quality parameters that enhance weed suppression and reduces pest injury, and 4) crop productivity and marketable yield. Additional objectives will include 5) evaluating and comparing the economic cost of using cover crops and pesticides in tandem and alone for pest suppression, and 6) evaluating the efficacy of soft insecticides on pest and beneficial arthropods in snap bean plantings.

Project Methods
Methods:Experimental treatments and layout. Similar field studies will be conducted in MD and VA. Snap beans will be used because of their economic importance to the Delmarva region, but the management concepts are transferable to other crops. Cover crops will be planted in the fall, and during the following spring cover crop and weed biomass will be sampled from four randomly chosen 0.25 m2 quadrats within each plot. Thereafter, the vegetation within each plot will be terminated with a crimper roller and strip-tilled. Vegetative samples will be dried and weighed to determine dry weight biomass and analyzed for total N and C content and C:N ratio.The experiment will be arranged in a randomized complete block split-plot design with each treatment replicated four times. Main plots will measure 14 m by 15 m and separated by a minimum 8 m of bare-soil. Main- and sub-plot factors will include three cover crop treatments (crimson clover, rye, and no cover crop) and two insecticide treatments (reduce risk pesticides [P] or no pesticides [NP[), respectively. Reduced risk pesticides allow for the survival of more beneficials and/or are of low toxicity to mammals and environmental persistency. Planting will be delayed ~ 2 wks after rolling/strip-tilling events, allowing a weed flush in tilled strips. Avenger® (organic herbicide) will be sprayed over the strip-tilled area 1 d prior to planting in cover crop P subplots. Tilled strips in cover crop NP subplots will be lightly cultivated to kill germinated weeds 1 d before crop planting. The no cover crop P subplots will be shallow cultivated and treated with Avenger® 3 wks and 1 d prior to planting, respectively. No cover crop NP subplots will be lightly cultivated to kill germinated weeds1 d before planting.

Progress 01/15/15 to 09/30/16

Outputs
Target Audience:Target Audience: Target audience for this project includes Delmarva farmers instituting sustainable practices for Phaseolus crops. Practices being investigated may be adapted by a diversity of producers including small and large farmers, conventional and organic producers, as well as resource-limited farmers. Efforts: Research finding are communicated to the target audience through extension and outreach programs. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Final results were presented at stakeholders' conference in Annapolis, Maryland. Educational materials related to this research are being made available to Extension educators as references and to farmers as print-out during extension meetings and conferences. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results of the study have been shared with farmers at twilight tours and field day events. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Two field trials were conducted in Maryland over the summer months of 2014 at the Central Maryland Research and Education Center, and 2015 at the Wye Research and Education Center to investigate the use of conservation tillage practices and soft herbicides (organic) to suppress weeds. Two additional field trials were conducted in Virginia to evaluate and compare the efficacy of soft insecticides with high risk insecticides on insect pests and beneficial in bean crops. Three cover crop treatments; two tillage treatments; and 4 replications were applied. Results indicate that there was no significant difference in yield (tons/acre); maturity (green/brown pods); nor weeding time (manual weeding) in 2014. However field trials conducted in 2015 indicated that yield was affected by tillage and cover crop; weeding time was also affected by tillage but not by cover crop. However, there was no difference in maturity across the treatments. It can be concluded that stale seedbed may be unnecessary for quick growing crops including beans; stale seedbed can be a detriment to crops depending on the type of soil; and that cover crop residues can improve yield even under high weed pressure. Rye treatment revealed to bethe most cost effective practive given that it provided high yield and less weeding time.

Publications

Progress 01/15/15 to 09/30/15

Outputs
Target Audience:Target Audience: Target audience for this project includes Delmarva farmers instituting sustainable practices for Phaseolus crops. Practices being investigated may be adapted by a diversity of producers including small and large farmers, conventional and organic producers, as well as resource-limited farmers. Efforts: Research finding will be communicated to the target audience through extension and outreach programs. Changes/Problems:We are requesting a no cost extension of the project to conduct additional field trials and gather additional economic data for significant statistical analysis. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The project has been discussed at twilight tour/field day events. Since the field experiment and trials in MD and VA were recently completed, preliminary results have not been disseminated to the intended audience. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?By the next reporting period, the plans are to have completed entering and analyzing the data. Additional plans include conducting additional field studies during the spring and summer of 2016 in MD and VA and completing the economic analysis. We are also making plans for disseminating the findings to farmers and other stakeholders in the summer. We will also apply for additional funds from NIFA to further support project goals.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? One replicated field study was completed in Maryland over the summer months to investigate the use of conservation tillage practices and soft herbicides (organic) to suppress weeds. Two additional field trials were conducted in Virginia to evaluate and compare the efficacy of soft insecticides with high risk insecticides on insect pests and beneficial in bean crops. At this time, data from these field experiments are being entered for further analyses including the economic analysis conducted by UMES to evaluate and compare the economic cost of using cover crops and pesticides in tandem and alone for pest suppression.

Publications