Field abundance and spatial patterns of ear-feeding insect pests in relation to levels of defective kernels in processing sweet corn.

In this study, we investigated the within-field distribution of sweet corn insect pests in relation to adjacent habitats and determined the level and specific causes of defective kernels affecting the quality of the final product at the processing cannery. Sap beetles [primarily Carpophilus lugubris (Murray, 1864) (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae)] and stink bugs [primarily Euschistus servus (Say) ((Heteroptera: Pentatomidae)] infested 27.6% and 73.

Effects of mowing on the arthropod community in grass buffers and adjacent crop fields.

Grass buffers are commonly planted along crop borders to filter nutrient and pesticide runoff. These buffers also provide food and shelter for beneficial and herbivorous arthropods and can serve as corridors for their movement into neighboring crops. Mowing is a common maintenance practice to control woody plants in these buffers.

Impact of Post-Harvest Management Practices in Corn ( L.) Fields on Arthropods in Subsequent Soybean ( [L.] Merr.) Plantings.

There is increased adoption of cover cropping and conservation tillage in the USA. Many farmers view these practices as methods for improving their soils. However, different cover cropping and tillage practices conducted post-harvest can have a disparate impact on arthropods within the subsequent cash crop.

Influence of Winter Cover Crop Mulch on Arthropods in a Reduced Tillage Cucurbit System.

Winter cover crop mulches can diversify agricultural habitats and provide a range of benefits for crop production and pest management. Here we report the influence of strip tilled winter cover crop mulches on arthropod abundance in organic vegetable plots. Crookneck squash (Cucurbita pepo L.

Can conservation tillage reduce NO emissions on cropland transitioning to organic vegetable production?

Nitrous oxide (NO) is an important greenhouse gas and a catalyst of stratospheric ozone decay. Agricultural soils are the source of 75% of anthropogenic NO emissions globally. Recently, significant attention has been directed at examining effects of conservation tillage on carbon sequestration in agricultural systems.

Effects of Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) Feeding Injury on Sweet Corn Yield and Quality.

The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål), is an Asian species that now dominates the stink bug complex in many cultivated crops throughout the mid-Atlantic United States. Sweet corn (Zea mays L.) is a preferred host of H.

Can Row Spacing Influence Arthropod Communities in Soybean? Implications for Early and Late Planting.

Row spacing in agricultural systems can influence crop yield as well as pest and predator abundances. Soybean (Glycine max L. Merrill) growers in Maryland typically plant in narrow (∼19 cm), medium (∼38 cm), or wide (∼76 cm)-spaced rows, and there is a general lack of information on how these row-spacing schemes influence arthropod abundance and soybean yields.

Sunn hemp cover cropping and organic fertilizer effects on the nematode community under temperate growing conditions.

Field experiments were conducted in Maryland to investigate the influence of sunn hemp cover cropping in conjunction with organic and synthetic fertilizers on the nematode community in a zucchini cropping system. Two field treatments, zucchini planted into a sunn hemp living and surface mulch (SH) and zucchini planted into bare-ground (BG) were established during three field seasons from 2009 to 2011. In 2009, although SH slightly increased nematode richness compared with BG by the first harvest (P < 0.

Effects of Tagetes patula on Active and Inactive Stages of Root-Knot Nematodes.

Although marigold (Tagetes patula) is known to produce allelopathic compounds toxic to plant-parasitic nematodes, suppression of Meloidogyne incognita can be inconsistent. Two greenhouse experiments were conducted to test whether marigold is more effective in suppressing Meloidogyne spp. when it is active rather than dormant.

Effects of the integration of sunn hemp and soil solarization on plant-parasitic and free-living nematodes.

Sunn hemp (SH), Crotolaria juncea, is known to suppress Rotylenchulus reniformis and weeds while enhancing free-living nematodes involved in nutrient cycling. Field trials were conducted in 2009 (Trial I) and 2010 (Trial II) to examine if SH cover cropping could suppress R. reniformis and weeds while enhancing free-living nematodes if integrated with soil solarization (SOL).

Impact of No-till Cover Cropping of Italian Ryegrass on Above and Below Ground Faunal Communities Inhabiting a Soybean Field with Emphasis on Soybean Cyst Nematodes.

Two field trials were conducted between 2008 and 2010 in Maryland to evaluate the ability of an Italian ryegrass (IR) (Lolium multiflorum) cover crop to reduce populations of plant-parasitic nematodes while enhancing beneficial nematodes, soil mites and arthropods in the foliage of a no-till soybean (Glycine max) planting. Preplant treatments were: 1) previous year soybean stubble (SBS); and 2) herbicide-killed IR cover crop + previous year soybean stubble (referred to as IR). Heterodera glycines population densities were very low and no significant difference in population densities of H.

Population distribution and density of Pentalonia nigronervosa (Hemiptera: Aphididae) within banana mats: influence of plant age and height on sampling and management.

The banana aphid, Pentalonia nigronervosa Coquerel (Hemiptera: Aphididae), is the most economically important pest of banana (Musa spp.) fields in Hawaii. Recently, there has been a concerted effort in Hawaii to learn more about the biology and ecology of this pest.

Strip-tilled cover cropping for managing nematodes, soil mesoarthropods, and weeds in a bitter melon agroecosystem.

A field trial was conducted to examine whether strip-tilled cover cropping followed by living mulch practice could suppress root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita) and enhance beneficial nematodes and other soil mesofauna, while suppressing weeds throughout two vegetable cropping seasons. Sunn hemp (SH), Crotalaria juncea, and French marigold (MG), Tagetes patula, were grown for three months, strip-tilled, and bitter melon (Momordica charantia) seedlings were transplanted into the tilled strips; the experiment was conducted twice (Season I and II). Strip-tilled cover cropping with SH prolonged M.

Aphid transmission of Banana bunchy top virus to bananas after treatment with a bananacide.

Field and laboratory studies were conducted to determine the impact of using a herbicide as a bananacide on aphid transmission of Banana bunchy top virus (family Nanoviridae, genus Babuvirus, BBTV) to healthy banana (Musa spp.) plants. BBTV-infected banana plants in a commercial orchard were treated with Roundup Weathermax herbicide.

Influence of cover crop and intercrop systems on Bemisia argentifolli (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) infestation and associated squash silverleaf disorder in zucchini.

Field experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of cover cropping and intercropping on population densities of silverleaf whitefly, Bemisia argentifolli Bellow and Perring, and the incidence of squash silverleaf disorder (SSL) in zucchini, Cucurbita pepo L., in Oahu, HI. Two cover crops, buckwheat (BW), Fagopyrum esculentum Moench, and white clover (WC), Trifolium repens L.

Protecting crops from non-persistently aphid-transmitted viruses: a review on the use of barrier plants as a management tool.

Barrier plants are a management tool based on secondary plants used within or bordering a primary crop for the purpose of disease control. Aphid-transmitted viruses account for approximately 50% of the 600 known viruses with an invertebrate vector. Barrier plants may act as real natural sinks for non-persistent aphid-transmitted viruses and have proved in the past to be an effective crop management strategy to protect against virus infection.