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Cover Crops Lure Beneficial Insects to Cotton Fields
SARE National Report Highlights Innovative Research
cotton boll maturation phase -- the capsule walls
of the boll dry, causing the cells adjacent to the dorsal suture to shrink
unevenly. This shrinking causes the suture between the carpel walls to
split, and the boll opens |
Georgia scientists funded through the Sustainable Agriculture
Research and Education (SARE) program tested flowering cover crops and
conservation tillage in cotton fields to manage damaging earworms. Research
results were promising – they could eliminate one insecticide application, boost
yields and improve soil quality by planting legume cover crop mixes amid cotton
rows.
Findings from the SARE project team –
Agricultural Research Service (ARS)
scientists, Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CREES)
educators, and farmer members of the Georgia Conservation Tillage Alliance, among
others – are significant for cotton farmers and those who work with them. NRCS
staff who want to know more about how cover crops such as balansa clover,
crimson clover and hairy vetch can improve cotton operations can request a copy
of the 2005 SARE
Highlights, a
new 16-page publication that features practical, profit-enhancing ideas that
have been researched and tested at universities and on farms and ranches.
The 2005 report is the latest of a series of publications that shine a light on
some of the most creative research funded by SARE, administered by CREES.
“SARE’s great advantage comes in its ability to fund forward-thinking research
and education subjects that keep producers on the cutting edge,” said SARE
Director Jill Auburn.
Since 1988, SARE has funded grants to promote farming and ranching systems that
are profitable, environmentally sound and good for communities. The 2005 SARE
Highlights provides an array of farm improvement ideas in summaries of 12
innovative, SARE-funded projects.
In the Georgia
cotton project , scientists theorized that cover crop blooms would bring earworm- and
budworm-killing predators. They used conservation tillage to plant cotton amid
growing cover crops seeded the previous fall. Growing a mix of cover crops
prolonged flowering from early March through late April and had the added
benefit of out-competing weeds. Moreover, the conservation tillage and cover
crop residue resulted in more beneficial soil organisms that likely contributed
to better cotton yields. “With this range of blooming, we’re able to start
building the beneficial populations early in the season,” said Harry Schomberg,
an ARS ecologist and project leader. “Reducing one application of insecticides
could be pretty substantial on a larger scale like 100 acres.”
Among the other projects in the SARE Highlights:
• Growing peas as forage in place of the typical 14-month fallow in dryland
wheat rotations added profits and reduced erosion. A Montana researcher found
that planting winter-hardy peas created a system that saves water, guards
against erosion, helps the soil – and supplies a fast-growing market for quality
hay.
• Planting “trap” crops like thick-skinned squash lured insect pests away from
high-value vegetables, elevating profits. A Connecticut researcher introduced
trap cropping to 30 New England growers, several of whom increased yields by 18
percent and reduced insecticide use by 96 percent.
• Introducing trees as windbreaks to Great Plains farms added profitable crops
such as berries, nuts and decorative branches, while achieving conservation
goals.
View the 2005 SARE
Highlights or
request a print copy from san_assoc@sare.org.
About SARE
Since 1988, the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program
has helped advance farming systems that are profitable, environmentally sound
and good for communities through a nationwide grants program. The program,
administered by the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension
Service, USDA, funds projects and conducts outreach designed to improve
agricultural systems and natural resources.
NRCS field office professionals frequently collaborate on SARE-funded projects
and are valuable partners to the SARE program. NRCS staff serve on SARE’s
national Operations Committee, on regional Administrative Councils, on State
committees and are actively engaged as technical advisers and collaborators on
SARE-funded research grants around the U.S.
For more information, visit
the SARE website or for more information about the regional SARE programs, click on the region
area of the map below.
Your contact is Diana Friedman, SARE
research associate, at 301-504-6422.
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