Impact of the Timing and Use of an Insecticide on Arthropods in Cover-Crop-Corn Systems

Article Simple Summary: Cover crop use is increasing in the USA as a sustainable method. However, cover crop pests can migrate to the following cash crop, threatening its productivity. As a preventative strategy to minimize pest transitions, growers may apply insecticides at the cover-crop termination time. Our study aims to better understand the impact of insecticide application as a preventive strategy against arthropods, either at cover-crop termination or when the cover crop is decomposing. Our finding indicates that preventive insecticide applications are not needed, highlighting the importance of scouting for pests before making a management decision. Moreover, we hypothesize that cover-crop biomass might create a physical barrier protecting arthropods below the cover crop canopy.