Project Overview
Commodities
- Vegetables: peppers
- Animals: insects
Practices
- Crop Production: cropping systems, pollinator habitat
- Natural Resources/Environment: biodiversity
- Pest Management: biological control
- Production Systems: agroecosystems
- Sustainable Communities: local and regional food systems, urban agriculture
Proposal abstract:
Title: Companion planting to optimize beneficial insect ecosystem services in Midwestern pepper cropping systems.
Context: Agroecosystems often lack suitable habitat for beneficial insects, reducing the likelihood that crops receive optimal insect pollination and biological pest control. Flowering companion plants grown alongside specialty crops like peppers (Capsicum annum) provide alternative food and habitat resources for beneficial insects. By attracting insect pollinators and natural enemies, companion plants can improve farm health and productivity. This project will identify companion plants that promote beneficial insect ecosystem services and fruit yield in Midwestern pepper cropping systems.
Methods: Visual observations and camera sampling will document insect pollinators, natural enemies, and pests on pepper plants assigned to unique companion plant treatments at a research farm in central Missouri. Insect ecosystem services on pepper plants among the different companion plant treatments will be quantified via pepper production and population abundance of sentinel aphids. The effect of companion plantings on pepper yield will be determined via the number and weight of fruit produced in each plot.
Pepper plants grown alongside companion plants at two Missouri farms will be sampled to document the effect of companion plants on pest and beneficial insects in urban and organic pepper production systems.
Outcomes: This project will improve understanding of the effect of companion plantings on insect pollinators, natural enemies, pests, and yield in specialty crop systems. Results of this project will be communicated to Missouri growers via outreach presentations and extension material. Outreach events and outdoor educational posters will improve community members' knowledge of and attitudes towards beneficial insects.
Evaluation plan: Success will be quantified by identifying companion plants effective at enhancing insect ecosystem services on pepper crops. To assess the utility of these findings for growers, outreach surveys will measure an increase in knowledge of companion planting to enhance beneficial insect ecosystem services. Follow-up surveys will determine if growers incorporated companion plantings on their land, and if they experienced improved crop productivity as a result. Community member knowledge and attitudes regarding beneficial insects will be evaluated via-outreach event questionnaires.
Relevance: Techniques to enhance specialty crop productivity are essential as food production requirements increase. The proposed project addresses interest from Midwestern farmers and consumers to adopt sustainable farming practices and reduce reliance on pesticides. For example, Missouri specialty crop grower Josh Payne decided to stop using agrichemicals on his farm after an almost-fatal allergic reaction to a pesticide.
Project objectives from proposal:
Project results will inform presentations focusing on increasing Missouri farmer knowledge of companion planting to optimize beneficial insect ecosystem services for more productive and sustainable crops. These presentations will outline companion plant species identity and diversity mixtures that attract pollinators and natural enemies and techniques to successfully implement these plantings. Increase in knowledge among farmers will be evaluated via pre- and post-outreach surveys asking attendees to describe the utility of beneficial insects and methods to develop suitable habitat for them.
Action outcomes will consist of growers incorporating flowering companion plants on their land to promote insect ecosystem services. This will be measured via pre- and post- outreach questionnaires asking participants if they presently use companion plants to promote beneficial insects, and if not, if they plan to in the future. Follow-up surveys one year later will ask growers if they established companion plantings on their land, and if they noticed a change in the productivity of their crops as a result.
Outreach events directed towards community members will focus on improving knowledge and attitudes about insects through discussions outlining the contribution of pollinators and natural enemies to healthy ecosystems and food production. Community members’ attitudes towards insects will be assessed via pre- and post- outreach surveys asking attendees how important they feel insects are to human well-being, and how positively/negatively they view insects.
Action outcomes will consist of community members adopting insect-friendly habits like planting native, waiting to mow in the springtime, and reducing pesticide use in their yards.