Project Overview
Commodities
- Agronomic: annual ryegrass, canola, corn, radish (oilseed, daikon, forage)
Practices
- Crop Production: cover crops, no-till
- Education and Training: extension
- Pest Management: biological control
- Production Systems: agroecosystems
Proposal abstract:
Ants are ubiquitous in terrestrial ecosystems and play crucial roles in maintaining ecosystem functioning. In many agricultural systems, ants can provide valuable services, including pest control. In northern temperate crop fields, however, the presence and potential impact of ants has been largely overlooked, primarily due to widespread use of tillage. Increasing adoption of no-till farming, particularly in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States, presents an opportunity to study and harness the potential of ants for sustainable pest management. This project in Pennsylvania aims to examine the potential for another conservation practice, cover crops, to grow ant communities and their subsequent effects on pest control services in no-till corn and soy production. I will evaluate the effects of cover crops grown in monocultures and mixtures on abundance, species richness, and functional roles of ant communities in no-till fields. Furthermore, I will compare the effects of cover crop monocultures and mixtures on diversity of ant communities and the larger epigeal predator communities on the control of crop pests and crop damage. This research will contribute to development of sustainable pest management strategies that leverage ecosystem services provided by ants in no-till agroecosystems. The findings will have significant implications for sustainable agriculture, particularly no-till and cover crop use. The results from this study will help farmers reduce their resilience on synthetic insecticide by integrating cover cropping and integrated pest management (IPM) practices with no-till farming. This integration will enhance the potential for ants, and other predators to provide effective pest control services.
Project objectives from proposal:
- Evaluate the effects of cover crop (monocultures and mixtures) on abundance, species richness, and functional roles of ant communities and species in no-till fields.
- Compare the effects of cover crop (monocultures and mixtures) on diversity of ant populations and the larger epigeal predator community across growing seasons.
- Under different cover crops (monocultures and mixtures), assess influences of changes in ant species diversity and abundance, and that of the larger epigeal predator community, on control of crop pests and crop damage.