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.