Demonstrations of Sustainable Vegetable Pest and Crop Management: Fresh Market Sweet Corn

NYS IPM Type: Project ReportFour sweet corn pest and crop management systems (organic, IPM/Present, IPM/Future, and conventional) were defined and implemented on grower farms and on a university research farm. The first years results showed differences among the four systems in terms of economics, pest control efficacy and environmental impact. Generally the conventional and IPM systems were the most profitable while the organic system showed the least environmental impact. Information on the comparisons was disseminated to growers and other food industry personnel. In cooperation with Wegmans supermarkets consumers were informed of IPM practices on sweet corn which were documented by growers. Fifteen growers participated in documenting IPM practices and in many cases have reduced pesticide use. Five of the fifteen growers were among the nine involved in the demonstrations conducted in this project

Integrating Weed Management Options in Strawberries

Weed management in perennial strawberries is essential for long-term productivity.  Particularly, management during the planting year is especially important to maximize stand establishment and minimize pressure in years to come.  Reduction in weed populations can reduce disease and insect pressure and drastically reduce costly hand-weeding.  Different studies have evaluated chemical, mechanical, and biological control measures separately.  Whereas commercial growers integrate these tools into a program approach.  This project evaluated seven different weed management systems for strawberries.  Treatments included the use of broadcast and banded herbicides, cultivation equipment, and inter-seeding of fescue grass in a variety of combinations.  A banded herbicide, which results in a 50% reduction in herbicide use, plus cultivation treatment and use of inter-seeded fescue with broadcast herbicide treatment both had the greatest reductions in weeds.  Results suggest that cultivation equipment did not have a detrimental impact on plant development and establishment.  In 2007, yield data will be collected to determine differences between 2006 treatments

Combining Cultivation and Interseeded Cover Crops for Weed Control in Transplanted Cabbage

NYS IPM Type: Project ReportResearch conducted in 1995 and 1996 has shown that cultivation with or without interseeded cover crops can control weeds and maintain yields in transplanted cabbage

Weed Control for the Home Vegetable Garden

This information bulletin enables home gardeners to identify the most common weeds with the help of full-color photographs, and to select the most suitable strategies for controlling them - whether mechanical, cultural or chemical

Combining Interseeded Cover Crops with Banded Herbicides for Weed Control in Sweet Corn

NYS IPM Type: Project ReportRecent research has shown that applying herbicides to a narrow band over the crop row (banding) can reduce herbicide use by two thirds in corn. The increasing number of postemergence herbicides for corn will allow growers to control weeds that “escape” preemergence banded herbicides. Additionally, interceded cover crops may provide late season weed suppression

Demonstrations of Sustainable Vegetable Pest and Crop Management: Fresh Market Sweet Corn

ReportFour sweet corn pest and crop management systems (Organic, IPM/Present, IPM/Future, and Conventional) were defined and implemented at NYSAES Geneva (1995-1999) and on grower farms (1997-1999). The systems were compared on the basis of economics, pest control efficacy and environmental impact

Living Mulch Performance in a Tropical Cotton System and Impact on Yield and Weed Control

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is a major crop in the Vidarbha region of central India. The vertisol soils on which much of the cotton is grown have been severely degraded by the tropical climate, excessive tillage and depletion of organic matter. Living mulches have the ability to mitigate these problems but they can cause crop losses through direct competition with the cotton crop and unreliable weed control. Field experiments were conducted in 2012 and 2013 at four locations in Vidarbha to study the potential for growing living mulches in mono-cropped cotton. Living mulch species evaluated included gliricidia [Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.) Kunth ex Walp.], sesbania [Sesbania sesban (L.) Merr.], sorghum sudan grass [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench × Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench ssp. Drummondii (Nees ex Steud.) de Wet & Harlan] and sunnhemp (Crotalaria juncea L.). Living mulch height was controlled through mowing and herbicides were not used. Living mulches generated 1 to 13 tons ha−1 of dry matter across sites and years. Weed cover was negatively correlated with both living mulch biomass and cover. Where living mulches were vigorous and established quickly, weed cover was as low as 7%, without the use of herbicides, or inter-row tillage. In a dry year, living mulch growth had a negative impact on cotton yield; however, in a year when soil moisture was not limiting, there was a positive relationship between cotton yield and living mulch biomass. Use of living mulches in cotton production in the Vidarbha region of India is feasible and can lead to both effective weed suppression and acceptable cotton yields