2017 ASHS Annual Conference

The striped cucumber beetle is a major pest of crops in the Cucurbitaceae family across the United States and North America. They cause economic damage by direct feeding on plant roots, stems, flowers, leaves and fruits and indirectly through the transmission of bacterial wilt (Erwinia tracheiphila), which can result in up to 80% yield loss. Providing beneficial habitat for natural enemies in agroecosystems can be an effective strategy to reduce insect pest densities. A research trial was established at Rodale Institute to assess the effect of insectary strips, cover crops and natural and plastic mulches on cucumber yield, quality, and pest management. In this workshop, Gladis Zinati will discuss methods for reduced tillage for organic cucumber production, present results on the impact of cover crop management on crop yield, soil and weed management, and the use of insectary flowering strips to attract beneficial insects (such as ground beetles, spiders, parasitoids, and others) that predate or parasitize striped cucumber beetles. Cucumber beetle densities were higher on cucumber plants where insectary strips were installed but lower in plots with natural, rolled cover crop mulch than in plastic. These fields contained a diverse community of ground beetles with high densities found in the insectary strips. The insectary strips appear to provide ideal habitat for ground beetles and may be most beneficial in tilled fields that provide no cover protective favored by ground beetles.