Abstract
Organic growers rely largely on cultural and biological control to manage pest populations and often use soil disturbance with inversion tillage to manage pests and weeds, incorporate crop residues and fertility amendments, and create seedbeds. Reduced-tillage systems are often associated with greater populations of insect generalist predators, as tillage can directly and indirectly disrupt predators and their activity. We investigated the in-season and legacy effects of soil disturbance in three organic feed grain and one forage production systems that varied in frequency and intensity of disturbance on epigeal predation rates on larval waxworms, Galleria mellonella L., and foliar predation rates on eggs of the western bean cutworm, Striacosta albicosta Smith, and European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner), by arthropod natural enemies. The experimental site included three annual feed grain production systems comprised of a corn, Zea mays L., soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr., and wheat Triticum aestivum L. sequence and one forage production system represented by a biculture of alfalfa, Medicago sativa L. and orchardgrass, Dactylis glomerata L. We also measured damage to corn ears from naturally occurring lepidopteran pests and corn yield. The epigeal predation rate on sentinel waxworms in the system managed predominantly with reduced tillage (64 ± 6.4%) was significantly greater than in the systems managed predominantly with inversion tillage (44 ± 5.5%) or with a shallow high-speed disk (48 ± 5.1%). There was no effect of intensity or frequency of soil disturbance on foliar predation or foliar predator community composition in corn. Damage to corn ears from lepidopteran pests was greater in the system managed predominantly with a shallow high-speed disk (51 ± 4.4% damaged ears) compared to systems predominantly managed with inversion tillage (35 ± 4.3%) or no-till planting (31 ± 1.4%). There was no difference in corn yield across systems, but corn yield variability was greatest in the reduced tillage system. We suggest that the occasional use of inversion tillage with a moldboard plow may not have lasting detrimental effects on foliar or epigeal predation rates on arthropod pests in annual organic grain production systems.
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Claims 7
Claim · model-written summary
Epigeal predation on sentinel waxworms was greater under reduced tillage than under inversion tillage in organic corn systems.
- Taxon
- corn
Zea mays subsp. mayse1 - Treatment
- reduced tillagee0
- Interactor
- Galleria mellonella
Galleria mellonellae2other - Outcome
- epigeal predation rate on sentinel waxwormse0
- Direction
- greatere0
- Value
- 64 ± 6.4%e0
- Comparator
- inversion tillagee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The epigeal predation rate on sentinel waxworms in the system managed predominantly with reduced tillage (64 ± 6.4%) was significantly greater than in the systems managed predominantly with inversion tillage (44 ± 5.5%)”
e1“Damage to corn ears from lepidopteran pests”
e2“larval waxworms, Galleria mellonella L.”
Claim · model-written summary
Soil disturbance intensity or frequency had no effect on foliar predation or foliar predator community composition in corn.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayse1
- Treatment
- intensity or frequency of soil disturbancee1
- Outcome
- foliar predation or foliar predator community compositione1
- Direction
- no effecte1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“There was no effect of intensity or frequency of soil disturbance on foliar predation or foliar predator community composition in corn”
Claim · model-written summary
Corn ear damage from lepidopteran pests was greater under a shallow high-speed disk than under inversion tillage.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayse2
- Treatment
- a shallow high-speed diske2
- Interactor
- lepidopteran pestse2pest
- Outcome
- Damage to corn ears from lepidopteran pestse2
- Direction
- greatere2
- Value
- 51 ± 4.4%e2
- Qualifier
- 35 ± 4.3%e2
- Comparator
- inversion tillagee2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e2“Damage to corn ears from lepidopteran pests was greater in the system managed predominantly with a shallow high-speed disk (51 ± 4.4% damaged ears) compared to systems predominantly managed with inversion tillage (35 ± 4.3%)”
Claim · model-written summary
Corn ear damage from lepidopteran pests was greater under a shallow high-speed disk than under no-till planting.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayse2
- Treatment
- a shallow high-speed diske2
- Interactor
- lepidopteran pestse2pest
- Outcome
- Damage to corn ears from lepidopteran pestse2
- Direction
- greatere2
- Value
- 51 ± 4.4%e2
- Qualifier
- 31 ± 1.4%e3
- Comparator
- no-till plantinge3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e2“Damage to corn ears from lepidopteran pests was greater in the system managed predominantly with a shallow high-speed disk (51 ± 4.4% damaged ears) compared to systems predominantly managed with inversion tillage (35 ± 4.3%)”
e3“or no-till planting (31 ± 1.4%)”
Claim · model-written summary
Corn yield did not differ across tillage systems.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayse4
- Outcome
- corn yielde4
- Direction
- no differencee4
- Qualifier
- across systemse4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e4“There was no difference in corn yield across systems, but corn yield variability was greatest in the reduced tillage system”
Claim · model-written summary
Corn yield variability was greatest in the reduced tillage system.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayse4
- Treatment
- reduced tillage systeme4
- Outcome
- corn yield variabilitye4
- Direction
- greateste4
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e4“There was no difference in corn yield across systems, but corn yield variability was greatest in the reduced tillage system”
Claim · model-written summary
Occasional inversion tillage with a moldboard plow may not have lasting detrimental effects on predation of arthropod pests in organic grain systems.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayse6
- Outcome
- occasional use of inversion tillage with a moldboard plowe5
- Qualifier
- may not have lasting detrimental effectse5
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e5“the occasional use of inversion tillage with a moldboard plow may not have lasting detrimental effects on foliar or epigeal predation rates on arthropod pests”
e6“a corn, Zea mays L., soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr., and wheat Triticum aestivum L.”
The same questions in other papers
soil · quality: general · Zea mays (maize)Positive and negative results
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- positive
tillage · yield · Zea mays (maize)Positive and negative results
286 papers in the same direction as this paper · 812 in the opposite direction
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See all 1,099 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.