|
Project Leader: John J. Mishanec, CCE, NYS IPM Program
Cooperator: Wayne Gurda, Joihn Cavallaro and Frank Dagele, Orange County onion
growers.
Type of grant: Cultural methods; sanitation; physical controls
Project location: This work occurred in Orange County. These results could be
applied throughout the Northeast.
Abstract:
Many onion fields have been in continuous, unbroken production for
decades. Insect and disease populations build up when no rotation is
employed. Over the last few years, onion bulb mites have increased as
a problem. Some growers suspect mites over-winter on the traditional
grass cover crops of oats and barley. In 2001, we planted and evaluated
five different fall planted broad leaf cover crops. The fall planted
covers we looked at were annual crimson clover, field peas, yellow mustard,
hairy vetch and buckwheat. Two growers in the onion growing region of
Orange County and one grower from Oswego participated in those trials.
Fields were one acre, divided into one-fifth of an acre plots. We evaluated
ease of establishment, root depth and bio mass. Growers were favorably
impressed with the yellow mustard and the field peas. Yellow mustard
for its quick establishment and field peas because it continued growing
well into winter and established a dense ground cover. For 2002, three
growers fall planted fields with the five different fall cover crops.
Unfortunately, for various reasons, none of the fields were planted
in the spring to seed onions and field evaluations could not be carried
out
|
