WHOLE FARM-LEVEL EVALUATION OF FIELD BORDER VEGETATION ON ORGANIC MANAGEMENT OF INSECT PESTS AND WEED SEED BANKS, AND ON FARMLAND WILDLIFE

The purpose of this project is to evaluate a range of field border habitat types for their value to insect and weed pest management within crop fields, as well as their value to on-farm wildlife. The objectives of this proposal help to fill gaps in our knowledge about how best to implement field border habitats to enhance beneficial insects, wildlife, and management of pest insects and weeds by making use of on-farm populations of beneficial organisms (both insects and birds). We will examine the effect of different types of border habitat plantings on the beneficial insect communities they harbor, and the effect of these communities on insect as well as weed management in adjacent crops. We will assess the value of the border habitats as cover and a food resource for quail. In addition, we will examine the arthropod diets of songbirds that move between the borders and crop fields to assess the value of these habitats, and the potential contribution of early successional songbirds to insect management in adjacent crops. An advisory group of organic growers, extension personnel, and a crop consultant has been assembled in order to direct this project from the beginning towards a practical product that growers will use on their farms. Although we are using an organic farming production system for this project, the outcomes should be applicable to a wider array of cropping, because we are targeting field border vegetation outside of crop fields.