Farmscape Planning

There are probably as many approaches to farmscaping as there are farmers. Some growers, after observing a cover crop harboring beneficial insects, plant strips of it in or around their crop fields. The advantages of this kind of approach are:

• It is simple to implement
• It is often very effective
• The farmer can modify the system after observing the results.

Problems arise when the beneficial insect habitat, unbeknownst to the grower, also harbors pest species. (For a more detailed discussion of this topic, visit: http://www.lib.uconn.edu/CANR/ces/ipm/general/htms/cvercrop.htm). In other instances the beneficials may not exist in numbers sufficient to control pest populations during the time when pest populations generally increase. Predator/prey population balances are influenced by the timing of availability of nectar, pollen and alternate prey/hosts for the beneficials. Therefore, there is a strong argument to be made for having year-round beneficial organism habitat and food sources. The “beneficial habitat season” may be extended by adding plants that bloom sequentially throughout the growing season or the whole year.

When Do They Bloom?

The ATTRA Phenology Resource List provides additional resources about time-of-bloom at:

http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/phenology.html

A sample blooming chart for California plants can be found in Appendix F.

When contemplating farmscaping, consideration should be given to the cost of developing beneficial habitat and maintenance of the habitat as well as the cost of any land that might be taken out of production. In any case, a more systematic, research-oriented approach to farmscaping can often help the grower avoid mistakes and develop desirable habitats that match the needs of the beneficial organisms as well as the pest management needs of the farm.

The following are key considerations in crafting a farmscaping plan:

1. Ecology of Pests and Beneficials

• What are the most important (economic) pests that require management?
• What are the most important predators and parasites of the pest?
• What are the primary food sources, habitat, and other ecological requirements of both pests and beneficials? (Where does the pest infest the field from, how is it attracted to the crop, and how does it develop in the crop? Where do the beneficials come from, how are they attracted to the crop, and how do they develop in the crop?)

2. Timing

• When do pest populations generally first appear and when do these populations become economically damaging?
• When do the most important predators and parasites of the pest appear?
• When do food sources (nectar, pollen, alternate hosts, and prey) for beneficials first appear? How long do they last?
• What native annuals and perennials can provide habitat?

3. Identification of Strategies

• Reduction of pest habitat (i.e., reduce/alter overwintering pest sites, or reduce/alter locations from which pest invades.)
• Augmentation of beneficial habitat (insectary establishment; consider both perennial options—permanent plantings such as hedgerows—and annual options.)
• Trap Crops—planted specifically to be more attractive to the pest than is the crop to be harvested. This is due to the timing of the appearance of the trap crop or the fact that it is physiologically more attractive to the insect. (Please see appendices D and G for descriptions of planting systems that can be used in farmscaping.)

4. Insectary Establishment

• Seed and plant sources
• Cost of ground preparation, planting and maintenance (irrigation, weeding, etc.) for:
  • at least one year following establishment of perennials
  • needed number of plantings per season of beneficial habitat (remember that many annuals provide pollen or nectar for only a few weeks during the cropping season, so that either relay plantings or plant species mixes may be needed for beneficial habitat.)
• Equipment needs (Cost estimates for installation and first-year maintenance of a typical hedgerow in California are given in Appendix E.)

Resources

For information about crop pests, their parasites and predators, and the ecological requirements of both, contact your local county extension service (under county listings in the phone book) or state Cooperative Extension Service (CES):

http://www.reeusda.gov/hrd/state2.pdf

Biological Control: A Guide to Natural Enemies of North America:

http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/ent/biocontrol/

To receive a free copy of Suppliers of Beneficial Organisms of North America, call the California EPA’s Department of Pesticide Regulation: (916) 324-4100 or download from:

http://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/ipminov/bensuppl.htm