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Project Leader(s):
John J. Mishanec, CCE, NYS IPM Program
Cooperator(s):
Wayne Gurda, Joihn Cavallaro and Frank
Dagele, Orange County onion growers.
Type of grant:
Cultural methods; sanitation; physical
controls
Project location(s):
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 it’s quick establishment and
field peas because it continued growing well into winter and established
a dense ground cover.
A fear by growers was
yellow mustard would become a weed in their fields. This proved not
to be the case at all.
One of the hopes of
this trial was onion bulb mites would not like the broad leaf covers.
Prof. Dick Straub ran trials on all the seed. In his laboratory trials,
he found mites were not repelled by any of the trial crops. It is felt
mites over winter on almost anything but certainly have preferences.
Further studies need to be carried out to establish these preferences.
For 2002, we wanted
to follow up and evaluate onion performance following the various covers.
Unfortunately, neither Orange County grower planted seed onions in the
trial fields planted previously in fall covers. This forced us to start
from step one again. In 2002, three Orange County fields were planted
in the five covers with a barley check. Growers were again able to evaluate
the fall growing properties of the broad leaf cover crops.
For 2003, we hope to continue evaluating
the various cover crops and their impact on onion production.
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