DEVELOPING A PERRENIAL LIVING MULCH SYSTEM FOR MANAGING PESTS AND AUGMENTING NATURAL BIOCONTROL IN MARYLAND CANTALOUPE SYSTEMS

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dc.contributor.advisorHooks, Cerruti RRen_US
dc.contributor.authorNunez, Demian Antonioen_US
dc.contributor.departmentEntomologyen_US
dc.contributor.publisherDigital Repository at the University of Marylanden_US
dc.contributor.publisherUniversity of Maryland (College Park, Md.)en_US
dc.date.accessioned2022-09-27T05:48:11Z
dc.date.available2022-09-27T05:48:11Z
dc.date.issued2022en_US
dc.description.abstractThis study investigated how alsike clover (Trifolium hybridum) and Virginia wildrye (Elymus virginicus), when interplanted as a living mulch with cantaloupe, (Cucumis melo var. cantalupensis) would impact herbivorous and beneficial arthropod numbers. An additional objective was to determine how these living mulches would impact fruit yield and quality. It was hypothesized that there would be a reduction of cantaloupe pest herbivores and increase in natural enemy abundances in the interplanting compared to monoculture cantaloupe system. Some arthropods conformed to these expectations. However, most had a neutral or inconsistent response to the living mulches. Striped cucumber beetles (Acalymma vitattum), a major pest, were unaffected by the living mulches on most sampling dates. During several periods in both study years, leaf piercing herbivores including aphids were found in greater numbers on cantaloupe interplanted with clover than wildrye and/or monoculture. Spiders were found in greater abundance in cantaloupe interplanted with clover than wildrye or monoculture plantings during several sampling periods. Other natural enemy guilds such as parasitic wasps and piercing predators were inconsistently influenced by living mulch types. Yield was highest in the monoculture plots and living mulch was correlated with changes in fruit texture and color.en_US
dc.identifierhttps://doi.org/10.13016/pwxp-lp5a
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/29404
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.subject.pqcontrolledEntomologyen_US
dc.subject.pqcontrolledAgricultureen_US
dc.subject.pqcontrolledEcologyen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledBiocontrolen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledCantaloupeen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledCucumber beetleen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledIPMen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledLiving mulchen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledPest controlen_US
dc.titleDEVELOPING A PERRENIAL LIVING MULCH SYSTEM FOR MANAGING PESTS AND AUGMENTING NATURAL BIOCONTROL IN MARYLAND CANTALOUPE SYSTEMSen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US

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