University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Impacts of no-till and ground covers as regenerative agriculture practices on insect pest densities and yield of tomato and cucumber

Oganda, George Odumbe

This item is only available for download by members of the University of Illinois community. Students, faculty, and staff at the U of I may log in with your NetID and password to view the item. If you are trying to access an Illinois-restricted dissertation or thesis, you can request a copy through your library's Inter-Library Loan office or purchase a copy directly from ProQuest.

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/124578

Description

Title
Impacts of no-till and ground covers as regenerative agriculture practices on insect pest densities and yield of tomato and cucumber
Author(s)
Oganda, George Odumbe
Issue Date
2024-05-02
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Athey, Kacie
Committee Member(s)
  • Seiter, Nicholas
  • Ugarte, Carmen
Department of Study
Crop Sciences
Discipline
Crop Sciences
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
M.S.
Degree Level
Thesis
Keyword(s)
  • Regenerative agriculture
  • No-till
  • Conventional tillage
  • Ground cover
  • Insect pests
  • Soil fertility
  • Vegetable production
Abstract
The UN predicts that the global population will reach 9.7 billion by 2050, heightening the demand for food. With an increasing population and diminishing land resources, it will be more critical than ever to implement effective land management practices. Regenerative agriculture, which focuses on enhancing soil health, productivity, and environmental sustainability, emerges as a promising solution to address these challenges. Practices like no-till and ground cover have been associated with improved soil health but have yet to be thoroughly examined for their effects on foliar insect pests. A 2-year study conducted at the University of Illinois Student Sustainable Farm in Urbana, IL examined the impacts of no-till and ground covers (plastic, straw, and living mulch) on insect pest densities and yields in tomatoes and cucumbers. Additionally, a relationship between soil fertility and insect pest abundance was evaluated across different soil chemical properties (organic matter, cation exchange capacity, pH, estimated nitrogen release, and phosphorous). Insect pests (aphids, whiteflies, potato leafhoppers, thrips, plant bugs, and cucumber beetles) were monitored using yellow sticky card traps. In addition, insect counts were done on the plant canopy in year 2 of the experiment. Yield was measured as the total marketable weight per treatment. Insect damage (caterpillar, thrips, and stink bug) on yield was also evaluated. There was no significant effect of treatment on total pest densities across the season for tomatoes and no significant effect of treatment on cucumber beetles in cucumber in year 1. Treatment affected the overall insect pest densities on tomatoes in year 2. Plots that were no-till with fabric cover and plots that were tilled with plastic ground cover had significantly higher pest densities than plots with wheat straw cover. The primary pest driving this effect in tomatoes was potato leafhoppers. The effect of treatment on thrips damage on tomatoes was statistically significant. Plots that were tilled had the most thrips damage although in low proportions. However, no significant differences were found in the damage caused by caterpillars and stink bugs. No significant difference was observed in the extent of damage caused by cucumber beetles on cucumber fruits. There were generally weak correlations between the soil chemical properties and insect pest abundance across the two crops. Plant health, influenced by soil fertility, may serve as a useful indicator for assessing foliar insect pest abundance. Incorporating living mulch in the narrow strip designated for soil preparation and planting resulted in notable competition with the cash crop, as evidenced during the first year. Cucumber yield was significantly greater in plots managed with ground cover. The implementation of regenerative agriculture practices may affect insect pest management in open-field vegetable production. However, observing yield differences in tomatoes may require the consideration of a combination of other practices or factors like pest and disease management strategy, irrigation methods, soil quality, fertilizer application, weather conditions, and management practices like pruning and trellising.
Graduation Semester
2024-05
Type of Resource
Thesis
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 2024 George Oganda

Owning Collections

Graduate Dissertations and Theses at Illinois PRIMARY
Graduate Theses and Dissertations at Illinois