Understanding the role of cover crop biomass on arthropods in a corn system

Relative to monocultures, cover crop (CC) use contributes to greater plant diversity within the agroecosystem with the potential to conserve predatory arthropods and decrease pest transition to the cash crop. The activity of arthropods in a subsequent cash crop depends on some factors such as CC biomass production and weather conditions. Field research on CC planting (CC PD) and termination dates (CC TD) as a strategy to increase beneficial arthropods or suppress pests in the following corn are limited. As a result, a two-year field study was conducted at the Eastern Nebraska Research and Extension, NE in 2018/19 and 2019/20 as a split-plot randomized complete block design. The study objective was to determine the impact of CC PD and TD relative to corn planting as a source for arthropods in the subsequent corn crop. The treatments consisted of four CC PD and two CC TD as split-plot. Plots with no CC were used as controls. Five pitfall traps and CC biomass were taken during the CC season and early corn stages. Corn damage assessments were made at V3 and V6 corn stages to identify pest pressure. A total of 40,904 and 54,053 arthropods were collected in 2019 and 2020, respectively. In both years, Araneae activity was greater in treatments with greater CC biomass whereas Acari activity was reduced, and pest pressure was not significant. Such results will allow for understanding of how agronomic factors for CC can impact the potential for ecosystem services in a corn system.