Oregon sweet corn growers face high fertilizer, fuel
and weed control costs; soil compaction, erosion, organic
matter and nutrient depletion; and difficult equipment
operations in muddy fields. An alternative production
system might ease some of these problems.
Testing was begun to evaluate a living-mulch
cropping system for sweet corn (Zea...
Soil-related problems common to Oregon farmers are
erosion, compaction, organic matter depletion, and
nutrient loss. High costs of fertilizer, fuel, and weed
control are additional management problems. Growing a
secondary crop as a living mulch with a primary crop may
ease some of these problems.
Sweet corn production in Oregon...
Five field experiments were conducted to evaluate the relative attractiveness of potential beneficial insectary plants to aphidophagous hover flies and parasitic Hymenoptera and the effectiveness of interplanting selected flowering plants in a broccoli field to enhance biocontrol of the cabbage aphid and green peach aphid. In 1996 we established a...
A living mulch system consists of growing a regulated cover crop
with an economic crop. Living mulches are often interplanted with
horticultural crops, but competition for water can adversely affect
crop production. Various management practices may limit the negative
effects.
Studies were conducted for two purposes: (1) to determine if...
Two experiments were conducted on wine grapes 'Chardonnay' and
'Gewurtztraminer' (Vitis vinifera L.) in 1986 and 1987 to
investigate the performance of grapes in competition with perennial
ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) 'Manhattan 11' sod, the competition
between sod and grapes for nutrients and moisture and the effects
of nitrogen fertilization...
A perennial grass grown in strips between the rows of grapevines, with a bare soil herbicide strip under the rows of vines, is a common form of vineyard soil management. Irrigation, though not practiced for grape culture in western Oregon at this time, could be used to supplement the soil...
Species and cultivar combinations have been relatively well studied, though little is known about the influence of spatial arrangement on agricultural or native plant mixtures. The effect of spatial pattern on mixtures was explored in three experiments. In the first two, agricultural and native plants were planted in two-way mixtures...
Vegetable production with a living mulch may reduce soil erosion and compaction, increase organic matter levels, and decrease the requirement for chemical inputs. Competition between the vegetable and mulch, however, has limited the development of successful living mulch systems to realize these benefits. In a field study, interference between pak...
Living mulches are vegetative covers that can grow in association with row crops and may prevent soil erosion and suppress weeds. Crop reduction from association with the living mulch is a frequent problem with this cultural practice. The interference between a white clover (Trifolium repens L. "New Zealand") living mulch...
