OBJECTIVES:

• Compare the impacts of four organic bush squash production systems on:
  • Weed control
  • Insect pest incidence
  • Beneficial insect incidence
  • Disease incidence
  • Crop yield and quality
  • Production costs

• Determine the impact of insecticide and fungicide applications (products allowed for organic production) on insect and disease pests, beneficial insects, and crop yield and

PROCEDURE:

This project will be conducted in 2020 and 2021. We will establish four production systems that reflect those currently used by organic squash producers at different scales:

• Direct seeding with in-row and between-row cultivation, overhead irrigation
• Transplants with hay mulch, overhead irrigation
• Transplants on black plastic mulch, between-row cultivation, trickle irrigation
• Transplants on bare ground, with in-row and between-row cultivation, overhead irrigation Within each production system, we will establish two subplots with the following treatments:
• “Pest management plus” (Organic insecticides and fungicides applied in response to pest presence or reaching an established threshold)
• “Pest management minus” (No pesticides applied)

The experiment will be designed as a split-plot with production system as the main plot factor and pesticide program as the sub-plot factor (4 production systems x 2 pesticide programs = 8 treatments). Treatments will be arranged in a randomized complete block design with four replicates. Each production system (main plots) will be represented by three rows within each block. Two subplots, each consisting of 100 ft of row, will be randomly established within each main plot. The variety Bush Delicata, which is powdery mildew tolerant (not resistant), will be used in all systems.