Improved management of cucumber beetles and bacterial wilt in melons by perimeter trap cropping and extended-duration row covers

Cucumber beetles are the vectors of bacterial wilt in cantaloupe and other cucurbit crops; this devastating disease can reduce yield of cantaloupe by as much as 80%, causing an impact of $13 million annually. Conventional insecticide-based control of cucumber beetles and bacterial wilt is inconsistent, and organic management practices often fail. Two tactics were evaluated in small-plot trials in Ohio and Iowa in 2011 and 2012, at research farms and on commercial farms. The tactic of perimeter trap cropping was tested with buttercup squash as the trap crop, with conventional insecticides used when thresholds were exceeded. Extending row cover duration for 10 days after flowering was also tested, under organic crop management. Pests, natural enemies, and disease incidence were evaluated by field scouting weekly, and yield was measured in periodic harvests. We found that insecticide use was reduced by 25-90% in melons grown with perimeter trap crops of buttercup squash. Yield of melons that were protected by extended-duration row covers was significantly higher than melons with row covers removed when the first flowers appeared or than unprotected melons. These tactics in small plots show promise as more effective and profitable methods than conventional tactics, and warrant further testing in large-scale plots.