Evaluation of intercropping as organic, integrated pest management in northeastern hops

The demand for locally sourced hops has reached the farming community resulting in a sharp increase in northeastern hop producers from six in 2009 to twenty two in 2011. In 2011 hop producers in the region began reporting serious insect pressure resulting in damage to hop quality and quantity. To avoid insect pressure putting a quick end to this fledgling industry, IPM research specific to the northeast region is currently underway at Borderview Farm's organic hopyard in Alburgh, VT. This project studies intercropping between hop rows as a method of IPM for hop culture. The first season of pest and natural enemy arthropods from hop plants and flowering intercrops have been collected and preliminary data is presented here.  Hop intercropping aims to attract natural enemies, increasing the entire arthropod community, and therefore reaching a predator-prey equilibrium. This study aims to provide necessary methods of IPM to hop farmers through evaluating flowering intercrops for three functions 1) attracting natural enemy arthropods, 2) decreasing pest arthropod species and therefore, 3) maintaining yield quality and quantity.