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Multi-Colored Plastic Mulches Resists Pests - April 1998
April 6, 1998
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA -- Some of the best-dressed vegetable fields this summer will be wearing multi-colored plastic mulches to keep weeds at bay and promote healthier plant growth and higher yields, according to Mike Orzolek, professor of vegetable crops at Penn State University.
In his article "Colored Mulches for Commercial Growers" in a recent issue of the Vegetable Gazette Newsletter, Orzolek explains that certain insect pests respond to different colored plastic mulches which makes the mulch a tool for Integrated Pest Management (IPM). "Each vegetable crop appears to have its own color preference, probably because of the spectrum of light and heat reflected from the mulches," says Orzolek.
For example, yellow or silver mulch produces the best pepper yields, while squash cucumber and melon respond well to red or blue. Tomatoes, meanwhile, grow better with red mulch.
According to Orzolek, yellow mulch attracts cucumber and other beetles and may be incorporated into an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program using the yellow mulch on only 15 to 20% of the rows in the field. Large numbers of beetles are attracted to the area and control strategies could then be employed. Furthermore, Orzolek explains, silver mulch repels aphids, making it less likely a crop will be infected with viruses.
In addition, many of the colored mulches help to retain water and reduce weed competition. "Cover an area with plastic, and it will stop weeds, depending on the color, opacity and thickness of the plastic film," says Orzolek.
This article and others included in the Vegetable Gazette Newsletter is available on the Pennsylvania IPM Homepage at http://paipm.cas.psu.edu/
IPM is an approach to managing pests such as insects, diseases, weeds and animals by integrating appropriate physical, biological and chemical tactics that are safe, profitable and environmentally compatible. The Pennsylvania IPM program is a collaboration between Penn State and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture aimed at promoting integrated pest management in both agricultural and nonagricultural situations.