The Benefits of Diversification

I am still reading and summarizing the SARE online publicaltion called Manage Insects on Your Farm. Multiple benefits accrue from diversification:

• Manage vegetation in field margins: carefully selected flowering plants or trees in field margins can be important sources of beneficial insects, but they also can modify crop microclimate, add organic matter and produce wood or forage
• Manage plants surrounding fields to manage specific pests: practice perimeter trap cropping
• No till cover crops can yield soil and pest benefits: healthier soils hold moisture, prevent runoff and stretch irrigation dollars

Within this publication is a section dedicated to the grape grower called A Toast to Ecological Grape Growing. This is a case study provided by Zach Berkowitz that encompasses pages 30-33. The take home lesson is the following:

• Use cover crops to enhance beneficials and restrain plant vigor
• Manage riparian vegetation to reduce pests
• Match flowers to resource needs of beneficials

On pages 41-42 is a list of flowering plants that attract natural enemies including Queen Anne's lace, golden rod, yarrow, sweet clover, yellow rocket, wild mustard and many others. Dandelions are an early-season source for nectar and pollen for beneficial insects.
The part of the publication on pages 50-53 are photos of predatory insects and parsitoids. I hope to blog about the predators that we have seen in our vineyard along with photos. In the meantime, do check out the SARE Manage Insects on Your Farm, for their photo gallery.
References:
1. Miguel A. Altieri, Clara I. Nicholls with Marlene A. Fritz, Manage Insects on Your Farm, Published by Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE), College Park, MD.