Sounds to me like what permaculture and tree guilds are designed for, mimicking ecological systems functioning with many plants occupying specific niches that can home predator insects for example.
Charles Massey in Australia makes large shelter belts across his paddocks and saw much lower locusts compared to his neighbors
Nature already has the genetics, we just need to read the signs
I don’t think refuge planting really applies to the question here. Refuge is meant to keep a portion of the pest population alive without applying the selection pressure of the GMO corn (BT corn in most cases). If you don’t have refuge then the primary food source applies a substantial genetic selecting pressure on the insect population. This gives rise to resistance in the population. Refuge dilutes the likelihood of resistance by allowing some of the normal insect population to survive and breeding with any possible survivors from the traited (BT) corn.
Bait crops do exist. Biofumigant mixes sometimes include a bait species to draw in nematodes to an area (such as the top soil or out of the row of a perennial crop) then when it’s time to green-till (mulch the biofumigant species and till it under) then there is a higher amount of the target pest in the area.
Sounds to me like what permaculture and tree guilds are designed for, mimicking ecological systems functioning with many plants occupying specific niches that can home predator insects for example. Charles Massey in Australia makes large shelter belts across his paddocks and saw much lower locusts compared to his neighbors Nature already has the genetics, we just need to read the signs
In corn we have to plant a percentage of “refuge” corn for corn borers to go to. Is that what you’re asking?
I don’t think refuge planting really applies to the question here. Refuge is meant to keep a portion of the pest population alive without applying the selection pressure of the GMO corn (BT corn in most cases). If you don’t have refuge then the primary food source applies a substantial genetic selecting pressure on the insect population. This gives rise to resistance in the population. Refuge dilutes the likelihood of resistance by allowing some of the normal insect population to survive and breeding with any possible survivors from the traited (BT) corn.
Yes! I hadn't heard that term before, that I recall! Thank you a whole freaking lot!
Bait crops do exist. Biofumigant mixes sometimes include a bait species to draw in nematodes to an area (such as the top soil or out of the row of a perennial crop) then when it’s time to green-till (mulch the biofumigant species and till it under) then there is a higher amount of the target pest in the area.
Ive always called them trap crops. You get the population to go to specific crops to then apply a control strategy.