Effects of Tillage Practices on Arthropod Ground Predators in Florida Sugarcane

Abstract

Sugarcane (Saccharum sp.) is a major agricultural crop in Florida and is planted by vegetative methods in 15 - 30 cm deep furrows. Land preparation for sugarcane planting in Florida normally involves at least 3 - 4 disk passes followed by furrow preparation. Growers also cultivate between rows during the fi rst few months of growth to reduce compaction and increase tillering. Reduced tillage or no-tillage may play an important role in reducing soil erosion (Gebhardt et al. 1985, Science 230: 625 - 630), production costs (Al-Kaisi and Yin 2004, Soil Till. Res. 78: 91 - 101), and consumption of fossil fuels (Phillips et al. 1980, Science 208: 1108 - 1113). However, reduced or no-tillage practices may affect arthropod ground predators by altering soil microclimate, altering weed occurrence which may be alternate hosts, and/or direct arthropod mortality via crushing, desiccation, or exposure to predators such as birds. This study was conducted to determine short- and long-term effects of no-tillage, minimum and conventional preplanting and postplanting tillage levels on population of arthropod ground predators in Florida sugarcane. Field testing was conducted at the Everglades Research and Education Center, Belle Glade, FL. The fi eld tested was chemically fallowed for 7 - 8 months before tillage tests, meaning there was no cultivation and weeds were controlled with herbicides. There were 3 preplanting tillage treatments: conventional, minimum, and no-tillage. In conventional tillage, a fi eld area was disked 3 times followed by furrow preparation. In minimum tillage, the fi eld area was disked once followed by furrow preparation. In no-tillage there was no disking and involved only furrow preparation before planting. The sugarcane variety CP88 - 1762, which is the dominant variety planted in Florida, was planted on 24 January 2013 in all the plots. There were two postplanting interrow cultivations (mid-April and late-June) in conventional tillage, one in minimum tillage (mid-April) and none in no-tillage plots.