Objectives:!
1. To increase pollination and reduce pest abundance in
fruit crops by establishing native plant conservation!
strips that support native bees and natural enemies. !
2. To increase awareness of using flowering plant diversity
in farms to support beneficial insects.!
3. To improve producer knowledge of beneficial insect
identification and biology. !
4. To develop guidelines for increased implementation of
insect conservation strips in farmland.!
Hypothesis: Providing flowering vegetation throughout the
growing season leads to increased beneficial insect abundance
in crops, lower pest abundance and greater pollination.!
Flower strips: During spring 2009, we sowed native flowering
plant conservation strips at 5 blueberry, 4 apple, and 4 cherry
fields in Michigan. Each field has one conservation strip and one
comparison control perimeter without flowering plants. !
Beneficial insects in perimeters: During 2009-2011, the
abundance of beneficial insects in conservation strip-planted
and unplanted field perimeters will be compared.!
Natural enemies and pests in crop: Beneficial insect
abundance are being recorded on crop plants adjacent to the
conservation strips and adjacent to unplanted perimeters.!
Effect on pollinators and pollination: To determine whether
conservation strips lead to improved crop pollination, the bee
community and components of crop yield are being sampled in
all fields in this project.!
Economics: The costs of all inputs to establish and maintain
the plots are being recorded in collaboration with the growers to
provide real-world costs in our Extension materials developed
from this project. !
We are finishing up the second year (2010) of this project.
For more information, and to check back for updates, try
these MSU websites…
www.nativeplants.msu.edu
isaacslab.ent.msu.edu
If you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact one of us:!
Rufus Isaacs: [email protected] (517) 355 6619
Brett Blaauw: [email protected] (517)432-9554
Nikki Rothwell: [email protected] (231) 946-1510
Dave Epstein: [email protected] (517) 432-4766
Carlos Garcia-Salazar: [email protected] (616) 260-0671
!
We are using a mixture of 15 Michigan native wildflower
species and 3 native grass species, adapted to Michigan’s
climate and soils. These 15 flower species together have
blooms that span spring and summer, providing food and
habitat for beneficial insects when the crops are not in bloom.
Common Name
Scientific Name
Ounce per Acre
Smooth Aster
Aster laevis
0.50
New England Aster
Aster novae-angliae
1.00
Swamp milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
2.00
Butterfly milkweed
Asclepias tuberosa
1.00
Sand Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
2.00
Joe Pye-weed
Eupatorium maculatum
1.00
Boneset
Eupatorium perfoliatum
0.50
Tilling is not recommended because it brings up weed seeds,
but a light rake of the exposed soil creates an ideal soil bed for
seeding.
Blue Lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
0.25
Wild Bergamont
Monarda fistulosa
2.00
Foxglove Beard-tongue
Penstemon digitalis
1.00
Seeds were mixed with sawdust as a bulking agent to aid in
distribution when hand-sowing seeds.
Yellow Coneflower
Ratibida pinnata
1.00
Black-eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
2.00
After sowing, plots were mechanically cultipacked in order to
maximize seed-to-soil contact.
Cup plant
Silphium perfoliatum
2.00
Stiff Goldenrod
Solidago rigida
1.00
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
2.00
Indiangrass (grass)
Sorghastrum nutans
4.00
Big bluestem (grass)
Andropogon gerardii
4.00
Canada wild-rye (grass)
Elymus canadensis
17.60
Flower plots were prepared adjacent to crop fields using either
a winter oats cover crop at organic farms or a broad-spectrum
herbicide (glyphosate) in the fall and spring.
Maintenance of plots during the first year consists of mowing
the area down to 4-6 inches when the vegetative growth
reaches 10-12 inches (typically once a month), to encourage
establishment of flowers by limiting weed competition. No
herbicides were allowed after seeding.
The strips will look plain during the first year, but will start
blooming during the second year (see photo on opposite side).
Mowing will also be needed to combat weeds in the second
year. Full establishment is expected within the third year.
Cost-Sharing
for Growers
Mowing
There are various programs available to help defray the cost of establishing conservation strips on farms. These include
the FSA’s SAFE Program for Pollinators that is currently available in West Michigan counties. This pays up to 90% of
costs for preparation and establishment of the native pollinator plantings, PLUS a one-time signing bonus of $100 per
acre, PLUS annual rental payments for enrolled acres including an annual maintenance payment. Other programs exist
within other Farm Bill authorized programs including the NRCS-EQIP program.
Check with your local office of FSA or NRCS office for opportunities available to support
establishing these plantings on your land.
For more information on native wildflowers in Michigan, !
contact the Michigan Native Plant Producerʼs Association!
www.mnappa.org