Abstract
Cucumber ( Cucumis sativus L.) and squash ( Cucurbita pepo L.) were grown in a replicated trial on three types of plastic mulch: solid black plastic mulch, solid aluminum-coated plastic mulch with a silver reflective appearance, and black plastic mulch with two aluminum-coated strips attached. Striped cucumber beetle ( Acalymma vittata Fabricius) and spotted cucumber beetle ( Diabrotica undecimpunctata howardi Barber) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) counts on yellow sticky cards were obtained over eight weekly samplings. For cucumber, on the peak beetle population date, there were six times as many striped cucumber beetles in solid black plastic mulch as in aluminum-coated plastic mulch, and nearly three times as many as in black plastic mulch with aluminum strips. For squash, both striped and spotted cucumber beetle counts were significantly higher on solid black plastic mulch on three peak sampling dates than on aluminum-coated plastic mulch and black plastic mulch with aluminum strips, with counts 4.9 to 5.5 times higher in solid black plastic mulch than in aluminum-coated plastic mulch, and 2.2 to 2.6 times higher than in black plastic mulch with aluminum strips. Using a threshold of 15 beetles/sticky card, no insecticidal applications were needed on solid aluminum-coated mulch, while an average of 1.8 insecticidal applications were needed on solid black plastic mulch, and 0.8 insecticidal applications on black plastic mulch with aluminum strips. The cost of solid black plastic mulch and its insecticidal applications, $186/acre ($459/ha), was $102/acre ($252/ha) less than the cost of aluminum-coated plastic mulch without insecticidal application, $288/acre ($711/ha). However, squash fruit from plants grown on aluminum-coated plastic mulch could be direct marketed as pesticide-free, at a price 25% higher than fruit on which pesticide had been applied. For an average yield in Virginia of 600 boxes/acre (1,482 boxes/ha) [20 lb/box (9 kg/box)] of squash, this translates to a $1,200/acre ($2,964/ha) increase in revenue. Yield on aluminum-coated plastic mulch was delayed by one week, but there were no significant differences in cumulative yield over 14 harvests.
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Claims 13
Claim · model-written summary
Cucumber grown on solid black mulch had about six times more striped cucumber beetles than on aluminum-coated mulch on the peak date.
- Taxon
- cucumber
Cucumis sativust0 - Treatment
- solid black plastic mulche0
- Interactor
- striped cucumber beetle
Acalymma vittatume0pest - Outcome
- striped cucumber beetlese0
- Direction
- higherinferrede0
- Value
- six timese0
- Comparator
- aluminum-coated plastic mulche0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Cucumber and Squash”
e0“For cucumber, on the peak beetle population date, there were six times as many striped cucumber beetles in solid black plastic mulch as in aluminum-coated plastic mulch, and nearly three times as many as in black plastic mulch with aluminum strips”
Claim · model-written summary
Cucumber grown on solid black mulch had nearly three times more striped cucumber beetles than on black mulch with aluminum strips on the peak date.
- Taxon
- cucumberCucumis sativust0
- Treatment
- solid black plastic mulche0
- Interactor
- striped cucumber beetleAcalymma vittatume0pest
- Outcome
- striped cucumber beetlese0
- Direction
- higherinferrede0
- Value
- nearly three timese0
- Comparator
- black plastic mulch with aluminum stripse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Cucumber and Squash”
e0“For cucumber, on the peak beetle population date, there were six times as many striped cucumber beetles in solid black plastic mulch as in aluminum-coated plastic mulch, and nearly three times as many as in black plastic mulch with aluminum strips”
Claim · model-written summary
Squash on solid black mulch had significantly higher striped and spotted cucumber beetle counts than on aluminum-coated mulch on three peak dates.
Verbatim
t0“Cucumber and Squash”
e1“For squash, both striped and spotted cucumber beetle counts were significantly higher on solid black plastic mulch on three peak sampling dates than on aluminum-coated plastic mulch and black plastic mulch with aluminum strips”
Claim · model-written summary
Squash counts of cucumber beetles were 4.9 to 5.5 times higher on solid black mulch than on aluminum-coated mulch.
Verbatim
t0“Cucumber and Squash”
e2“with counts 4.9 to 5.5 times higher in solid black plastic mulch than in aluminum-coated plastic mulch, and 2.2 to 2.6 times higher than in black plastic mulch with aluminum strips”
Claim · model-written summary
Squash counts of cucumber beetles were 2.2 to 2.6 times higher on solid black mulch than on black mulch with aluminum strips.
Verbatim
t0“Cucumber and Squash”
e2“with counts 4.9 to 5.5 times higher in solid black plastic mulch than in aluminum-coated plastic mulch, and 2.2 to 2.6 times higher than in black plastic mulch with aluminum strips”
Claim · model-written summary
On solid black mulch an average of 1.8 insecticidal applications were needed, compared with none on solid aluminum-coated mulch.
- Taxon
- cucumberCucumis sativust0
- Treatment
- solid black plastic mulche3
- Outcome
- insecticidal applicationse3
- Direction
- higherinferrede3
- Value
- 1.8 insecticidal applicationse3
- Comparator
- solid aluminum-coated mulche3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Cucumber and Squash”
e3“Using a threshold of 15 beetles/sticky card, no insecticidal applications were needed on solid aluminum-coated mulch, while an average of 1.8 insecticidal applications were needed on solid black plastic mulch, and 0.8 insecticidal applications on black plastic mulch with aluminum strips”
Claim · model-written summary
On black mulch with aluminum strips an average of 0.8 insecticidal applications were needed, compared with none on solid aluminum-coated mulch.
- Taxon
- cucumberCucumis sativust0
- Treatment
- black plastic mulch with aluminum stripse3
- Outcome
- insecticidal applicationse3
- Direction
- higherinferrede3
- Value
- 0.8 insecticidal applicationse3
- Comparator
- solid aluminum-coated mulche3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Cucumber and Squash”
e3“Using a threshold of 15 beetles/sticky card, no insecticidal applications were needed on solid aluminum-coated mulch, while an average of 1.8 insecticidal applications were needed on solid black plastic mulch, and 0.8 insecticidal applications on black plastic mulch with aluminum strips”
Claim · model-written summary
No insecticidal applications were needed on solid aluminum-coated mulch.
- Taxon
- cucumberCucumis sativust0
- Treatment
- solid aluminum-coated mulche3
- Outcome
- insecticidal applicationse3
- Direction
- lowerinferrede3
- Value
- no insecticidal applicationse3
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Cucumber and Squash”
e3“Using a threshold of 15 beetles/sticky card, no insecticidal applications were needed on solid aluminum-coated mulch, while an average of 1.8 insecticidal applications were needed on solid black plastic mulch, and 0.8 insecticidal applications on black plastic mulch with aluminum strips”
Claim · model-written summary
Solid black mulch with insecticide applications cost $102/acre less than aluminum-coated mulch without insecticide.
- Taxon
- cucumberCucumis sativust0
- Treatment
- solid black plastic mulche4
- Outcome
- coste4
- Direction
- lesse4
- Value
- $102/acree4
- Comparator
- aluminum-coated plastic mulch without insecticidal applicatione4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Cucumber and Squash”
e4“The cost of solid black plastic mulch and its insecticidal applications, $186/acre ($459/ha), was $102/acre ($252/ha) less than the cost of aluminum-coated plastic mulch without insecticidal application, $288/acre ($711/ha)”
Claim · model-written summary
Squash fruit from aluminum-coated mulch could be marketed as pesticide-free at a price 25% higher than fruit treated with pesticide.
Verbatim
t0“Cucumber and Squash”
e5“squash fruit from plants grown on aluminum-coated plastic mulch could be direct marketed as pesticide-free, at a price 25% higher than fruit on which pesticide had been applied”
Claim · model-written summary
Pesticide-free squash on aluminum-coated mulch translates to a $1,200/acre revenue increase.
- Taxon
- squashe6
- Treatment
- aluminum-coated plastic mulche5
- Outcome
- revenuee6
- Direction
- increasee6
- Value
- $1,200/acree6
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
t0“Cucumber and Squash”
e5“squash fruit from plants grown on aluminum-coated plastic mulch could be direct marketed as pesticide-free, at a price 25% higher than fruit on which pesticide had been applied”
e6“For an average yield in Virginia of 600 boxes/acre (1,482 boxes/ha) [20 lb/box (9 kg/box)] of squash, this translates to a $1,200/acre ($2,964/ha) increase in revenue”
Claim · model-written summary
Yield on aluminum-coated mulch was delayed by one week.
- Taxon
- cucumberCucumis sativust0
- Treatment
- aluminum-coated plastic mulche7
- Outcome
- Yielde7
- Direction
- delayede7
- Value
- one weeke7
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Cucumber and Squash”
e7“Yield on aluminum-coated plastic mulch was delayed by one week, but there were no significant differences in cumulative yield over 14 harvests”
Claim · model-written summary
Cumulative yield over 14 harvests did not differ significantly between aluminum-coated mulch and the other mulches.
- Taxon
- cucumberCucumis sativust0
- Treatment
- aluminum-coated plastic mulche7
- Outcome
- cumulative yielde7
- Direction
- no significant differencese7
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Cucumber and Squash”
e7“Yield on aluminum-coated plastic mulch was delayed by one week, but there were no significant differences in cumulative yield over 14 harvests”
The same questions in other papers
mulching · yield · Cucumis sativus (cucumber)Results differ
7 papers in the same direction as this paper · 50 in the opposite direction
- positive
- positive
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5 in the opposite direction
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See all 6 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.