The Right Intercropping System for the Best Squash Yields

GAINESVILLE, Florida – Florida farmers know that sharing their squash crop with buckwheat helps control pest and disease problems during the growing season.  But determining which intercropping design won’t cut into squash yields is the task for University of Florida fruit and vegetable specialists.

With a $14,978 two-year Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) On-Farm Research Grant, fruit and vegetable Integrated Pest Management specialist Oscar Liburd is exploring various buckwheat/squash intercropping production systems.

The goal, said Liburd, is to identify an alternative to the traditional row-cropping system that would be useful for organic producers.

"We know that buckwheat works well in reducing pest and disease problems in squash,” said Liburd, who is with the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

The annual crop attracts beneficial insects -- ladybeetles, lacewings, syrphid flies and parasitic wasps -- that control squash pests, such as aphids and white flies, and help suppress viral diseases. In addition, buckwheat produces extra floral nectaries that attract pollinating agents to squash, giving the crop an added layer of protection.

“But what we don’t know is which design system works best when it comes to squash yields,” said Liburd. Planting buckwheat too close to squash – 6 to 10 inches – significantly impacts squash yield, about a ¾ yield loss.

In the S-SARE study, Liburd and his colleagues are studying several ways to intercrop buckwheat and squash that will continue to reduce pest pressure while increasing yields. In addition, the researchers hope to develop a sustainable system that allows for mulching squash with buckwheat in the field.

“Our earlier research design was to plant buckwheat on either side of the squash rows,” said Liburd.  “This approach accomplishes the desired pest and disease reduction, but marketable yields are significantly reduced.”

The designs researchers are studying include planting buckwheat on one side of the squash row; planting buckwheat in short clumps at the beginning, middle and end of each squash row; and planting a thin strip of buckwheat down the middle of the squash row. They plan to compare these systems with the traditional design -- buckwheat planted on either side of the squash rows -- to see which ones, if any, work better.

“The idea behind the project is to develop a new system that is organic-friendly so you don’t have to use pesticides, and is also sustainable because you are using another crop to help manage insect pests, diseases and nutrients in the field,” said Liburd.

Squash is among Florida’s top vegetable crops with a value of about $50 million, according to the Florida Agricultural Statistics Service.

The S-SARE-funded project (OS11-060) is titled, “Investigating Various Tactics of Intercropping Buckwheat with Squash to Increase Natural Enemy Populations, Reduce Pests and Disease Pressure and Increase Yield.”

University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences PhD student Janine Razze and PhD candidate Teresia Nyoike are also working on the project.

The On-Farm Research Grants Program is one of S-SARE’s seven grant opportunities. It’s tailored for ag professionals who work directly with farmers and ranchers to find sustainable solutions to ag production issues. Lean more about On-Farm Research Grants.

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Published by the Southern Region of the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program. Funded by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), Southern SARE operates under cooperative agreements with the University of Georgia, Fort Valley State University, and the Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture to offer competitive grants to advance sustainable agriculture in America's Southern region.