Improving living mulch cucumber and tomato cropping systems by utilizing vegetable grafting and consequences for cucumber insect and disease pressure
Co-PI: Dr. Kristine Lang
Funding: (2023) U.S. Department of Agriculture – Natural Resources Conservation
Service – Conservation Innovating Grants South Dakota State Program
Summary: Improving cover crop living mulch cucumber and tomato cropping systems by utilizing vegetable grafting. Vegetable yield loss is common in living mulch systems, but grafting vegetables to more vigorous rootstocks may maintain or increase yields, encouraging grower adoption. Additional disease and pest management outcomes in grafted living mulch cucumber systems will be quantified.