Pumpkin production can benefit from conservation practices

04-16-2022 • arclein

According to researcher Peter Tomlinson, "no-till production methods have been widely adopted by agronomic (field corn, soybean, wheat, etc.) growers throughout the United States. However, no-till practices for vegetable production in the Central United States are relatively rare. Mid-Atlantic States such as Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Maryland have adopted no-till practices for pumpkin and other large-seeded vegetable crops." The study compared growing pumpkins in a biannual tilled control system with annual tilled systems that used cover crops. "This project is designed to compare systems, rather than individual effects of cover crops or tillage," says Tomlinson. The authors reported the effects of a three-year project on dynamic soil properties.