Prairie strips as a source of ground beetles for biological control in adjacent crops

Iowa agriculture is largely dominated by intensive, annual monocultures of row crops. While conventional management practices have enabled Iowa to lead the nation in corn and soybean production, these methods also involve frequent environmental disturbances that reduce biodiversity and, consequently, diminish the delivery of ecosystem services. Incorporating non-cropped features adjacent to crop fields has been shown to conserve biodiversity, particularly among beneficial arthropods like ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae), which are key predators of insect pests and weed seeds. We discuss how the habitat for carabids can be provided through the USDA’s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), with conservation practices like “Prairie Strips” (CP-43). Iowa is a great setting for exploring the impact of prairie strips on carabids, since the practice was developed at commercial farms within the state through the STRIPS (Science-based Trials of Rowcrops Integrated with Prairie Strips) project. We will discuss the potential for carabids to move from prairie strips into the adjacent crops providing mortality to pests of corn and soybeans.