Former Nault lab postdoctoral researcher Karly Regan and Brian Nault recently published a 3-year study in the journal, Agronomy. The study aimed to understand the impact of combining an action threshold-based insecticide program with reduced fertilizer use to manage onion thrips populations. While the action threshold-based insecticide program was highly successful in reducing application frequency by 2.3 sprays per season, a reduction in fertilizer had zero impact on thrips densities. However, the big surprise was that bulb yield and quality were not impacted by enormous reductions in fertilizer use. As a result of this study, onion growers have slashed their fertilizer inputs and are still enjoying high yields. Join us in congratulating Karly & Brian!
Click here to read their article in the journal, Agronomy, and click here to see their highlight in the Cornell Chronicle.