Impact And Potential Control Measures For Vole Populations In No-Till Soybean Fields.

Cover crops have been implemented to help decrease loss of soil to erosion, improve soil quality, and act as a part of an integrated weed management strategy. Adoption rates have been high across the country but not without new problems arising for some producers. The act of planting crops and having vegetation present during winter months has created quality vole habitat within cover cropped fields. Unfortunately, little is understood about the extent of damage caused by voles or any techniques to limit or control vole populations within soybean fields. This issue is mostly related to restrictions associated with rodenticide application within production fields. An integrated pest management strategy may also be necessary for success in limiting vole populations and their damage to growing plants. In order to understand the extent of damage that vole populations are having within Kentucky, we will survey producers across the state about the types of cover crops they are using and problems they are experiencing with voles. Paired with this will be a field survey occurring ~1-2 months post plant emergence to quantify the percentage and extent of damage to soybean fields within Kentucky. To help provide producers with management solutions, we will test three different “burn down” time periods for cover crops prior to planting on vole populations. We will test the hypothesis that the duration of time between burn down and planting is correlated with lower amounts of vole damage to the newly planted soybeans and subsequent yields. Overall, the project will provide an estimate of monetary losses to Kentucky soybean producers due to vole damage. We will also provide an initial assessment of suggested methods to reduce soybean