Evaluating practices to maintaining diverse and abundant CP42-pollinator habitat (USDA: FSA) plantings in the southeastern USA

CP-42: Pollinator Habitat is a practice available within the Conservation Reserve Program (USDA: FSA) to encourage the establishment of floral and nesting resources for pollinating insects on croplands. However, best practices to maintain diverse and abundant forage given CP-42 requirements remains unclear, particularly in the southeastern United States. Here, we compared the effects of mowing, light disking, and a mowing + light disking combination treatment against a no-management control on the diversity, density, and composition of wildflower blooms and foraging bees. A seed mix of 20 native wildflower species – consistent with CP-42 requirements – was sown in three experimental plots at the E.V. Smith Research Center in Shorter, AL. Within each plot, the three treatment groups and control were applied in December 2022 or February 2023 to sixteen 93.6 m² subplots (n = 48) in a balanced randomized blocked design. Blooms were counted three times in 2023 within ten 1-m² quadrats per subplot. Additionally, foraging bees were netted along 10x2 m² belt-transects. While bloom diversity and composition were similar, we found 0.48 (0.24-0.97, 95% C.L.s; p = 0.039), 1.98 (1.06 – 3.77, 95% C.L.s; p = 0.038), and 0.55 (0.31-0.96, 95 % C.L.s; p = 0.035) times as many Achillea millefolium, Coreopsis tinctoria, and Monarda punctata flowers, respectively, in mowed subplots compared to control. Upon completion of the project in 2026, these results will help to establish recommendations on how to best manage CP-42 wildflower plantings for pollinators in the southeastern United States.