Abstract
California strawberries have two major arthropod pests—the twospotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae and the western tarnished plant bug, Lygus hesperus, which result in significant losses to the yield and quality of marketable berries. Other important insect pests that are frequently seen in strawberry include the greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum and the western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis that cause varying levels of damage depending on the level of infestation. Chemical pesticides play a major role in managing these pests but not without the associated risk of pesticide resistance and environmental safety. Two field studies were conducted in commercial strawberry fields in Santa Maria, one of the strawberry growing areas in California Central Coast, to determine the efficacy of chemical, botanical and microbial pesticides in the integrated pest management (IPM) of strawberry. Chemical, botanical and microbial pesticides were evaluated against T. urticae in a small plot study in 2013 and against L. hesperus and other insect pests in a large plot study in 2015 in commercial strawberry fields. Bug vacuums were also used in the 2015 study. Results demonstrated that non-chemical alternatives can play an important role in strawberry IPM.
Highlights
Strawberry is the fourth most valuable commodity in California with a crop value of $3.1 billion [1].The twospotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae), and the western tarnished plant bug, Lygus hesperus Knight (Hemiptera: Miridae), are two major arthropod pests that cause significant losses to the yield and quality of marketable berries every season [2]
Farms in Santa Maria, California, to evaluate the efficacy of commonly used chemical miticides along with botanical and microbial pesticides on T. urticae and predatory mites (Phytoseiulus persimilis and Neoseiulus californicus) that are either naturally occurring or those remaining from an earlier release for controlling pest mites
The following 10 treatments were evaluated in the study: (i) Untreated control, (ii) Acramite 50 WS at 1.12 kg/ha, (iii) Agri-Mek SC at 313.5 mL/ha), (iv) BotaniGard ES
Summary
The twospotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae), and the western tarnished plant bug (commonly referred to as lygus bug), Lygus hesperus Knight (Hemiptera: Miridae), are two major arthropod pests that cause significant losses to the yield and quality of marketable berries every season [2]. Other important insect pests that can cause significant damage when populations are high include the greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), and the western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae). Mite damage reduces plant vigor and fruit yields. Nymphs and adults of L. hesperus feed on developing seeds and surrounding areas on the fruit using their piercing and sucking mouthparts. As the fruit develops, damaged tissues result in uneven growth and cause fruit deformity. Deformed berries are not marketable and contribute to yield losses. Populations of T. vaporaiorum and F. occidentalis are usually kept below threshold levels with treatments targeted towards other pests but can occasionally build up Insects 2018, 9, 156; doi:10.3390/insects9040156 www.mdpi.com/journal/insects
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