Control of Southern Armyworm in Staked Tomato with an Ecdysone Agonist, Fall 1993

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Abstract Beds of 32 inch width on six foot centers were prepared in sandy soil at Immokalee Florida, fumigated with 33/66 choropicrin/methyl bromide applied at 220 lbs/acre, fertilized with a bottom mix of 800 lbs/acre of 5-16-8 and a top mix of 500 lbs of 19-0-30, and covered with whiteface polyethylene mulch. Greenhouse grown tomato seedlings were transplanted 18 inches apart into single rows on 1 Oct and watered by seepage irrigation. Plants were sprayed weekly with a fungicide, Maneb 80 W, at a rate of 1 lb/acre and standard cultural practices of pruning and staking was followed. Three rows 240 feet long were divided into 12, 3-row plots 20 ft long. Blocks (4) ran lengthwise, with 3 treatments randomly assigned to each giving an RCB design 3 treatments and 4 replications. Two treatments consisted of RH-5992 2F applied at rates of 0.06 and 0.12 lb AI/100 gal with an unsprayed check as the third treatment. Weekly sprays commenced 5 Nov 1993 when the presence of army worms was noted and continued until 17 Dec 1993 for a total of seven applications. An adjuvant, APSA 80® (Amway Corp.) was added to each spray tank at the rate of 0.06%. Sprays were applied with a tractor-drawn hydraulic boon sprayer employing a diaphragm pump operating at 200 psi. The boom carried two drop lines per row with Albuz ATR® red nozzles increased front three to four after the second spray with a commensurate increase in spray volume from 91 gal/acre to 105 gal/acre. Eight plants were selected weekh at random from the center of each row from 4 Nov to 20 Dec 1993 for visual evaluation of defoliation and to count larvae, predominantly SAW although some BAW were encountered. All fruit of marketable size was harvested on 3 Jan 1994. Marketable fruit was separated into extra large, large, medium, and small USDA categories with a mechanical grader and insect-damaged culls counted separately. Value per acre was estimated based on a $12/10/9; 7, respectively per 25 lb box market.