Insect Management on Fresh Market Tomatoes in West-Central Florida, Spring 1995

Abstract

Abstract On 10 Mar, transplants were set 18 inches apart on raised beds of EauGallie fine sand covered with black polyethylene mulch. Plots were 3-18 ft long rows on 5 ft centers and were irrigated by a seepage subirrigation system. Insecticidal sprays were replicated 4 times in a RCB design and were applied with a high clearance, self-propelled sprayer on 14, 21, 28 Mar, 5, 11, 18, 25 Apr, 3, 10, 17, 23, 30 May, 7 and 13 Jun. The sprayer was operated at 200 psi and 3.4 mph and used hollow cone nozzles fitted with #3 disks and 25° cores. The number of nozzles per row was increased from 4 to 8 to increase gallonage as the plants grew. Thus, 60 gpa were applied the first five sprays (four nozzles), 90 gpa the next two sprays (six nozzles) and 120 gpa for the remaining three sprays (eight nozzles). Admire treatments were applied in 4 oz water/plant on 13 Mar. These plots were then sprayed weekly with Danitol and Monitor beginning 25 Apr. All control and yield data were collected on the middle 10 plants of the middle row of each plot. The terminal leaflet was collected from a leaf from the upper third of each of ten plants on 18 Apr, 23 May, and 7 Jun. The numbers of eggs, crawlers, sessile nymphs, pupae and pupal exuviae of the silverleaf whitefly were counted. All counts data were totalled over all dates for analysis. All fruit of marketable size were harvested on 15 May, 6 and 19 Jun and the fruit were separated by the presence of tomato pinworm, southern armyworm and thrips (fruit with five or more oviposition dimples on blossom end) damage and were counted and weighed.