Abstract
This study was conducted to monitor the population dynamics of six major insect pests at the NMSU Agricultural Science Center at Farmington (ASC-Farmington) and within an adjacent commercial farm (Navajo Agricultural Products Industry, NAPI) for more effective and efficient pest management during the 2013–2019 period. Specific pheromone traps, sticky and net traps were used to collects moths of beet armyworm (Spodoptera exigua), cabbage looper (Trichoplusia ni), corn earworm (Helicoverpa zea), fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda), potato psyllid (Bactericera cockerelli), and western bean cutworm (Striacosta albicosta). These insects generally appear in early June and their population decreases toward the end of August/early September with different peak times and magnitudes during July and August. Bactericera cockerelli was not substantially present in the commercial farm due to intensive insecticide application. Overall, all six insect species were present at ASC-Farmington, with relative abundance, in percent of the total collected moths by all traps, varying from 6.5 to 19% for Trichoplusia ni, 16 to 29.2% for Spodoptera exigua, 1.5 to 20.6% for Striacosta albicosta, 10 to 25% for Helicoverpa zea, 18.5 to 25.6% for Spodoptera frugiperda and 8.5 to 26.9% for Bactericera cockerelli. In NAPI’s commercial field, while the potato psyllid Bactericera cockerelli was not recorded, Trichoplusia ni and Spodoptera exigua showed decreasing rates that varied from 27.5 to 4.2% and from 49.3 to 7.8%, respectively. Striacosta albicosta, Helicoverpa zea and Spodoptera exigua showed increasing rates varying from 2.9 to 28%, from 7.8 to 25.3% and from 10.9 to 52%, respectively. The results of this study could serve as a guideline for sustainable management strategies for each of the six species for production profitability.
Highlights
In the effort to produce enough food and fiber for the increasing world population, many actions have been taken in the intensification of agriculture involving increasing trends of applied pesticides and efficient use of resources
Total annual pesticide used in the United States averages over 406,000 tons and insecticide represents about 21% of the total pesticide usage
Variation in the Abundance of the Six Insect Species and Trichoplusia ni was the least abundant pest with an average of eight adults captured on a twobasis
Summary
In the effort to produce enough food and fiber for the increasing world population, many actions have been taken in the intensification of agriculture involving increasing trends of applied pesticides and efficient use of resources. World total pesticide use increased from 2.29 to 4.09 million tons during the 1990–2016 period [1]. Insect pests cause incredible losses from planting to postharvest. Total annual pesticide used in the United States averages over 406,000 tons and insecticide represents about 21% of the total pesticide usage. Annual insecticide used in the US showed a slightly. Insects 2019, 10, 369 decreasing trend that average 86,727 tons per year during the 1990–2012 period [1].
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