“Predator-In-First”: A Preemptive Biological Control Strategy for Sustainable Management of Pepper Pests in Florida

Vivek Kumar,Lance S Osborne,Lucky Mehra,Cindy L Mckenzie

doi:10.3390/su12187816

Abstract

The early establishment of a biocontrol agent in the production system, whether in the greenhouse, nursery, or field, is essential for the success of the biological control program, ensuring growers’ profitability. In an effort to develop a sustainable pest management solution for vegetable growers in Florida, we explored the application of a preemptive biological control strategy, “Predator-In-First” (PIF), in regulating multiple pepper pests, Bemisia tabaci Gennadius, Frankliniella occidentalis Pergande, and Polyphagotarsonemus latus Banks under greenhouse and field conditions during different growing seasons. In these studies, two bell pepper cultivars (7039 and 7141) and the phytoseiid mite Amblyseius swirskii Athias–Henriot were used as a model system. Pepper seedlings (~8 week) of each cultivar were infested with varying rates of A. swirskii (20 or 40 mites/plant or one sachet/10 plant) and allowed to settle on plant hosts for a week before planting in pots or field beds. Results showed a comparative consistent performance of the treatment with the high rate of phytoseiids (40 mites/plant) in regulating B. tabaci and F. occidentalis populations in greenhouse studies, and B. tabaci and P. latus pests under field conditions. During two fall field seasons, higher marketable yields of 12.8% and 20.1% in cultivar 7039, and 24.3% and 39.5% in cultivar 7141 were observed in the treatment with the high rate of phytoseiids compared to the untreated control, indicating yield benefits of the approach. The outcome of the study is encouraging and demonstrates that PIF can be an important tool for organic vegetable growers and a potential alternative to chemical-based conventional pest management strategies. The advantages and limitations of the PIF approach in Florida pepper production are discussed.

Highlights

Within the United States, the southeastern region has certain climatic advantages such as an extended winter photoperiod, mild temperature, and high light intensities conducive for optimal growth of a wide range of crops throughout the year [1]
A single application of A. swirskii directly applied on seedling transplants of 7039 and 7141 pepper cultivars was sufficient for a significant reduction in the B. tabaci population during fall and spring greenhouse studies compared to the untreated control
No significant difference in the performance of two rates of phytoseiid mites was observed indicating an initial release of 20 mites/plant could help reduce pest populations; the 40 mites/plant may result in efficient management of multiple pepper pests under controlled conditions

Summary

Introduction

Within the United States, the southeastern region has certain climatic advantages such as an extended winter photoperiod, mild temperature, and high light intensities conducive for optimal growth of a wide range of crops throughout the year [1]. There have been multiple strategies proposed for the long-term establishment of beneficials in the production system Some of these include “Open Rearing” ( known as Banker Plants) systems [4,5,6], “Pest-In-First” strategies [7,8,9], “Slow Release” systems [10], and the use of artificial diets attracting natural enemies [11]. These strategies are known for their role in the conservation of beneficial agents, in turn, suppressing target pests, each of these has certain limitations impacting their broader acceptability. This is significant because natural enemies generally do not establish until later in the season when thrips or other pest numbers have built up [14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23]

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Conclusion