Abstract
Simple SummaryThe popularity of brassicaceous leafy greens has grown in recent years due to health benefits and the local food movement. However, for many producers and especially organic producers, flea beetles represent a major challenge to production because they chew small holes in the leaves reducing quality and appearance. The goal of our project was to assess the efficacy of row covers and essential oils in controlling flea beetles as an alternative to organic and conventional insecticides. We grew Arugula and Mizuna mustard greens in replicated experimental plots in the spring and fall of 2019. We found that in most cases, plants within the Agribon and ProtekNet row cover treatments had the least amount of flea beetle damage and the highest yields, while plants within the essential oil treatments and organic insecticides did not differ from unsprayed, uncovered control plots. Conventional insecticides had an intermediate level of control against flea beetles, but did not perform as consistently as row cover treatments. We believe that row covers could provide a strong management method for all growers of brassicaceous leafy greens, especially where quality standards are high.Brassicaceous leafy greens are an important crop for small growers but are difficult to produce due to damage by flea beetles. Flea beetles are problematic for growers as they chew many small holes through leaves rendering produce unmarketable. We tested the efficacy of several essential oils, the woven-mesh row cover ProtekNet, and the spunbonded row cover Agribon, compared to organic and conventional insecticides and no spray controls in the spring and fall of 2019. We found that the two row cover treatments (Agribon and ProtekNet) provided the best control of flea beetles and associated damage. Thyme oil was highly phytotoxic and killed the crop entirely and rosemary and neem essential oils caused mild phytotoxic burns. Organic insecticides rarely performed better than the no spray control. While conventional insecticides controlled most flea beetles, the crop was often still too highly damaged to sell. The results of our study suggest row covers offer producers an effective method of flea beetle control that reduces their dependence on insecticides for conventional and organic production.
Highlights
Brassicaceous leafy greens (Brassicaceae) are an economically important and micro-nutrient rich crop grown in many parts of the world
This study found that row covers are an effective method for controlling flea beetles within brassicaceous leafy greens
We found that row covers performed better than organic insecticide treatments and often conventional insecticide treatments
Summary
Brassicaceous leafy greens (Brassicaceae) are an economically important and micro-nutrient rich crop grown in many parts of the world. Brassicaceous leafy greens are termed a specialty crop [1], and within Kentucky, are grown on a small scale and sold directly to consumers. Farmers can grow brassicaceous greens crop in the fall and spring to elongate their offerings at farmer’s markets. Much of the interest in local foods has emerged as consumers believe that the food is fresher, of higher quality, and healthier [2]. Leafy greens are nutrient dense and rich in antioxidants [3] making them popular with health-conscious consumers. Eighty five percent of Community Supported Agriculture businesses believe that demand for local food is increasing [4] and farmer’s markets grew from 1755 in 1994 to 8687 in 2017 [5]. Within Kentucky, leafy greens sold for an average of $3.15/pound between 2014 and 2018 [10]
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