IPM Tactics Research Articles

Indirect effects of plasma-activated water irrigation on Tetranychus urticae populations

AbstractPlasma-activated water (PAW) is receiving increased attention as a booster of seed germination and seedling vigor, and some studies have described use of PAW to manage crop pathogens. Here, we examined physicochemical properties of two PAWs (referred to as PAW 6.0 and 9.4 min with atmospheric plasma jet) and assessed “their indirect effects” (applied as supplementary irrigation) on host suitability of tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum L.) to two-spotted spider mites (Tetranychus urticae Koch). Exposure of water to cold plasma significantly lowered pH and increased concentrations of H2O2, NO2−, and NO3−. Supplementary PAW irrigations elicited significant increases in leaf composition of several elements (N, P, K S, Ca, and Mg), leaf reflectance, plant size, and trichome densities (except non-glandular trichomes on the adaxial surface). Preference bioassays revealed significant avoidance of settling and reduced oviposition by two-spotted spider mites on leaf discs from PAW-irrigated plants compared to those from untreated control plants. Performance bioassays showed a significant decrease in two-spotted spider mite populations on PAW-irrigated plants. Results presented in this study provide comprehensive support to the hypothesis that indirect effects of supplementary PAW irrigation significantly reduce host plant suitability to two-spotted spider mites. PAW 6.0 may be slightly better than PAW 9.4, and this difference in performance is discussed in this study. Applications of PAW as supplementary irrigation are likely highly compatible with other IPM tactics and should be considered an innovative and sustainable component in twenty-first-century pest management.

Oviposition behavior of the parasitoid Telenomus remus (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) on eggs of Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).

Telenomus remus (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) is an efficient parasitoid of Spodoptera eggs. However, biological control programs require taxonomic, bioecological and behavioral studies of biological agents. Although the performance of T. remus in pest control has been evaluated, little is known about its behavioral aspects that can influence IPM tactics. The aim of this study was therefore to study the parameters related to the oviposition behavior of T. remus on Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) eggs. The experiment was conducted in the laboratory, where 17 females were transferred individually to arenas containing a mass of S. frugiperda eggs. Oviposition behavior was recorded for 30 minutes. The average walking speed of the females was 0.116 mm.s-1 and the total distance covered was 203.3 mm. The females remained on the egg masses for an average of 16.7 min, which corresponds to more than half of the total time. The average number of parasitized eggs was 15.1 per female in 30 minutes. Females with larger antennae had lower values for average speed and total distance covered. The results of the parameters evaluated show the standard oviposition behavior of T. remus females on S. frugiperda eggs and help us to better understand the species.

Intercropping Okra and Castor Bean Reduces Recruitment of Oriental Fruit Moth, Grapholita molesta (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in a Pear Orchard.

Intercrops can lower pest densities by increasing plant diversity, altering chemical communication in the arthropod community, and integrating well with other IPM tactics. We used two years of field observations and Y-tube olfactometer assays to explore the effects of intercropping a pear orchard with okra and castor bean on the cosmopolitan fruit-boring pest Grapholita molesta (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Intercropping okra reduced G. molesta trap catches in the pear orchard in both years, and intercropping with castor bean reduced them in the second year. Hydrocarbons, phenols, and ketones predominated in the GC-MS assay of okra volatiles, whereas castor bean volatiles were rich in aldehydes, ketones, and esters. Five of the commercially available volatiles released by these plants exhibited repellency to G. molesta in olfactometer trials, especially cinnamaldehyde, dibutyl phthalate, and thymol; the former compound also exhibited attraction to the egg parasitoid Trichogamma dendrolimi (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae). In addition to their repellent properties, okra and castor bean may enhance integrated control of G. molesta in orchards by hosting prey that support populations of generalist predators that either provide biological pest control services within the orchard ecosystem or generate non-consumptive effects that contribute to pest deterence. Among the plant volatiles evaluated, cinnamaldehyde has the best potential for deployment in orchards to repel G. molesta without disrupting augmentative releases of T. dendrolimi.

Knowledge Level of Citrus Grower’s Regarding use of Integrated Pest Management Strategies in Punjab

The study was carried out in Punjab’s Fazilka District in 2021–2022 as it is major citrus growing district of Punjab. A total 100 respondents (citrus growers) were selected randomly from Fazilka district by using simple random sampling method. The interview schedule was prepared for collection of the data. To gauge the farmers’ level of familiarity with the various IPM tactics, a knowledge test was developed. The respondents had good educational level, bulk of the respondents fall under large category of land holding. Knowledge level of the respondents regarding Integrated Pest Management strategies found to be less. More efforts need to be done to aware the citrus growers regarding Integrated Pest Management strategies.

IMPACTS OF IPM TACTICS IN NEPAL - A REVIEW

Nepal, a country whose most of the economy is dependent on agriculture yearns to be self-sufficient but due to an unaware as well as ignorant population and poor infrastructure, the productivity is still unsatisfactory. As a result of which, haphazard use of pesticides was exercised. To resolve this problem, IPM tactics were introduced that includes a combination of biological, physical, chemical, cultural, and all kind of strategies to minimize pest risk and improve the yield sustainably. IPM components must be institutionalized in appropriate educational, research, extension, and farmer groups, as IPM has been proposed as an option for reducing pesticides overuse and misuse. The dissemination of these tactics to all levels of farmers is still underway in Nepal. However, the impacts seen are considerable. According to various research, the implementation of IPM tactics and approaches has drastically (more than 50%) reduced pesticide uses and increased yield by more than 10% in a very short period. Its complete execution is yet to be obtained which will revolutionize the agricultural practices and economic pattern of import and export.

Orientation of Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) adults to 4,8-dimethyldecanal, kairomone and botanical oils following ambient, low, or high temperature exposure

The aggregation pheromone 4,8-dimethyldecanal (4,8 DMD) used alone or with kairomone-baited traps generally is used for monitoringTribolium castaneum (Herbst) but low efficiency is reported. Furthermore, insect orientation to pheromones and kairomones following low or high temperature exposure is not yet understood. This research evaluated the orientation of T. castaneum adults to 4,8 DMD and common kairomones following exposure to ambient, low or high temperatures. Fifty adults were introduced to the middle of rectangular glass chamber, and movement to the treatment or control was determined after 1 h. In experiment 1, insects reared at 30°C were used. Experiments 2 and 3 used insects exposed to 10°C for 4 days (cold temperature) and 42°C for 12 h (brief high temperature), respectively at 2–8 h following cold or heat exposure. The highest trapping occurred when 4,8DMD was combined with neem oil whereas the lowest was in coconut oil alone. Neem oil alone demonstrated repellent action. Prior exposure to cold or heat initially reduced taxis of T. castaneum adults to traps. The attraction for adults exposed to cold and heat was restored after 6–8 h when traps contained pheromone + neem or coconut oil. This study marks the first to experimentally test how exposure to high or low temperatures, two key IPM tactics in the post-harvest supply chain, affects the behavioral response of an important stored-product species to pheromone- and kairomones-baited traps.

Management of Onion Thrips (Thrips tabaci) in Organic Onion Production Using Multiple IPM Tactics.

Simple SummaryOnion thrips (Thrips tabaci) is a major pest in organic onion production and effective integrated pest management strategies are lacking. Our objective was to evaluate pest management programs consisting of several different tactics: (1) two onion plant cultivars with semi-glossy leaves (“Rossa di Milano” and B5336AxB5351C) and one with waxy leaves (“Bradley”), (2) silver reflective and white plastic mulches, and (3) with or without an application of a biopesticide (spinosad + neem oil tank mix). Thrips densities were counted weekly and bulbs weighed at harvest. The application of the biopesticide had the most significant reduction in thrips densities and increase in yield. The cultivar “Rossa di Milano” had lower thrips densities compared with “Bradley” and B5336AxB5351C, but also had the lowest yield. Reflective mulch had lower thrips densities than white mulch but had no effect on yield. None of the other tactics provided any significant additional benefits to thrips management. While biopesticides will still be a key component to onion thrips management programs, their application frequency should be further optimized.Onion thrips (Thrips tabaci Lindeman) is a major pest in organic onion production and effective integrated pest management strategies are lacking. Our objective was to evaluate combinations of semi-glossy (“Rossa di Milano” and B5336AxB5351C) and waxy (“Bradley”) onion cultivars with reflective mulch, with or without biopesticides (spinosad + neem oil tank mix), to manage T. tabaci in organic onion production. Thrips densities were assessed weekly and bulbs graded and weighed at harvest. Onions sprayed with spinosad + neem oil had fewer T. tabaci (adults: 74% (2019); larvae: 40% (2018), 84% (2019) and produced higher yields (13% (2018), 23% (2019)) than onions that were unsprayed, regardless of mulch type or onion cultivar. “Rossa di Milano” had relatively fewer adult and larval thrips populations compared with “Bradley” (21% (2018), 32% (2019)) and B5336AxB5351C. However, “Rossa di Milano” had the lowest marketable yield in both years. Reflective mulch reduced densities on certain dates in both years compared to white mulch, but the largest and most consistent reduction only occurred in 2019. Reflective mulch had no impact on bulb yield. While spinosad + neem oil reduced thrips numbers and increased yield alone, none of the treatment combinations were effective at suppressing populations of thrips. Future T. tabaci management in organic onions will require optimization of the available effective biopesticides.

Occurrence of arthropod pests associated with Brassica carinata and impact of defoliation on yield

AbstractBrassica carinata has the potential to become an economical biofuel winter crop in the Southeast U.S. An IPM program is needed to provide management recommendations for B. carinata in the region. This study serves as the first steps in the developing IPM tactics documenting pest occurrence, pest position within the canopy, and the impact of defoliation on B. carinata yield. The study was performed in Jay, FL, during the 2017–2018 and 2018–2019 winter/spring crop seasons. Pest species in B. carinata were documented by plant inspection within 16 genotypes of B. carinata, and the presence of insect pests in three canopy zones (upper, medium, and lower canopy) was documented. The defoliation impact on B. carinata was evaluated by artificial defoliation. Five levels of defoliation (2017–2018 crop season: 0%, 5%, 25%, 50%, and 100%; 2018–2019 crop season: 0%, 50%, 75%, 90%, and 100%) were artificially applied during vegetative, flowering, and pod formation stages of the commercial cultivar “Avanza64.” During the 2018–2019 crop season, two experiments were performed, a one‐time defoliation event and continuous defoliation. The plants were hand harvested and the average number of pods per plants, seeds per pod, thousand seed weight, and yield were estimated and correlated with defoliation levels. Results indicated the following species of pests associated with B. carinata: Microtheca ochroloma Stål (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), Plutela xylostella larvae, Pieris rapae L. (Lepidoptera: Pieridae), Diabrotica undecimpunctata Barber (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), Lipaphis pseudobrassicae Davis (Hemiptera: Aphididae), Leptoglossus phyllopus L. (Hemiptera: Coreidae), and Chloridea virescens F. (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). The insect distribution within the plant canopy was not uniform. Different levels of artificial B. carinata defoliation did not affect seed weight, the number of seeds per pod, or the oil content of the seeds. The number of pods per plants and estimated yield were negatively impacted by defoliation during the vegetative and flowering stages.

Comparison and Refinement of Integrated Pest Management Tactics for Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) Management in Apple Orchards.

Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) has been managed primarily with broad-spectrum insecticides in orchard systems. Recently, IPM techniques have been developed specifically for managing H. halys in apple orchards to reduce insecticide inputs and take advantage of its perimeter-driven behavior. In 2015 and 2016, we compared these IPM tactics to one another and an untreated control to measure differences in overall crop protection and insecticide inputs. Tactics included trap-based threshold-triggered spray applications, perimeter-based attract-and-kill (AK) trees treated every 7- and 14-d, and perimeter spray applications applied every 7- and 14-d. All plots were monitored with baited black pyramid traps deployed in plot interiors. In both years, mean number of H. halys captured in untreated control plot traps was significantly greater than plots managed using IPM tactics. In 2015, significantly more insecticide applications were made in 7- and 14-d perimeter and AK plots compared with trap-based threshold plots. There was no significant difference in the percentage of injured fruit in plot interiors among IPM tactics; all were significantly lower than the control. In 2016, significantly more insecticide applications were made in 7-d perimeter spray and AK plots compared with all other treatments. Significantly less injury was detected in plot interiors for 7- and 14-d perimeter and trap-based threshold plots compared with the control and 7- and 14-d AK plots. Although all IPM tactics reduced H. halys injury in apples using a trap-based treatment threshold required fewer insecticide inputs and only during brief periods of the season, while all others required season-long maintenance.

Challenges in integrated pest management: A case study of onion thrips and bacterial bulb rot in onion

Most agricultural production systems face challenges with multiple arthropods, plant pathogens and/or weed species, but few studies address the impact of multiple pests when developing integrated pest management programs. In onion production, onion thrips and bacterial bulb rot are primary constraints, and choice of onion cultivar, fertility regime and insecticide use may be important tactics to manage both. In a two-year study in New York, two independent field trials were conducted concurrently. The first experiment included either a moderately thrips-resistant cultivar (‘Avalon’) or a thrips-susceptible cultivar (‘Bradley’), multiple nitrogen rates (0, 67, 84, 118, and 151 kg/ha) and either a season-long, action threshold-based insecticide program or no insecticide program (20 treatments total). The second experiment included the same cultivars and insecticide programs but evaluated phosphorous rates (0, 56, 112, and 168 kg/ha) (16 treatments total). In both trials and years, ‘Avalon’ experienced lower thrips densities, but suffered 58% more bacterial rot, which reduced onion yields overall by 9%. Nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer had limited impact on onion thrips, bacterial rot, and onion yield. Although, higher rates of nitrogen fertilizer increased bacterial bulb rot in 2017. In both years, low rates of fertilizer (67 kg/ha N or 56 kg/ha P) produced statistically similar yields to plants supplemented with the highest rates of fertilizer. Insecticide use reduced thrips densities and increased bulb yield in both years but did not consistently reduce bacterial bulb rot. Therefore, growers can optimize onion production by reducing rates of fertilizer and using an action-threshold based insecticide program. Furthermore, our results indicate that IPM programs should be evaluated to consider multiple biotic constraints simultaneously within an agricultural production system as IPM tactics can be counterproductive.

Occurrence of serine proteinase inhibitors in seeds of some plants

Serine proteinase inhibitors, produced by plants, inhibiting protein digestion in herbivorous insects, can be used as one of the best ecofriendly IPM tactics. In this context, laboratory assay was conducted to identify the potential source of serine proteinase inhibitors from the seeds of 38 plant species corresponding to nine families. Among them, extracts from 20 species exhibited both trypsin and chymotrypsin inhibitory activity (TIA and CIA respectively) and 15 plant species possess TIA. The maximum TIA [9878 TIU (Trypsin Inhibitory Unit) g−1 of seed] was observed in Momordica balsamina seed extract. Erythrina variegata was found to possess both TIA (2737 TIU g−1 of seed) and CIA (2800 CIU Chymotrypsin Inhibitory Unit g−1 of seed). Seeds of two species may be utilized as a potential source of proteinase inhibitor in insect control programme. These presence of trypsin inhibitory activity in M. balsamina is reported for the first time.

Invasion of the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) into the United States: Developing a National Response to an Invasive Species Crisis Through Collaborative Research and Outreach Efforts

Abstract Halyomorpha halys (Stål), the brown marmorated stink bug, is a globally invasive stink bug species. Its first major outbreak was in the United States, where it has caused millions of dollars in damage, threatened livelihoods of specialty crop growers and impacted row crop growers, and become an extreme nuisance pest in and around dwellings. The BMSB IPM Working Group, funded by the Northeastern IPM Center, was central to providing a mechanism to form a multidisciplinary team and develop initial and subsequent research, Extension, regulatory and consumer priorities. Ultimately, a project team consisting of over 50 scientists from 11 institutions in 10 states obtained the largest ever USDA-NIFA Specialty Crop Research Initiative CAP grant, totaling over $10.7 million, to tackle this crisis over a 5-yr period (2011–2016). Researchers and Extension educators integrated stakeholder feedback throughout the course of the project, and priorities evolved according to needs of affected growers and public stakeholders. Initially, the team focused on identification of H. halys, its damage symptoms and crop-specific risks, and short-term mitigation strategies for crop protection. Subsequently, work focused on its biology, ecology, and behavior leading to the development of potential longer-term IPM tactics and landscape level management solutions, including biological control. This work continues under a second SCRI CAP grant (2016–2021). The information from the initial team reached an estimated 22,000 specialty crop stakeholder contacts via Extension efforts, and over 600 million people via mainstream media. We highlight the main lessons learned from coordinating a national response to the threat posed by H. halys to agriculture in the United States.

Individual and combined impact of nuclear polyhedrosis virus and spinosad to control the tropical armyworm, Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), in cotton in Pakistan

The tropical armyworm, Spodoptera litura Fabricius (Noctuidae; Lepidoptera), is among the most harmful pests causing economic loss in the quality and production of a variety of crops, particularly cotton. Entomopathogens play an important role in insect pest management. The nuclear polyhedrosis virus (NPV) isolate of S. litura (V-SpltNPV) was isolated from infected larvae in a cotton crop, and viral occlusion bodies were confirmed, using an inverted microscope. The pathogenicity of V-SpltNPV against 2nd, 3rd, and 4th larval instars of S. litura was evaluated at various concentrations (1 × 104 to 1 × 108 OBs/ml). Mortality rate was high (37.65–96.82%) in early instar larvae against tested concentrations. LC50 and LT50 values increased with increasing larval age. There was 689,865 times increase in LC50 value (1.35 × 102 OBs/ml) for 2nd instar larvae to LC50 value (6.90 × 105 OBs/ml) for 4th instar larvae. LT50 values enhanced from 4.99 days for 2nd instar larvae to 7.49 days for 4th instar larvae, due to a decrease in efficacy of NPVs with the increasing age of larvae. In a greenhouse experiment, a combined application of spinosad with V-SpltNPV (1 × 108 OBs/ml) caused (100%) mortality of 2nd instar larvae. A single application of V-SpltNPV (1 × 108 OBs/ml) resulted to mean mortality (52.63%) of tested larvae. The native isolate V-SpltNPV seems to have a potential to be used in integrated manner with other IPM tactics to significantly reduce the use of toxic chemical pesticides.

Comparative Efficacy of Different Pesticide Residue Mitigation Modules in Mango

A study was conducted at different locations of Multan from March 2016 to April 2017 in which 4 IPM modules were devised for mango in comparison with the control, with the focus of pesticides residues mitigation and maximum yield. Pesticides residues mitigation module (PRMM) were based on the IPM tactics to suppress pest population with no or minimum use insecticides. Each module was applied in an area of 1 acre of mango orchard and pest population was monitored before and after the application of the modules. After the season of the mango was completed the yield was compared of all the modules and yield loss was also calculated in terms of fruit quantity and fruit quality. It was observed that the orchard which was grown under PRMM-2 showed maximum reduction in pest population calculated as much as 92.66% followed by PRMM-1 which was accounted for 86.13% reduction in pest population [1-5]. PRMM-3 reduced the pest population up-to 77.97% followed by PRMM-4 which reduced the pest population to level of 71.43% over control. So, the best results in terms of pest reduction were observed in PRMM-2 which included spray of pesticides along with the use of cultural, mechanical, and attract and kill methods for the mango pests. This module outperformed the chemical method by 21.23% better in terms of pest population reduction while only IPM module with no pesticides used, pest reduction was 14.7% over chemical control methods which are in common practice by most of the farmer community in the country. PRMM-2 produced 25.29% more marketable fruits in comparison of control module while PRMM-1 produced 21.17% more marketable fruits over control. In case of PRMM-3 and PRMM-4 the percentage of surplus marketable produce over control was calculated as 17.21% and 11.47% respectively

Maximizing grower return on investment in soybean aphid management

After 16 years of soybean aphids in the United States, IPM tactics including scouting, thresholds, and conservation of beneficial insects have proven to be the best long‐term approach to prevent economic loss. Earn 1 CEU in Integrated Pest Management by reading this article and taking the quiz at www.certifiedcropadviser.org/education/classroom/classes/511

Rapid harvest schedules and fruit removal as non-chemical approaches for managing spotted wing Drosophila

Spotted wing Drosophila, Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae), has caused significant economic losses to small fruit and berry growers throughout the USA and Europe since its invasion. This pest can lay many eggs over its lifetime within ripening and ripe berries, causing yield loss and the risk of fruit contamination. Zero tolerance for this pest has led to increased use of broad-spectrum insecticides to control it, which are costly and pose many other sustainability and pest management concerns. There is an urgent need to evaluate management strategies that can decrease reliance on chemical controls and mitigate economic losses. Over two growing seasons, we compared harvest schedules for their effect on infestation by D. suzukii, revealing that fruit harvested every 1 or 2 days had significantly fewer D. suzukii larvae than a 3-day harvest schedule. Furthermore, we found that yield per unit effort was highest on a 2-day schedule. Sanitation of the crop is another important component of a successful integrated pest management program, and we found that bagging infested waste berries killed 99% of larvae after 32 h, with higher fruit temperatures in clear bags than white or black bags. In combination, these methods can reduce the effects of this invasive pest on raspberry production. This study will provide guidance to growers on culturally based IPM tactics to decrease reliance on chemical management.

Current spotted wing drosophila IPM tactics and their practical implementation in berry crops in Switzerland

Current spotted wing drosophila IPM tactics and their practical implementation in berry crops in Switzerland

Special issue on Drosophila suzukii: from global invasion to sustainable control

In the era of globalization, invasive pests are gaining increasing economic and ecological importance (Hulme 2009). Arthropods play a pivotal role as invading pests, threatening the productivity of a multiplicity of the agricultural systems worldwide. Journal of Pest Science devotes specific attention to this important topic: several recently published papers deal with the biology, ecology, and sustainable control of invasive pests including, among others, spider mites Tetranychus spp. (Attia et al. 2013; Chen and Dai 2015), the brown marmorated stink bug Halyomorpha halys (Cesari et al. 2015; Haye et al. 2015), the tomato leafminer Tuta absoluta (Desneux et al. 2010; 2011; Zappala et al. 2013; Van Damme et al. 2015), and the Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata (Manoukis and Hoffman 2014; Rogers et al. 2014). The Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD), Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae), currently belongs to the most important invasive pestiferous species. This vinegar fly is native to Eastern Asia and has recently expanded its range to Europe and in the Americas, making it a global threat. Unlike other vinegar flies, SWD is able to oviposit and develop in unwounded ripening soft fruits of a wide range of wild and cultivated plants (Fig. 1). Aside from being a pest of great economic importance, SWD is closely related to Drosophila melanogaster, a premier model organism in experimental biology. As a consequence, the broad knowledge gained through studying D.melanogaster is being gradually transferred to SWD, making the control of this pest holistic and innovative. In 2015, Journal of Pest Science published a seminal review by Asplen and colleagues, a team of authors belonging to nine countries from three continents, demonstrating the global importance of this pest (Asplen et al. 2015). This paper illustrates the main bio-ecological features of the pest, its invasion history, and provides directions for future research to establish forthcoming sustainable control tactics. Here, in this special issue, seventeen original research and four review articles complement and deepen the review by Asplen et al. (2015). The review papers furnish the current knowledge on the response of D. suzukii to abiotic and biotic environmental conditions (Hamby et al. 2016), the interactions of D. suzukii with microbes and the potential for microbial-based control of the pest (Hamby and Becher 2016), the utility of genomic techniques for improving management practices targeting D. suzukii (Murphy et al. 2016), and an overview of the current IPM tactics to control SWD in different regions around the world (Haye et al. 2016). The original articles present a variety of new findings on the biology and populations dynamics of SWD, its chemical and trophic ecology, as well as a range of novel control tactics including molecular and biological control agents such as parasitoids. The present SWD special issue also represents the consequential development of Journal of Pest Science as an outlet for outstanding and timely works concerning major topics in the control of insect pests. Hence, we are thankful to numerous experts on D. suzukii who responded to our & Antonio Biondi antonio.biondi@unict.it

Current SWD IPM tactics and their practical implementation in fruit crops across different regions around the world

After its arrival in 2008, the Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD), Drosophila suzukii, has emerged as a harmful invasive insect pest in North America and Europe. This highly polyphagous pest is a major threat to many economically important fruit crops and is also known to develop on a wide variety of natural host plants. In Asia, Europe and North America, different control measures are applied against SWD, such as chemical, biological, and cultural control. Current controls of SWD rely primarily on the application of insecticides, but cultural management tactics such as sanitation and the use of nets provide a good alternative in some crops. Biological control measures, such as conservation of existing natural enemies in invaded areas, introduction of specialized larval parasitoids from Asia for classical biological control and the use of indigenous parasitoids for augmentative control, are currently being investigated and may become an important management tool in the near future for an area-wide control of SWD.

IPM-CPR for peaches: incorporating behaviorally-based methods to manage Halyomorpha halys and key pests in peach.

The invasive brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), has emerged as a key pest in mid-Atlantic peach production. Current management of H. halys has disrupted IPM programs by relying exclusively on frequent, repeated, season-long insecticide applications. We developed a behaviorally-based tactic termed IPM-CPR (Crop Perimeter Restructuring) that utilizes border sprays for H. halys, groundcover management for Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois) (Hemiptera: Miridae) and mating disruption for Grapholita molesta (Busck) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). IPM-CPR reduced insecticide usage by 25-61%. Generally there was less, and at times significantly less, catfacing injury (attributable to H. halys) in peaches in the IPM-CPR blocks relative to the standard, and minimal differences in injury due to G. molesta or L. lineolaris. These results suggest that perimeter applications of insecticides exploit the border-arrestment behavior of H. halys by controlling them at the orchard edge, reducing damage throughout the block. IPM-CPR significantly reduces the area managed by growers for control of H. halys, while simultaneously managing key pests at levels equal to current grower standard practices. This approach brings IPM tactics back into the orchard system after disruption by the invasive H. halys and potentially supports beneficial insects.