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

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (18) ◽  
pp. 7816
Author(s):  
Vivek Kumar ◽  
Lucky Mehra ◽  
Cindy L. McKenzie ◽  
Lance S. Osborne

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.

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
André Abou-Haidar ◽  
Patil Tawidian ◽  
Hana Sobh ◽  
Margaret Skinner ◽  
Bruce Parker ◽  
...  

Abstract The greenhouse cucumber pests, Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), Frankliniella occidentalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), and Tetranychus urticae (Acari: Tetranychidae), are major threats to the production of greenhouse cucumbers (Cucurbitaceae) in Lebanon. The development of insecticide resistance by these pests has prompted the use of alternative and sustainable pest management strategies. In this study, we used integrated pest management strategies, including the release of the biological control agents, Amblyseius swirskii Athias-Henriot (Mesostigmata: Phytoseiidae) and Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot (Mesostigmata: Phytoseiidae), to control whitefly, thrips, and two-spotted spider mite populations on greenhouse cucumber plants in two commercial production sites (sites A and B). We also compared the efficacy of pest population suppression using the integrated pest management strategy with that of chemical pest control. Our results show that biological control effectively maintains the cucumber pest populations below the economic threshold when coupled with additional integrated pest management measures. In addition, we show that biological control agents were equally or more effective in pest population suppression compared to eight and 12 insecticidal and acaricidal sprays performed in the control greenhouses at sites A and B, respectively. Altogether, our results show the efficacy of adopting integrated pest management and biological control for pest population suppression in greenhouse cucumber production under Mediterranean environmental conditions.


Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 1038
Author(s):  
Avichai Harush ◽  
Elazar Quinn ◽  
Anatoly Trostanetsky ◽  
Aviv Rapaport ◽  
Moshe Kostyukovsky ◽  
...  

Insect contamination of stored grain is a major concern for the grain industry. Phosphine is currently the standard fumigant used to control insect pests in stored grain. However, some species and populations of insects that infest stored grain exhibit resistance to this fumigant and consumers are concerned about pesticide residues. Therefore, alternative methods of effective pest control are needed to partially or completely replace the use of phosphine. There is growing interest in biological control via parasitoid wasps. However, there is evidence that biological control will succeed only if used alongside other pest-management measures. Integrating biological control with the use of chemical insecticide is challenging and may lead to severe reductions in parasitoid survival and success. The main aim of the current study is to shed light on a greatly overlooked issue: the parasitoid community found in stored grain before and after phosphine treatment. The current study results indicate that there is a high level of parasitoid biodiversity within grain stores. We found common parasitoids at both semi-arid and Mediterranean sites, suggesting that those parasitoids can be active across a wide range of abiotic conditions. This research indicates that the community may recover even though phosphine has an immediate negative effect on a parasitoid community. Nevertheless, the parasitoid wasps seem to reduce the host population insufficiently. In light of the findings presented here, those interested in implementing pest-management strategies that include both phosphine treatment and biological control should consider conservation and augmentation of the naturally occurring parasitoid population. These studies should take into account interactions between and within parasitoid populations and phosphine distribution within the grain storage. To limit the effect of phosphine on the parasitoids, pest-management strategies should also reflect careful consideration of the timing of phosphine treatment and the need for sufficient refuge for the parasitoids.


HortScience ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 569e-570 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.A. Stack ◽  
L.B. Stack ◽  
F.A. Drummond

A mail survey of greenhouse growers was conducted in 1994 and 1995 to determine the presence and importance of western flower thrips (WFT), Frankliniella occidentalis Pergande, in Maine greenhouses in growing years 1993 and 1994. Respondents were licensed growers with at least 1000 ft2 (93 m2) of greenhouse growing area. The survey objectives were to develop a grower demographic profile; determine the incidence of WFT and two WFT-vectored plant viruses, tomato spotted wilt (TSWV) and impatiens necrotic spot (INSV); and identify current WFT management strategies. The survey shows that Maine greenhouse growers are seasonal, experienced and retail oriented. Their growing area averages less than 10,000 ft2 (929 m2) and they produce a diverse crop mix and choose to import production stock as much as propagate it themselves. Both WFT and TSWV/INSV have increased in severity in Maine greenhouses over the past 10 years. Larger, year-round greenhouses are more likely to experience infestations of WFT and higher virus incidence. An integrated pest management (IPM) strategy is employed by the majority of growers surveyed. Insecticide application is the primary tactic used to control WFT. Fewer than 4% of the growers use natural enemies to control thrips. However, 63% responded that future research in pest management should focus on biological control.


2003 ◽  
Vol 135 (5) ◽  
pp. 741-744 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Bruce Broadbent ◽  
Marc Rhainds ◽  
Les Shipp ◽  
Graeme Murphy ◽  
Lana Wainman

Western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), is a serious pest of greenhouse vegetable and ornamental crops across Canada (Broadbent et al. 1987). Upon completing larval development, F. occidentalis either pupates on their host plant or drops to the ground before pupation occurs (Lewis 1973). Because several soil-dwellers prey on or infect F. occidentalis pupae (Gillespie and Quiring 1990; Helyer et al. 1995), assessing the proportion of individuals that pupate on the ground is of critical importance for developing pest management strategies. The present study provides the first quantitative assessment of the pupation behaviour of F. occidentalis.


1995 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 302-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Jane Else ◽  
Hilary A. Sandler ◽  
Scott Schluter

A system of mapping weed infestations in cranberries (Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait.) was developed that enables growers to incorporate integrated pest management practices into their weed control program. This system provides growers with information on the location of weeds and the area of weed patches, but differs from other weed mapping systems in that information on control priorities is included on the maps. Weed management efforts can then be directed to the most economically damaging weeds first. The mapping system also provides growers with a permanent record that can be used to communicate with staff and to evaluate weed management strategies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 274-279
Author(s):  
U. Isah ◽  
M.A. Ahmad

Hundred thousand tons of chemical insecticides are used annually in Nigeria to combat insect disease vectors especially agricultural pests, but this sort of vector control method is gradually being substituted due to their  environmental effects on non-target beneficial insects especially vertebrates through contamination of food and water. To counteract this contamination, attention, efforts and researches were directed to the use of biological control agents including insect pathogens. As a result, the use of bio insecticide, as a component of integrated pest management (IPM), has been gaining acceptance over the world. Microbial pathogens comprise of organisms which cause disease, these organisms are disseminated in the pest population in large quantity in a manner similar to application of chemical pesticides.  Insects like other organisms are susceptible to a variety of diseases caused by different groups of microorganisms including virus, bacteria, fungi, protozoa and nematodes. Microbial pathogens of insects are intensively investigated to develop environment friendly pest management strategies in agriculture. Microbial insecticides represent today the best alternative to chemical insecticides in controlling insect pests, they are safe for non-target species and human health are believed to show low persistence in the environment. This short review indicates that microbial insecticides are the safe alternative way possessing all the requirements to replace chemical insecticides hence, they can be utilized in pest management and control. Keywords: Bio-insecticides, Microorganisms, biological control, pest, chemical insecticides


Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 358
Author(s):  
Jason M. Schmidt ◽  
Angelita Acebes-Doria ◽  
Brett Blaauw ◽  
Arash Kheirodin ◽  
Swikriti Pandey ◽  
...  

Biodiversity is an essential attribute of sustainable agroecosystems. Diverse arthropod communities deliver multiple ecosystem services, such as biological control, which are the core of integrated pest management programs. The molecular analysis of arthropod diets has emerged as a new tool to monitor and help predict the outcomes of management on the functioning of arthropod communities. Here, we briefly review the recent molecular analysis of predators and parasitoids in agricultural environments. We focus on the developments of molecular gut content analysis (MGCA) implemented to unravel the function of community members, and their roles in biological control. We examine the agricultural systems in which this tool has been applied, and at what ecological scales. Additionally, we review the use of MGCA to uncover vertebrate roles in pest management, which commonly receives less attention. Applying MGCA to understand agricultural food webs is likely to provide an indicator of how management strategies either improve food web properties (i.e., enhanced biological control), or adversely impact them.


2021 ◽  
Vol 51 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adelia Maria Bischoff ◽  
Jason Lee Furuie ◽  
Alessandra Benatto ◽  
Rubens Candido Zimmermann ◽  
Emily Silva Araujo ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT: Increased production of the Cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana L.) in Brazil has given rise to interest in identifying the phytophagous species that might damage this crop to inform preventive control and integrated pest management strategies. In this study, we report the occurrence and describe the damage that larvae and adults of Lema bilineata Germar (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) cause in P. peruviana. The number of L. bilineata individuals, both larvae and adults, significantly affected the total consumption of P. peruviana leaves. We also report, for the first time, three natural enemies, including a fungus, a fly, and an ant, which are associated with this pest in Brazil and may play a role in biological control strategies.


Author(s):  
J. R. Adams ◽  
G. J Tompkins ◽  
A. M. Heimpel ◽  
E. Dougherty

As part of a continual search for potential pathogens of insects for use in biological control or on an integrated pest management program, two bacilliform virus-like particles (VLP) of similar morphology have been found in the Mexican bean beetle Epilachna varivestis Mulsant and the house cricket, Acheta domesticus (L. ).Tissues of diseased larvae and adults of E. varivestis and all developmental stages of A. domesticus were fixed according to procedures previously described. While the bean beetles displayed no external symptoms, the diseased crickets displayed a twitching and shaking of the metathoracic legs and a lowered rate of activity.Examinations of larvae and adult Mexican bean beetles collected in the field in 1976 and 1977 in Maryland and field collected specimens brought into the lab in the fall and reared through several generations revealed that specimens from each collection contained vesicles in the cytoplasm of the midgut filled with hundreds of these VLP's which were enveloped and measured approximately 16-25 nm x 55-110 nm, the shorter VLP's generally having the greater width (Fig. 1).


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