Abstract
Greenhouse and field experiments were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of site-specific tactics for management of the twospotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch, a major pest of greenhouse and field-grown strawberries (Fragaria x ananassa Duchesne). Two site-specific (spot) treatments, the miticide bifenazate (Acramite®) and the predatory mite Neoseiulus californicus McGregor, were compared with whole-plot treatments of bifenazate or N. californicus to determine whether T. urticae could be effectively managed in field-grown strawberry using only site-specific tactics. Additionally, the cost of site-specific tactics was compared with whole-plot treatments to determine the economic value of using site-specific management tactics for T. urticae in strawberries. In the greenhouse, all treatments equivalently reduced the number of T. urticae below control. In the field during the 2011–2012 season, more T. urticae eggs and motiles were in the whole-plot treatments of both N. californicus and bifenazate in the mid-season and late season, respectively, compared with the spot treatments. With the exception of site-specific N. californicus during the 2011–2012 field season, there were no differences in marketable yields between plots with site-specific treatments and whole-plot management. An economic analysis demonstrated a significant cost savings (75.3 %) with site-specific treatments of N. californicus compared with whole-plot application of N. californicus. Similarly, a 24.7 % reduction in cost was achieved in using site-specific bifenazate compared with whole-plot application of bifenazate. The findings indicate that site-specific treatments with N. californicus and bifenazate are competitive alternatives to whole-field application for T. urticae management in strawberries.
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Acknowledgments
We would like to thank the Small Fruit and Vegetable IPM lab at the University of Florida assistance with field sampling. We would also like to thank Drs. Janine Razze, Elena Rhodes and Robert McSorley for providing earlier reviews of the manuscript. We thank the crew at the University of Florida, Plant Science Research and Education Unit in Citra for their assistance with maintenance of research plots. The project was funded by the Specialty Crop State Block Grant Program; contract # 00080893.
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Liu, R., Nyoike, T.W. & Liburd, O.E. Evaluation of site-specific tactics using bifenazate and Neoseiulus californicus for management of Tetranychus urticae (Acari: Tetranychidae) in strawberries. Exp Appl Acarol 70, 189–204 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-016-0073-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-016-0073-y