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Toxicity and efficacy of novel biopesticides for organic management of cucumber beetles on Galia muskmelons

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Abstract

Spotted (Diabrotica undecimpunctata howardi) and striped (Acalymma vittata) cucumber beetles are significant pests of cucurbits, and organic management options are limited. Beetle feeding results in aesthetic damage and reduction in marketable yields as well as transmission of bacterial wilt resulting in plant mortality. Biopesticides are formulated from naturally occurring organisms such as fungi and bacteria that are pathogenic or toxic to insect pests and may be used in organic production systems. These products are thought to have lower risk to non-target organisms including mammals and beneficial insects. This research examined the potential of novel microbial products and fungal organisms to reduce cucumber beetle damage on melons. Laboratory bioassays were performed to evaluate the efficacy of a bacterial extract of Chromobacterium subtsugae and two common strains of entomopathogenic fungi, Beauveria bassiana and Isaria fumosorosea, on cucumber beetles in a controlled environment. Trials were performed against adult beetles in organic field experiments on muskmelon (Cucumis melo L. cv. reticulatus Ser.). Prior to testing in the field, anti-feedant effects were observed when beetles were exposed to leaves with Chromobacterium subtsugae and Beauveria bassiana in the laboratory. However, in field applications, we did not observe a reduction in beetle populations below the economic threshold levels, and subsequently, there was no yield increase compared to the control. Additional research is needed to improve biopesticide efficacy through formulation and timing of delivery, determine efficacy on multiple life stages of the pest, and understand interactions of microbial biopesticides in the environment and potential for non-target impacts in organic systems.

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Acknowledgments

Thank you to Richard Humber (USDA ARSEF) and Mark Jackson (USDA ARS) for fungal cultures and conidia used in laboratory assays and to Tim Johnson from Marrone Bio Innovations for supplying the MBI 203 and Grandevo. We thank Mary Dee and Andrea Vu for lab support and are grateful to Bobby Simpson, Lee Ellis, Bill Lively, and Bobby Terry of the East TN Research and Education Center for field support and to all undergraduate assistants and organic crop interns of 2010–2012. We thank Drs. Luis Jurat-Fuentes, David Butler, and Christopher Philips for reviewing the manuscript. Funding for this project was awarded by the IR-4 Project (Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey) and a Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Graduate Student Grant.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Horticultural Science, University of Minnesota, 1970 Folwell Ave., St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA

    Mary A. Rogers

  2. Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, University of Tennessee, 2431 Joe Johnson Drive, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA

    Bonnie H. Ownley

  3. Indian River Research and Education Center, University of Florida, 2199 South Rock Rd., Fort Pierce, FL, 34945, USA

    Pasco B. Avery

  4. Department of Plant Science, University of Tennessee, 2431 Joe Johnson Drive, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA

    Annette L. Wszelaki

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  1. Mary A. Rogers
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  2. Bonnie H. Ownley
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  3. Pasco B. Avery
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  4. Annette L. Wszelaki
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Correspondence to Mary A. Rogers.

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Rogers, M.A., Ownley, B.H., Avery, P.B. et al. Toxicity and efficacy of novel biopesticides for organic management of cucumber beetles on Galia muskmelons. Org. Agr. 7, 365–377 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13165-016-0161-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13165-016-0161-7

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