Transcript Cuke beetle control using seed treatments

Cucumber Beetle Management
Using Seed Treatments
January 20, 2008
Brian A. Nault
Associate Professor
Department of Entomology
Cornell University
New York State Agric. Exp. Stn.
630 W. North Street
Geneva, NY
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Spotted and Striped Cucumber Beetles
Identification
• Adults are 8-10 mm in
length and 3-4 mm wide
• Spotted cucumber beetle,
Diabrotica undecimpunctata
• Striped cucumber beetle,
Acalymma vittatum
Striped cucumber beetle
(Acalymma vittatum)
Lifecycle
• Overwinters as an
adult in protected
areas and becomes
active in early spring
• Lays eggs at base of
host plant; two
generations per year
Adult Activity
April
May
June
July
Aug
Sept
Oct
Aug
Sept
Oct
Cucumber Beetles
April
May
June
July
Types of Cucumber Beetle Damage
Defoliation
Feeding scars
Pollination interference
Rindworms
Bacterial Wilt Disease
C. Welty
Causal Organism - Erwinia tracheiphila,
which is transmitted by cucumber beetle adults
Cucumber Beetles - Bacterial Wilt
• Worst damage caused by
bacterial wilt, not beetle
damage
• Diagnosed by cutting stem
and looking for stringy sap
• No cure for controlling
bacteria; must control vector
• Beetle may not be present
during wilting
• Susceptibility of crop to wilt:
Melons > cucumbers >
squash > watermelon
General Approaches Taken to Manage
Cucumber Beetles
*Chemical Control
Plant
Resistance
Managing
Cucumber
Beetles
*Cultural Control
Behavioral
Control
Biological Control
Chemical Control
• Foliar Sprays
- Sampling activity with yellow sticky traps
- Established thresholds (direct counts on plants):
- 1 beetle / plant for melons, cucumbers, and
young pumpkins
- 5 beetles / plant for watermelon,
squash, and older pumpkins
Chemical Control
• At-plant Treatments
- Apply in-furrow or via drip
irrigation
- Drench transplants
e.g., 4 ml (0.14 oz) of Admire
diluted in water to treat a flat of
200 plants
Chemical Control
• Seed Treatments
- thiamethoxam - Cruiser 5FS
- FarMore DI-400
- clothianidin + imidacloprid - Sepresto
(registration package submitted summer 2008)
cucumber
pumpkin
squash
Collaborative Effort to Evaluate Seed
Treatments
• Researchers
New York – Alan Taylor, Brian Nault,
Robert Hadad & Charles Bornt
Ohio –
Celeste Welty
Maryland - Jerry Brust
Virginia –
Thomas Kuhar
Delaware – Joanne Whalen
• IR- 4 Project -
Keith Dorschner
Objective
• Evaluate neonicotinoid seed treatments
for early-season cucumber beetle
control in cucumber and pumpkin
Treatments
• Seed Treatments
- * Cruiser 5FS @ 0.75 mg ai/seed
- * Sepresto @ 1 mg ai/seed
- * Admire Pro @ 1 fl oz of Admire Pro mixed with
1 fl oz of water to treat 1 lb of seeds
• At-plant Treatments
- Admire Pro @ 7 fl oz/acre
- * Platinum @ 8 fl oz/acre
• Crops
- cucumber (var. ‘Vlaspik’)
- pumpkin (var. ‘Gladiator’)
* Not labeled in New York
Approach
In the field: Visually record number of
dead beetles per 10 plants per plot each
week for 5 weeks (NY)
In the lab: Sample foliage from field plots
and conduct assays in laboratory to assess
beetle mortality (NY, VA and DE)
Total Mean Number of Dead Beetles per 10 plants over
5-Week Period in the Cucumber Field – Eden, NY 2008
a
Cruiser
Sepresto
a
Admire (ST)
b
Control
b
0
R. Hadad - 2008
2
4
Number of Dead Beetles/ 10 plants
6
Laboratory Assay
Petri Dish
Stage of Plant Sampled
2-leaf
4-leaf
7-leaf
• 10 beetles per dish (NY); 5 beetles per dish (VA & DE)
• 2-, 4- and 7-leaf stage (NY); 4-leaf stage (VA & DE)
• Record # dead at 72 hr (NY) and 96 hr (VA & DE)
Mortality (after 72 hr) on Excised Pumpkin Leaves
Collected from Field Plots – Geneva, NY 2008
a
Cruiser
b
Sepresto
ab
Admire (ST)
b
Platinum (IF)
b
Admire Pro (IF)
c
Control
0
B. Nault - 2008
2-leaf (19 dap)
4-leaf (26 dap)
7-leaf (33 dap)
20
40
60
80
Beetle Mortality (%)
100
Mortality (after 72 hr) on Excised Pumpkin Leaves
Collected from Field Plots – Geneva, NY 2008
b
Cruiser
c
Sepresto
b
Admire (ST)
a
Platinum (IF)
Control
c
0
B. Nault - 2008
2-leaf (19 dap)
4-leaf (26 dap)
7-leaf (33 dap)
c
Admire Pro (IF)
20
40
60
80
Beetle Mortality (%)
100
Mortality (after 72 hr) on Excised Pumpkin Leaves
Collected from Field Plots – Geneva, NY 2008
Cruiser
ab
Sepresto
c
Admire (ST)
a
Platinum (IF)
bc
Admire Pro (IF)
c
Control
bc
0
B. Nault - 2008
2-leaf (19 dap)
4-leaf (26 dap)
7-leaf (33 dap)
20
40
60
80
Beetle Mortality (%)
100
Mortality (after 96 hr) on Excised Cucumber Leaves
Collected from Field Plots – Painter, VA 2008
a
Cruiser
a
Sepresto
b
Platinum (IF)
b
Admire Pro (IF)
b
Control
0
T. Kuhar - 2008
4-leaf (20 dap)
20
40
60
80
Beetle Mortality (%)
100
Mortality (after 96 hr) on Excised Cucumber Leaves
Collected from Field Plots – Georgetown, DE 2008
a
Cruiser
a
Sepresto
a
Platinum (IF)
Admire Pro (IF)
a
b
Control
0
J. Whalon - 2008
4-leaf (21 dap)
20
40
60
Beetle Mortality (%)
80
100
Summary
• Cruiser and Sepresto seed treatments had similar or
better activity against cucumber beetle than Admire
and Platinum at-plant treatments
• Efficacy of Cruiser and Sepresto seed treatments did
not extend beyond 4-leaf stage (20 to 26 days after
planting)
Benefits of Seed Treatments
• Saves time – just plant treated seed
• Less exposure to active ingredient (a.i.)
• Precise amount of a.i. applied to seed
• Often use considerably less a.i. per acre
• Less risk of killing non-target organisms
Future Work
• Repeat study in 2009; more on-farm
trials with extension educators
• Potentially assess efficacy of Cruiser
5FS/ Farmore DI 400 and Sepresto on
other insect pests
Acknowledgements
Collaborators:
Alan Taylor, Robert Hadad, Tom Kuhar, Joanne
Whalon
Technical Assistance:
Mary Lou Hessney (Entomology, NYSAES)
Grower:
Laura Pedersen (Geneva, NY)
Funding:
IR-4 Project
Federal Formula Funds
The End?