Vertical Integration in Pepper Pest Management Charles Mellinger PhD Glades Crop Care, Inc Jupiter, Florida August 29, 2008

IPM and Multiple Pests My talk today: Managing 2 or more pests on the same plant with conflicting control choices. Pepper example: WFT and pepper weevil PEW controls—Vydate & pyrethroids—eliminate Orius and explode WFT WFT controls—spinosad/spinetoram, Beleaf, & Orius

Pesticide Choice Conflict PEW WFT

How reduce conflict? Eliminate PEW hosts Introduce Catalaccus parasitoids into nightshade (NS) Use least-toxic PEW’icides Monitor movement PEW with traps GPS GIS mapping of PEW and NS

Dropped Fruit

Pepper Weevil Management Situation: PEW is the system driver Controlled by frequent and heavy doses of carbamates and pyrethroids Results: Elevated resistance to oxamyl No beneficial activity Not sustainable Anthonomas eugenii

Mean Percent Pepper Weevil Fruit Loss Over the Last 4 Years – Not Acceptable! Nov-10% Jan-25% Nov-8% Jan-20% Nov-6% Feb-27% Nov-4% Feb-32% Dec-5% Mar-24% Dec-7% Mar-22% Dec-6% Mar-34% Dec-8% Mar-37%

Pepper Weevil Management Insights and Innovation: Determined alternate host is nightshade Partial solution: attempt to eliminate nightshade New tool -- Catolaccus to parasitize PEW eggs Program: Release Catolaccus into nightshade reservoir for reduced PEW populations

Area-wide Pest Management in Action: PEW movement mid season, 2001-2002 Farm A Farm B >20 11-20 Farm C PEW trap counts 5-10 1-4

Season-end PEW Movement Impacted by Areas of Nightshade Pepper Farm B Pepper Farm A Weevils/trap >20 Areas of nightshade 11-20 Pepper Farm C 5-10 1-4

Mean Percent Pepper Weevil Fruit Loss in 2002-2003 – Prevention Works! Nov-0.5% Jan-2% Nov-1% Jan-2% Nov-0% Feb-2% Nov-0% Feb-2% Dec-1% Mar-2% Dec-2% Mar-1% Dec-3% Mar-1% Dec-2% Mar-0%

Results Summary 2000-2002: High infestations 2003: 45% reduction

Final Result: Control of PEW and WFT Use 3-tiered system to reduce PEW population available for crop Monitor PEW outside and inside crop Use least toxic insecticides Monitor and identify thrips population in crop and surrounding vegetation

Thank You! See www.gladescropcare.com for more information Contact me at 561-746-3740 cmellinger@GladesCropCare.com