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Control of Southern Armyworm on Staked Tomato with Biopesticides, 2000

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P. A. Stansly and J. M. Conner
University of Florida/IFAS
Southwest Florida Res. and Ed. Center
2685 State Road 29 North
Immokalee, Florida 34142-9515
Phone: (239) 658-3427
Fax: (239) 658-3470
Email: pas@ifas.ufl.edu

TOMATO: Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. ‘Agriset’
Southern Armyworm Spodoptera eridania (Cramer)

Southern armyworm is the most damaging noctuid pest of tomatoes in southwest Florida. Selective synthetic and biopesticides, such as those tested here, are providing growers with control alternatives relatively compatible with biological control. Greenhouse-raised seedlings were planted 11 Sep at 18-inch spacing on 2 sets of 3 beds and fertigated through Netafim™ drip tape with 12 inch emitter spacing. The center bed in each set of 3 beds was left untreated to serve as a source of pest innoculum. The 4 treated beds were divided into plots 48 ft long to which 7 treatments were assigned in a completely randomized block design with 4 replications. Treatments were initiated after a mean of 0.2 armyworms per plant was observed on 12 plants per plot 24 Oct. A high clearance sprayer was used, operated at 200 psi with two vertical booms, each fitted with ceramic "yellow" Albuz tm hollow cone nozzles delivering 66 gpa with 3 nozzles per boom on 25 Oct and 1 Nov going to 4 nozzles per boom for a rate of 88 gpa on, 8, 15, 22 and 29 Nov for a total of 6 applications. The adjuvant Latron B-1956® at 1 % v/v was added to all treatments. Six weekly evaluations were performed starting 31 Oct to monitor damage and larvae on 6 plants per plot. Damage was rated as 0 = no damage, 1 = 1% leaflets with damage, 2 = 2 to 5%, 3 = 6 to15%, 4 = 16 to 30% and 5 > 30%. Two harvests were made from 12 plants per plot on 6 and 13 Dec. Fruit was evaluated for quality and size on a commercial grading table.

SAW predominated through the trial with only 3 BAW found only in the innoculum row during the first evaluation. Fewest larvae were observed on plants treated with Auvant and SpinTor, with no differences between the Bts and the untreated control. However, there was less damage seen on plants treated with Javelin WG and TTC-1508 than the control, although more than either Avaunt or SpinTor. Most total marketable fruit was harvested from plants sprayed with SpinTor, although not statistically different from SpinTor. Among the Bts, only plants treated with Javelin produced a larger number of marketable fruit than the control, although weight was not significantly different. Thus, SpinTor and especially Avaunt provided best protection, although significant protection was also achieved with Javelin.

Treatment/ formulation

Rate amt form/acre

Larvaea

Damage ratinga

Marketable

Unmarketable Insect

X-large

Total b

Total

no.

wt (lb)

no.

wt (lb)

no.

wt (lb)

Javelin WG

1.0 lb

3.1ab

1.1c

176ab

87.3ab

331.0bc

128.4ab

44.3bcd

15.7bcd

TTC-1507

3 pts

4.8a

1.5ab

114.3c

56.7c

239.5cd

89.3c

92.3ab

31.0ab

TTC-1508

2 pts

1.4ab

1.2bc

136.0bc

67.1bc

296.0bcd

108.4bc

76.0abc

25.8abc

TTC-1515

3 pts

2.8ab

1.4ab

122.5bc

61.7bc

253.8cd

95.5bc

125.8a

40.4a

Avaunt 30 WG

0.045 lb ai

0.0b

0.8d

202.3a

101.7a

440.5a

162.0a

2.3d

1.2d

SpinTor 2 SC

0.067 lb ai

0.9b

.8d

198.8a

98.0a

387.8ab

147.3a

19.3cd

7.9cd

Untreated

 

5.0a

1.6a

97.8c

48.9c

203.0d

77.4c

112.5a

40.1a


Means in columns followed by the same letter are not significantly different (LSD, P<0.05)

aMean number over all dates of total larval and foliar damage per plant

bMean number includes X-large and all other marketable fruit from 12 plants for 2 harvests

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