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Funded Project |
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Funding Program:
Regional IPM Competitive Grants - Northeastern |
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Project Title:
Insect Growth Regulators and Biological Control Agents for Control of Whiteflies on Poinsettia |
Project Directors (PDs):
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Lead State: MA Lead Organization: University of Massachusetts |
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Cooperating State(s):
New York |
| Undesignated Funding: $19,150 |
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Start Date: Sep-15-1996 End Date: Sep-30-1999 |
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Pests Involved: whitefly, whiteflies |
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Site/Commodity: poinsettia, greenhouse |
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Area of Emphasis: biocontrol, biological control, growth regulation |
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Summary:
Objectives: To identify IGR materials compatible with the parasitoid Encarsia formosia Gahanfor use in IPM programs to reduce populations of silverleaf whitefly, Bemisia argentifolii on greenhouse poinsettia crops. Outcomes and Impacts Summary from 2001 IPM Center report More than 9 million poinsettia plants are produced annually in the Northeast, with a value that exceeds $15 million. Whiteflies are the only major insect pest of the crop, and conventional control techniques rely solely on the pesticide imidacloprid. Therefore, it is likely that whiteflies eventually will develop resistance to imidacloprid. Whitefly parasites may help growers combat the pests if resistance develops, but parasite-based control is more expensive than pesticides and could thus pose economic challenges to the industry. Researchers in Massachusetts and New York set out to reduce the cost of whitefly control in poinsettias by combining the use of a whitefly parasite with use of an insect growth regulator (IGR) that will not harm the parasite. They found that low release rates of the parasite E. eremicus along with IGRs are effective and affordable. This combination reduces costs from $1.18 per plant to $0.18, providing a potential savings of approximately $7 million for the industry. Moreover, this strategy does not contribute to the risk of pesticide resistance development, a problem of the conventional pesticideonly approach. This integrated approach represents a feasible alternative that will be ready for immediate use when the pests do become resistant to the pesticide. Publication Van Driesche, R.G., J.P. Sanderson, and M.S. Hoddle. 1999. Integration of IGRs and low rates of Eretmocerus eremicus for whitefly control in poinsettia. Bulletin of IOBC/WPRS 22(1):61-64. |
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