Integrated pest management in mushrooms is built around four elements; sanitation, exclusion, monitoring, and pest control. It is essential to consider both arthropod pests as well as bacterial and fungal diseases of mushrooms. The primary arthropod pest of mushrooms is Lycoriella ingenua (Diptera: Sciaridae). Larval feeding destroys the mycelium and the ability of substrate to support growth. Adult flies are a significant nuisance to workers. Flies conceal themselves in the gills of mushrooms that are picked as mature sporophores. These products are packed directly into tills that are chilled and over wrapped for sale. Flies are mechanical vectors of Pseudomonas tolassii and Verticillium fungicola. Both of these organisms can produce diseases that shorten shelf life. Sanitation is essential to reduce the innoculum of these disease organisms. Exclusion techniques employ physical barriers to fly movement such as netting, batting, and polyurethane foam to seal block walls. Monitoring is used to assess the effectiveness of pest management techniques and to time applications of insect growth regulators to the appropriate life stage of L. ingenua. Light traps are used to monitor fly populations and can also detect the presence of new or occasional pests. This is increasingly important as growers are producing a greater variety of mushrooms including portabella and crimini varieties and other species. Pest control is based on applications of insect growth regulators to substrate. Resistance management is an important consideration because of the limited number of compounds registered for mushrooms and the intensive cultivation techniques used in these crops.
Keywords: FQPA, processing foods
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