Control of striped cucumber beetle (Acalymma vittata) as a means of reducing losses from bacterial wilt (Erwinia tracheiphila) was investigated in a wilt-susceptible pumpkin variety ('Merlin') in 2001 and 2002. Strategies included using transplants vs. direct seeding; imidacloprid applied through trickle irrigation, furrow drench or transplant drench; plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR LS265 'Bioyield', containing strains GB99, Bacillus amyloliquifaciens and GB122, Paenobacillus macerans) applied as a seed treatment or media mix; and foliar sprays including kaolin clay; carbaryl applied weekly or at specific thresholds based on beetle counts or percent damage; and indoxycarb. In 2001, treatment differences were most evident in assessments of beetle feeding damage and plant mortality from bacterial wilt; beetle counts and fruit yield showed fewer differences among treatments. In 2001, loss of plants from bacterial wilt was higher in untreated direct-seeded pumpkin (DS, 37.5%) than in transplants (TP, 16.7%), probably because beetle feeding began at the cotyledon stage in DS, but did not occur until after the third leaf stage in TP.
Species 1: Coleoptera Chrysomelidae Acalymma vittatum (striped cucumber beetle)
Keywords: Erwinia tracheiphilla, Cucurbita pepo
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