Pest control materials, including conventional or biorational insecticides, are still widely used intensively to manage the vast array of arthropod pests in greenhouse production systems. Western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis is a significant pest in greenhouses. The loss of broad spectrum pest control materials has lead greenhouse producers to tank-mix biorational pest control materials. There are both benefits and concerns related to tank-mixing. However, minimal information is available on how tank mixing impacts the efficacy of biorational pest control materials. The objective of this study was to determine if combining two, three, or four commonly used biorational pest control materials for F. occidentalis; two spotted spider mite, Tetranchus urticae; silverleaf whitefly, Bemisia argentifolii; and greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum, resulted in reduced efficacy in controlling F. occidentalis. Insecticide free leaves of chrysanthemum, Dendranthema x grandiflorum embedded in agar were treated with spinosad (Conserve), bifenazate (Floramite), abamectin (Avid), and imidacloprid (Marathon) alone and in all possible combinations before inoculation with approximately 30 F. occidentalis adults. Mortality assessed after 48 hours revealed that tank-mixes differentially impacted thrips survival. Several mixes reduced control when compared to applications consisting of a single biorational pest control material. Insecticide combinations identified as synergistic or antagonistic will be tested under greenhouse environmental conditions.
Species 1: Thysanoptera Thripidae Frankliniella occidentalis (Western Flower Thrips)
Keywords: greenhouse crops, biorational insecticides
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