Blueberry leaf beetle, Colaspis pseudofavosa Riley, IPM in organic blueberry systems

Leaf beetle Colapisi pseudofavosa Riley is the most important summer pest observed in blueberry production in South Georgia. The objectives of these studies were to evaluate different methods to control the pest. Three approved products for insect control by Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) blueberry production were tested in field on bluebeery in Alma, GA (UGA Blueberry Research Farm). Four treatments: 1). Control, 2). Entrust (3.7g/gallon of water), 3). PyGanic (60 ml/gallon of water), 4). diatomaceous earth (DE) (0.47 lb/gallon of water), were evaluated in a randomized complete block design with four replicates per treatment. The susceptibility of several blueberry varieties to leaf beetles was studied in a laboratory feeding trial. Five blueberry cultivars (‘O’Neal’,‘Emerald’ and ‘Star’ southern highbush; ‘Austin’and ‘Climax’ rabbiteye) along with cutleaf evening primrose (weed in blueberry field) were tested for leaf beetle feeding preference. We also evaluate the possible effect of plastic mulch color on leaf beetle population and blueberry damage in the field. Additional research will need to evaluate product dosages to better determine their usage in an organic blueberry IPM program.