Vegetable Insect Management

PSS 124 Vegetable Crop Production

Jon P. Turmel, State Entomologist

VT Agency of Agriculture
Waterbury, Vermont
November 30, 2006

Transplants in the Greenhouse

Aphids Melon, Potato,
Foxglove, Green Peach

Dipterans Fungus gnat,

Shore fly, Humpbacked fly,
Moth fly, Leafminer

Mites Two-spotted spider,

Cyclamen

Whiteflies Greenhouse,
Silverleaf aka. Sweetpotato

aphid

Aphids
green peach

foxglove

melon

potato

Aphids
High Fecundity Rates:
Explosive
Parthenogenetically,
paedogenesis, sexual
Vectors
Oviparous, viviparous
Resistance
increased production
of an enzyme

Aphid Morphology

Aphid Morphology
Tubercles

Tended by ants

Aphids

Vectoring potato X virus

Sooty mold

Root aphids

Aphid Parasitoids

Aphid predators
Adult lady bird
beetles

flower fly Adult syrphid

Syrphid
larva
Lady bird
beetle larva

Crucifer Insect Pests

Cabbage Maggot
Cabbage Aphids
Lepidopteran complex
* Diamondback Moth
* Imported cabbageworm
* Cabbage Looper

Cabbage Maggot
Delia radicum (L.)

Cabbage Maggot
life cycle
Overwinters as a pupa
and emerges in mid-May
Prefers cool, moist
weather
First generation most
damaging
2-3 generations/year
Larva completes cycle in
3 weeks
Feeds on all crucifers,
beets, celery and onion

Adult

Cabbage Maggot
Management

Monitor using yellow-pan

water traps
200 GDD
Full bloom of
Serviceberry, McIntosh
and Cortland apples

Cabbage Maggot
Management
Protection of roots
and stems
Insecticide application
as drench pre or post
planting
Drench (2-3) at five
week intervals
In furrow granular
Spunbonded row
covers (rotated only)

Cabbage aphids
Aggregated vs uniform
No threshold at this time
but when head is formed
the threshold is zero
Serious vector
Selective insecticides
Selective non-target
insecticides
Check for parasite pop.
Turnip-light oil reduces
mosaic virus transmission

Lepidopteran Complex
Diamondback Moth, Imported Cabbageworm and
Cabbage Looper
Diamondback moth adult

Imported cabbageworm adult

Cabbage looper adult

Diamondback Moth
Plutella xylostella (L.)
Overwinters ?
Not known to be a
vector
Larva = 4 instars in
10-14 days
Pupa = 14 days
Female lays 160 eggs
in 2 weeks

larva

pupa

Diamondback moth
damage

Imported Cabbageworm
Pieris rapae
egg

hatching
4-8 days

pupa
24-31 days
8-20 days

Overwintering stage

larva

Imported Cabbageworm
damage
broccoli

cabbage

Cabbage Looper
Trichoplusia ni (Hubner)

Eggs hatch in 3-4 days

As a pupa for about 2 weeks
Larva have 5 instars in 3 weeks, most
damage is done in last 2 instars

adult

does not overwinter in VT

Cabbage Looper
damage

broccoli

cabbage

Lepidopteran complex
management
Young plants = 35%
infested
More mature = 20%
10-15% on kale, collards
and mustard
Diamondback has
become resistant,
alternate between
effective treatment
High volumes give better
results (50 gal/A)

Bt kurstaki, higher rate in

cool conditions
Bt aizawai works better
on resistant DBM
MUST alternate with
synthetic insecticide or
spinosad (aerobic
fermentation by product
of a soil bacterium)
Avoid southern
transplants

Potato Insect Pests

Aphids green
peach, potato,
foxglove, buckthorn,
melon
Colorado Potato
Beetle
Potato leafhopper

Colorado Potato Beetle

Leptinotarsa decemlineata
Overwinters as an adult
in and around potato
fields
2 generations per year
with a third in some years
Both adult and larva feed
Female lays 300-500
eggs
Implicated as a vector but
not yet confirmed

larval feeding
larva

Colorado Potato Beetle

Adult feeding

Larval feeding

Female laying eggs

Newly hatched eggs

Colorado Potato Beetle

Management
Rotate to nonhost crops.
This includes
overwintering sites that
border previous season
plantings
Alternate different groups
of insecticides throughout
the season
Use mechanical barriers
such as trench traps
and/or trap crops

Determine Action
Thresholds. Crop can
withstand 15% defoliation
without effecting yields
None of the present
commercial cultivars of
potato is resistant to the
CPB
Biocontrol including
insects, parasitoids and
predators

Colorado Potato Beetle

Trench Trap
Plastic lined trench trap
Place next to overwintering areas at least
one week prior to adult emergence
1-2 feet deep and 6-24 inches wide at top
U or V shaped with walls 65-90 degree
slope

Colorado Potato Beetle

Action Threshold Determination
Walk the field in a V,
W or X pattern
Select 50 potato
stalks at random
intervals
Count adults, large
larvae (>1/2 grown),
small larvae (< half
grown)

Compare counts to
the table (on next
slide)
If numbers is high,
treatment is
warranted
If low, no treatment
If between, no
treatment but recheck in 3-5 days

Colorado Potato Beetle

Action Thresholds*
Life Stage

Number of CPB per 50 Stalks

Low

High

Adult

15 or fewer

25 or more

Small Larvae

75 or fewer

200 or more

Large Larvae

30 or fewer

75 or more

*Do not apply to B.t. products and are for midseason. Late season plants can
tolerate more defoliation without affecting yields

Colorado Potato Beetle

Use of Bacillus thuringiensis tenebrionis
Most effective against 1st
and 2nd instar.
First spray one-3 days
after there is one or more
egg masses per lant and
30% have hatched
If densely populated and
eggs are hatching
continuously, reapply
after 5-7 days

Or, wait for later instars to

appear, treat with a single
application of Provado or
SpinTor the start your
application a week later.
Death with Bt may take
up to 5 days but feeding
ceases within one hour.
Be patient!

Potato leafhopper
Empoasca fabae

Potato Leafhopper

adult

nymph

adult

adult

Potato Leafhopper
Overwinters along the
Gulf Coast on southern
pine
Moves north on storm
fronts and arrives in VT
mid-June
Very low numbers can
cause significant crop
losses
Host of over 100 braodleaved plants

Potato Leafhopper
Both nymphs and adults
cause damage
No disease is known to
be transmitted by the
potato leafhopper
Causes hopper burn
Threshold is 10 nymphs
per 100 plants.
Currently, no cultural or
biological controls are
available

sweeping

hopper burn

#1 Enemy
(In my humble opinion)

Tarnished Plant Bug

Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beavois)

Tarnished Plant Bug

Feeds on over 300
different plants (>50 of
economic importance)
Introduces a toxic saliva
into the plant while
feeding
Causes leaf distortion,
black joint, scarring,
discoloration, bud
abortion, dwarfed and
pitted fruit

Tarnished Plant Bug

egg

nymph

Bio-control

Peristenus digoneutis

Tarnished Plant Bug

Damage
Celery

Tomato

Amaranth

Eggplant

Tarnished Plant Bug Damage in

Strawberry

Corn Insect Pests

European Corn Borer
Corn Earworm
Northern/Western
Corn Rootworm
Fall Armyworm
Black Cutworm
Common Armyworm

European Corn Borer

Ostrinia nubilalis
Feeds on over 200 wild
and herbaceous plants
Different strains cause
different types of damage
to corn
Vector of shank, stalk and
ear rot fungi
1-2 generations/year

European Corn Borer

damage
Bell pepper

beans
popcorn

wheat

European Corn Borer

eggs
black headed stage

egg mass on corn leaf

newly hatching eggs

European Corn Borer

larvae
5 instars

1st instar feeding

larval feeding on ear

European Corn Borer

shot holes

larval tunnel in midrib

larval tunnel in stalk

larval tunnel in ear stalk

European Corn Borer

Pupae in stalks

European Corn Borer

Plowing down in fallwas the LAW!
75% of the overwintering larvae in a corn
field can be eliminated

European Corn Borer

Pulling whorl

Scouting for eggs

Scouting

Unfolding whorl

Blacklight trap

European Corn Borer

No need to survey
before corn is knee
high because of the
high concentration of
DIMBOA- kills young
larvae

European Corn Borer

When corn is
pretassel and 15% of
these young tassels
show damage
Earlier treatments are
of no value
2nd generation in midJuly to Sept. will
attack ears. Must
protect developing
ears

European Corn Borer

Transgenic corn in same field

Conventional corn whorl
damage

Corn Earworm
Helicoverpa zea aka. Heliothis zea
Native to the Americas
Most destructive after E.
Corn Borer
Does not overwinter in VT
Molds become toxins
Larvae may destroy silk
before pollination is
complete
$$$ when severe

Corn Earworm
Adult usually arrives mid-July

pupae

Eggs in silk for 3 days

Larva feeding for about one month

Corn Earworm
Monitoring for adults and treatment schedule
Pheromone baited heliothis traps

Blacklight trap

Any Questions?