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Insecticidal Control of Pickleworm in Cantaloupe, 2000
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P. A. Stansly, J. M. Conner and D.R. Peach
University of Florida/IFAS
Southwest Florida Research and Education Center
CANTALOUPE: Cucumis melo L. ‘Anthena'
Pickleworm (PW) Diaphania nitildalis (Stoll)
Pickleworm is a serious pest of cucurbits in Florida and other parts of the southeast. Control is difficult because the larval period is spent feeding within the fruit. For this trial, applications of various selective pesticides alone and in combination were used. Greenhouse-raised seedlings were planted 7 Mar at 18-inch spacing on 2 sets of 3 beds and fertigated through Netafim™ drip tape with 12 inch emitter spacing during the growing season. The center bed in each set of 3 beds was left untreated to serve as a source of pest innoculum. The 4 treated beds were divided into plots 34 ft long to which 6 treatments and untreated check were assigned in a completely randomized block design with 4 replications. The Neemix plus Agree treatment was applied
weekly from 21 Mar to 9 May for a total of 9 applications. The 5 other treatments were initiated 28 Mar and sprayed weekly to 9 May. Spray was delivered through a tractor mounted horizontal boom equipped with 4 ceramic "yellow" Albuz tm hollow cone nozzles delivering 44 gpa at 200 psi. As the canopy expanded 2 additional nozzles were added for an output of 66 gpa. The adjuvant CS-7® at 0.06 % v/v was added to the Confirm and Intrepid treatments. Two evaluations were performed 18 Apr and 25 Apr on 15 fruit (2-4 inches in diameter) per plot checking for larval damage. Flowers and growing tips of 15 plants were examined on 25 Apr but no larvae were found. On 5 May, obviously damaged fruit was removed and counted on 20 row feet per plot. Fruit that broke clean from the vine was
harvested on 11, 15 and 19 May, counted, weighed and examined for insect damage. All larvae recovered from the fruit were identified as pickleworm.
Weight and number of marketable fruit told a consistent story. Best control was achieved with Intrepid 80 WP at 2 oz, Avaunt 1.25 SC at 1.3 oz and SpinTor 2 SC at 6 oz. There were also no differences observed among these treatments in number of culls. Confirm at 8 oz and Intrepid at 1 oz also provided a significant level of control compared to the untreated check. This was not the case for Agree WG at 1 lb plus Neemix 4.5% at 4 oz, in spite of 9 treatments. Thus Intrepid, Avaunt, Spintor, and to a lesser extent Confirm were able to control pickleworm despite minimal contact with the larva.
Florida Agricultural Experiment Station Journal Series No. N-01999
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Treatment/
formulation
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Rate
amt form/acre
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18 Apra |
25 Apra |
Fruit from 3 harvest dates |
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Marketable
no. |
Marketable
wt |
Total Unmarketable
nob. |
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Agree WG +
Neemix 4.5 %
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1.0 lb 4.0 oz |
0.1bc |
0.5b |
6.5c |
21.8c |
20.8bc |
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Confirm 2 F |
8.0 oz |
0.1bc |
0.2c |
23.3b |
86.3b |
30.0a |
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Intrepid 80 WP |
1.0 oz |
0.0c |
0.1cd |
23.8b |
89.4b |
27.0ab |
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Intrepid 80 WP |
2.0 oz |
0.0c |
0.0d |
34.0a |
134.1a |
11.5c |
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Avaunt 1.25 SC |
1.3 oz |
0.0c |
0.0d |
35.3a |
124.7a |
12.0c |
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SpinTor 2 SC |
6.0 oz |
0.1bc |
0.2c |
33.0a |
117.5a |
14.5bc |
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Untreated check |
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0.3a |
0.8a |
8.0c |
20.7c |
21.0abc |
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Means in the same column followed by the same letter are not significantly different (LSD, P < 0.05).
aMean number infested fruit from 15 examined per plot
b Includes all fruit unmarketable fruit picked including those that were too rotten to weigh.
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