Developing Integrated Pest Management (Ipm) Techniques for Managing Key Insect Pests of Blueberries in the Southeastern United States
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DEVELOPING INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT (IPM) TECHNIQUES FOR MANAGING KEY INSECT PESTS OF BLUEBERRIES IN THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES By ERIN FINN A THESIS PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2003 Copyright 2003 by Erin Finn Dedicated to my fiancé Michael Sarzynski. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I thank Jessica Kostarides, Rhiannon O’Brien, and Caitlin Clements (Michigan State University) for their help collecting field data in Michigan. I am grateful to Gisette Seferina, Scott Weihman, Jon Hamill, Carolyn Mullin, Rajya Pandey, Ashley Johnson, Daniel Frank, and Jeff White (University of Florida) for their help in collecting field data and making insecticide applications in Florida. I am especially grateful to Dr. Kenna MacKenzie (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada) for her help and guidance over the past 2 years. I thank Dan Evarts (USDA) for making insecticide applications and collecting bud samples in Georgia. I am indebted to Ken Lyles, Alto Straughn, Donna Miller, Jerry Mixon, and Ches Bennett for allowing us to conduct my experiments in their plantings. I thank Dr. Kenneth Portier (University of Florida) for his assistance in developing a subsampling protocol for counting thrips. I thank Dr. Raymond Gagné (USDA-ARS, Beltsville, MD) and Dr. Blair Sampson (USDA-ARS, Poplarville, MS) for their assistance in identifying Cecidomyiid specimens. I thank Dr. Heather McAuslane and Dr. Paul Lyrene for critical review of the thesis. Above all, I thank my advisor Dr. Oscar Liburd for his guidance and support throughout the project. The Michigan Blueberry Growers Association, the Florida Blueberry Growers Association, and a USDA Pest Management Alternatives (P-MAP) #03774 grant supported this study. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. iv LIST OF TABLES............................................................................................................ vii LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... ix ABSTRACT.........................................................................................................................x CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................1 Blueberry Production in Florida ...................................................................................1 Literature Review .........................................................................................................3 Cranberry Fruitworm, Acrobasis vaccinii Riley ...................................................3 Blueberry Gall Midge, Dasineura oxycoccana (Johnson) ....................................6 Flower Thrips, Frankliniella spp...........................................................................8 2 IMPROVING MONITORING TECHNIQUES FOR MANAGING CRANBERRY FRUITWORM (LEPIDOPTERA: PYRALIDAE) IN HIGHBUSH BLUEBERRIES....................................................................................13 Materials and Methods ...............................................................................................16 Trap Height..........................................................................................................16 Trap Geographical Location................................................................................17 Effects of Tebufenozide on A. vaccinii Infestation .............................................19 Data Analysis.......................................................................................................20 Results.........................................................................................................................21 Trap Height..........................................................................................................21 Trap Geographical Location................................................................................22 Effects of Tebufenozide on A. vaccinii Infestation .............................................24 Discussion...................................................................................................................24 3 TECHNIQUES FOR MONITORING BLUEBERRY GALL MIDGE (DIPTERA: CECIDOMYIIDAE) IN RABBITEYE AND SOUTHERN HIGHBUSH BLUEBERRIES....................................................................................35 Materials and Methods ...............................................................................................37 Unbaited Colored Traps ......................................................................................38 Monitoring Techniques .......................................................................................39 v Bud Type Comparison.........................................................................................41 Data Analysis.......................................................................................................41 Results.........................................................................................................................41 Unbaited Colored Traps ......................................................................................41 Monitoring Techniques .......................................................................................42 Bud Type Comparison.........................................................................................44 Discussion...................................................................................................................45 4 EVALUATION OF MONITORING TECHNIQUES FOR FLOWER THRIPS (THYSANOPTERA: THRIPIDAE) IN SOUTHERN HIGHBUSH AND RABBITEYE BLUEBERRIES..................................................................................55 Materials and Methods ...............................................................................................57 Unbaited Colored Traps ......................................................................................59 Sampling Techniques ..........................................................................................60 Data Analysis.......................................................................................................62 Results.........................................................................................................................62 Unbaited Colored Traps ......................................................................................62 Sampling Techniques ..........................................................................................64 Discussion...................................................................................................................65 5 EVALUATION OF SELECTED INSECTICIDES FOR MANAGING BLUEBERRY GALL MIDGE (DIPTERA: CECIDOMYIIDAE) AND FLOWER THRIPS (THYSANOPTERA: THRIPIDAE) IN SOUTHERN HIGHBUSH AND RABBITEYE BLUEBERRIES...................................................75 Materials and Methods ...............................................................................................77 Blueberry Gall Midge..........................................................................................77 Flower Thrips ......................................................................................................79 Data Analysis.......................................................................................................81 Results.........................................................................................................................82 Blueberry Gall Midge..........................................................................................82 Flower Thrips ......................................................................................................83 Discussion...................................................................................................................84 LIST OF REFERENCES...................................................................................................93 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH .............................................................................................99 vi LIST OF TABLES Table page 2-1. Captures of male A. vaccinii moths in pheromone-baited traps placed at different heights with respect to blueberry bush canopy..........................................29 2-2. Captures of male A. vaccinii moths in pheromone-baited traps placed at different locations within blueberry plantings with respect to adjacent woodlands.................................................................................................................30 2-3. Percentage of blueberry clusters infested by A. vaccinii at different geographic locations within an organic planting in Holland, MI. ..............................................31 2-4. Percentage of blueberry clusters infested by A. vaccinii after a single application of tebufenozide within an abandoned planting in Holland, MI.............32 3-1. Comparison of techniques for monitoring D. oxycoccana in rabbiteye blueberries in Windsor, FL (2002)...........................................................................49 3-2. Comparison of techniques for monitoring D. oxycoccana in southern highbush blueberries in Windsor, FL (2002)...........................................................................50 3-3. Comparison of techniques for