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Institute of Agricultural & Environmental Research Tennessee State University |
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Seminar Series Abstract
Insecticide Band Treatments for Imported Fire Ants and Japanese Beetle Jason B. Oliver1, Michael Reding2, Sam Ochieng1, Shannon James3, Anne-Marie Callcott3, Mark Halcomb4, Nadeer Youssef1, Chris Ranger2, Jim Moyseenko2, and Karen Vail5 1Tennessee State University, Institute of Agricultural & Environmental Research, Otis L. Floyd Nursery Research Center, McMinnville, TN; 2 USDA-ARS Horticultural Insects Research Laboratory, Wooster, OH; 3 USDA-APHIS Soil Inhabiting Pests Section, Gulfport, MS; 4 University of Tennessee, Institute of Agriculture, McMinnville, TN; 5 University of Tennessee, Institute of Agriculture, Knoxville, TN Japanese beetle (JB) and imported fire ant (IFA) are important quarantine pests of nursery crops. The JB now infests most of the U.S. east of the Mississippi River and has an annual control and damage cost > $600 million (USDA-APHIS 1998). The IFA now infests most of the southern U.S. and parts of California and New Mexico and has an annual economic impact of about $2.5 billion (Thompson 2001). Both pests are readily transported in nursery plants sold with roots and soil attached, and therefore, requires quarantine insecticide treatments. IFA quarantines will impact an estimated 80.2% of Tennessee nursery sales, while JB quarantines only impact about 5.3% of sales. The Tennessee nursery industry has a large field component (~ 33.9% of production). Most currently approved quarantine treatments for field nursery stock (e.g., balled and burlapped [B&B]) are expensive and impractical. For example, post-harvest B&B dip or drench treatments range from $530 to $3,047 per acre of treated trees. Current pre-harvest treatments range from $168 to $1,530 per acre of treated trees. Pre-harvest band application of insecticides can reduce grower costs by lowering the total acreage that requires treatment (savings of $6 to $215 per acre of treated trees depending on insecticide). The present studies evaluated multiple insecticides as potential band treatments for JB and IFA. JB band treatments were applied to in-field nursery trees at commercial nurseries between 2001 and 2005. Insecticides were evaluated at both 1´ (labeled) and 3´ rates. Marathon 1´ is the only treatment currently approved as a band treatment in the U.S. Domestic Japanese Beetle Harmonization Plan (DJHP) and was used as a standard for comparison against other insecticides. July was consistently better than June and August timings for controlling JB and was significantly better during the 2005 test. The use of higher 3´ rates did not statistically improve JB control over 1´ rates in most tests. Treatments statistically equivalent to the Marathon 1´ standard during July included 1´ and 3´ rates of Celero, Discus, Flagship, and Mach 2. Results indicate the current Marathon 1´ standard, which is allowed from May through July, may need to be restricted to a July-only treatment timing. Depending on the test year, all insecticides at some point exceeded the DJHP Nursery Accreditation Program standard of 1 grub per field site, which indicates these band treatments are not sufficient for DJHP states defined as Category 1 (i.e., zero tolerance / regulated quarantine pest). However, most treatments were probably suitable for DJHP Category 2 states (regulated non-quarantine pest). IFA band tests evaluated bifenthrin bands in combination with broadcast hydramethylnon bait. During fall 2005, bifenthrin flowable and granular band applications provided 100% IFA control from 8 to 28 weeks post-treatment. During fall 2006, a bifenthrin flowable band application provided 97.6% IFA control by 6 weeks post-treatment, but by 5 months post-treatment had still not achieved 100% control. A second bifenthrin band application was made at 22 weeks post-treatment, which achieved 100% IFA control the following week. The fall 2006 IFA band test will continue to be evaluated the remainder of spring 2007. Both JB and IFA band tests indicate potential of several insecticides to provide quarantine management of these pests at costs lower than broadcast treatment.
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