A Strategic Management Approach to Reduce Pepper Weevil Damage to Jalapeño Pepper Plants with Conventional and Biorational Insecticides
The pepper weevil (<i>Anthonomus eugenii</i>) is a major pest that causes significant economic damage to several species and cultivars of pepper, including jalapeño <i>(Capsicum annuum</i> var. jalapeño). Protecting pepper crops from this pest often necessitates the use of ch...
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MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Agronomy |
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| author | Naga Mani Kanchupati Dakshina R. Seal Bruce Schaffer Oscar E. Liburd |
| author_facet | Naga Mani Kanchupati Dakshina R. Seal Bruce Schaffer Oscar E. Liburd |
| author_sort | Naga Mani Kanchupati |
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| description | The pepper weevil (<i>Anthonomus eugenii</i>) is a major pest that causes significant economic damage to several species and cultivars of pepper, including jalapeño <i>(Capsicum annuum</i> var. jalapeño). Protecting pepper crops from this pest often necessitates the use of chemical insecticides. To enhance control measures and mitigate the risk of insecticide resistance in the pepper weevil, this study focused on determining the optimal timing and application intervals of thiamethoxam and isocycloseram and assessed the effectiveness of rotating these pesticides with biorational insecticides. The effectiveness of various spray intervals for thiamethoxam and isocycloseram, starting at the bloom stage and one week post-bloom, was also assessed on the management of pepper weevils. The spray intervals for each insecticide included foliar applications weekly, every two weeks, every three weeks initiated at the blooming stage, and every two weeks beginning one week after blooming. The application of thiamethoxam and isocycloseram starting at bloom at one-week (7.3 ± 0.9 and 0.6 ± 0.4) and two-week (7.3 ± 0.9 and 0.7 ± 0.2) intervals significantly reduced the number of pepper weevil-infested buds compared to the untreated control (18.3 ± 2.5 and 1.7 ± 0.2). Isocycloseram starting at bloom and rotated with azadirachtin + pyrethrins as well as isocycloseram rotated with azadirachtin + pyrethrins and thiamethoxam on a weekly basis had the lowest number of pepper weevil-infested buds, flowers, and fruits and higher marketable yield. These findings suggest that adopting foliar applications weekly or every two weeks starting at bloom, as well as the rotation of thiamethoxam and isocycloseram with biorational insecticides, can effectively reduce pepper weevil infestation and increase pepper yield. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2073-4395 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Agronomy |
| spelling | doaj-art-e69693ea427943d6be226303dd9bed012025-01-24T13:16:51ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952025-01-0115113110.3390/agronomy15010131A Strategic Management Approach to Reduce Pepper Weevil Damage to Jalapeño Pepper Plants with Conventional and Biorational InsecticidesNaga Mani Kanchupati0Dakshina R. Seal1Bruce Schaffer2Oscar E. Liburd3Tropical Research and Education Center, University of Florida-IFAS, Homestead, FL 33031, USATropical Research and Education Center, University of Florida-IFAS, Homestead, FL 33031, USATropical Research and Education Center, University of Florida-IFAS, Homestead, FL 33031, USAEntomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USAThe pepper weevil (<i>Anthonomus eugenii</i>) is a major pest that causes significant economic damage to several species and cultivars of pepper, including jalapeño <i>(Capsicum annuum</i> var. jalapeño). Protecting pepper crops from this pest often necessitates the use of chemical insecticides. To enhance control measures and mitigate the risk of insecticide resistance in the pepper weevil, this study focused on determining the optimal timing and application intervals of thiamethoxam and isocycloseram and assessed the effectiveness of rotating these pesticides with biorational insecticides. The effectiveness of various spray intervals for thiamethoxam and isocycloseram, starting at the bloom stage and one week post-bloom, was also assessed on the management of pepper weevils. The spray intervals for each insecticide included foliar applications weekly, every two weeks, every three weeks initiated at the blooming stage, and every two weeks beginning one week after blooming. The application of thiamethoxam and isocycloseram starting at bloom at one-week (7.3 ± 0.9 and 0.6 ± 0.4) and two-week (7.3 ± 0.9 and 0.7 ± 0.2) intervals significantly reduced the number of pepper weevil-infested buds compared to the untreated control (18.3 ± 2.5 and 1.7 ± 0.2). Isocycloseram starting at bloom and rotated with azadirachtin + pyrethrins as well as isocycloseram rotated with azadirachtin + pyrethrins and thiamethoxam on a weekly basis had the lowest number of pepper weevil-infested buds, flowers, and fruits and higher marketable yield. These findings suggest that adopting foliar applications weekly or every two weeks starting at bloom, as well as the rotation of thiamethoxam and isocycloseram with biorational insecticides, can effectively reduce pepper weevil infestation and increase pepper yield.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/1/131<i>Anthonomus eugenii</i><i>Capsicum annuum</i> ‘jalapeño’thiamethoxamisocycloseraminsecticide application timing |
| spellingShingle | Naga Mani Kanchupati Dakshina R. Seal Bruce Schaffer Oscar E. Liburd A Strategic Management Approach to Reduce Pepper Weevil Damage to Jalapeño Pepper Plants with Conventional and Biorational Insecticides Agronomy <i>Anthonomus eugenii</i> <i>Capsicum annuum</i> ‘jalapeño’ thiamethoxam isocycloseram insecticide application timing |
| title | A Strategic Management Approach to Reduce Pepper Weevil Damage to Jalapeño Pepper Plants with Conventional and Biorational Insecticides |
| title_full | A Strategic Management Approach to Reduce Pepper Weevil Damage to Jalapeño Pepper Plants with Conventional and Biorational Insecticides |
| title_fullStr | A Strategic Management Approach to Reduce Pepper Weevil Damage to Jalapeño Pepper Plants with Conventional and Biorational Insecticides |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Strategic Management Approach to Reduce Pepper Weevil Damage to Jalapeño Pepper Plants with Conventional and Biorational Insecticides |
| title_short | A Strategic Management Approach to Reduce Pepper Weevil Damage to Jalapeño Pepper Plants with Conventional and Biorational Insecticides |
| title_sort | strategic management approach to reduce pepper weevil damage to jalapeno pepper plants with conventional and biorational insecticides |
| topic | <i>Anthonomus eugenii</i> <i>Capsicum annuum</i> ‘jalapeño’ thiamethoxam isocycloseram insecticide application timing |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/1/131 |
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