ARS | Publication request: FOLIAR APPLICATIONS OF M-96-018 AND M97-009 FOR BEMISIA ARGENTIFOLII CONTROL ON COLLARDS, 1997-1998

Submitted to: Arthropod Management Tests
Publication Type: Research Notes
Publication Acceptance Date: September 20, 2001
Publication Date: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Whiteflies are small white insects that attack the foliage of many agricultural crops. They are one of the key pests attacking collards in the lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Insecticides are the primary means of controlling this pest and they must be applied weekly. Particle film technology is a new means of protecting plants from insects by forming a protective particle barrier on the plant surfaces. The objective of this research was to evaluate two new particle film formulations for whitefly control. One formulation, M-96-018 forms a hydrophobic barrier while the other formulation, M-97-009, forms a hydrophilic barrier. These formula- tions were applied weekly and whitefly counts were compared to untreated control plots. Over the 1-1/2 month period, neither particle film formulation had an effect on whitefly populations. Therefore, this technology is not a useful tool for control of whitefly in collards.

Technical Abstract: Whitefly, B. argentifolii, is the main pest of collards in the lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas and must be controlled by numerous insecticide treatments. A new technology, particle film, has become available that controls insects by creating a protective particle barrier. The objective to this study was to determine if new formulations of particle film can control whitefly on collards. The treatments included the kaolin formu- lations, M-96-018 (hydrophobic film) and M-97-009 (hydrophilic film) manufactured by Engelhard Corp. (Iselin, NJ). These treatments plus an adjuvant control and untreated control were evaluated in plots 6 beds wide by 60 ft., bordered on each side by 2 buffer beds arranged in a RCB design with 3 replications. Twenty-five pounds of M-96-018 or M-97-009 were applied weekly using a tractor-mounted sprayer. Immature whiteflies per leaf were counted weekly. There were no significant differences among treatments for the 1-1/2 month evaluation period. Therefore, whitefly is one insect that particle film technology is not effective against.