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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Wapato, Washington » Temperate Tree Fruit and Vegetable Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #177393
Title: MICROBIAL CONTROL OF INSECT PESTS OF TREE FRUIT

Author
item Arthurs, Steven
item Lacey, Lawrence

Submitted to: Haworth Press
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/10/2005
Publication Date: 12/15/2007
Citation: Arthurs, S.P., Lacey, L.A. 2007. Microbial control of insect pests of tree fruit. In: "Management of Nematode and Insect-borne Plant Diseases", G. Saxena and K.G. Mukerji, eds., pp. 1-46. Haworth Press, New York.

Interpretive Summary: Environmental and human health concerns have placed the continued reliance on broad-spectrum insecticides in orchards under increasing scrutiny. A number of insect pathogens are being tested or developed as microbial control agents that can be used as alternatives to chemical insecticides for the control of insect pests of tree fruit. Insect pathogens that have received interest include bacteria, viruses, fungi and nematodes. The successful integration of these microbial control agents will depend on their compatibility with other biological and chemical control methods, and also on the prevailing environmental conditions in a given cropping system. There is good potential for integrating microbial control with other soft technologies, including mating disruption with synthetic pheromones, cultural practices and other reduced risk pesticides. In some cases microbial pesticides may work as stand-alone treatments. The wider adoption of microbial pathogens to control tree fruit pests will require an increased awareness of these considerations by growers and the supporting industries.

Technical Abstract: Arthropod pests of economic importance or potential exotic pest problems in tree fruit include weevils, mites, fruit flies, leafminers, aphids, psylla, whiteflies, thrips, stinkbugs mites and various Lepidoptera. The traditional method for controlling many of these pests is through application of broad-spectrum chemical pesticides. However new approaches that manage pests using a variety of biological, cultural, physical, and chemical tools to minimize economic, health, and environmental risks are being sought. The use of insect pathogens including bacteria, viruses, protozoa, fungi and nematodes, as microbial control agents is one such way of achieving this goal. In this chapter we review attempts at utilizing arthropod microbial control agents against the more common pests or pest complexes found in tree fruit.