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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Charleston, South Carolina » Vegetable Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #402046
Research Project: Basic and Applied Approaches for Pest Management in Vegetable Crops

Location: Vegetable Research

Title: Population dynamics of insect pests and beneficials on different snap bean cultivars

Author
item LI, YINPING - Fort Valley State University
item MBATA, GEORGE - Fort Valley State University
item Simmons, Alvin

Submitted to: Insects
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/20/2023
Publication Date: 2/25/2023
Citation: Li, Y., Mbata, G., Simmons, A.M. 2023. Population dynamics of insect pests and beneficials on different snap bean cultivars. Insects. 14:230. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects14030230.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/insects14030230

Interpretive Summary: Insect pests cause enormous economic losses on snap beans. A field study was done to define the population dynamics of insect pests and beneficial insects (pollinators and natural enemies) on 24 snap bean cultivars in Georgia, USA from 25 to 60 days after plant emergence. The least number of sweetpotato whitefly eggs were found on cultivar ‘Jade’, and the least number of whitefly nymphs were found on cultivars ‘Gold Mine’, ‘Golden Rod’, ‘Long Tendergreen’, and ‘Royal Burgundy’. Cultivars ‘Greencrop’ and ‘PV-857’ harbored the lowest number of adult potato leafhoppers and tarnished plant bugs. Whiteflies and Mexican bean beetles were most abundant during the early sampling period; cucumber beetles, kudzu bugs, potato leafhoppers, thrips, and tarnish plant bugs were most abundant during the middle of the sampling period; bees were most abundant during the last two weeks of the sample period. Temperature and relative humidity were related to the population levels for whiteflies, Mexican Bean beetles, bees, and predator ladybird beetles. These results contribute useful information to the agricultural community for the management of insect pests on snap beans.

Technical Abstract: Snap bean is an important vegetable crop in the United States including the state of Georgia. Arthropod pests cause substantial economic losses to snap beans. The use of chemical insecticides is the most common management strategy against the pests. However, most pests have developed considerable insecticide resistance. Therefore, host plant resistance can be a promising alternative. Twenty-four snap bean cultivars were assessed for their susceptibility to main insect pests in the field. The numbers of main insect pests, pollinators, and natural enemies were determined weekly for 6 weeks from 25 to 60 days after the plants emerged. The least numbers of sweetpotato whitefly (Bemisia tabaci; Middle East-Asia Minor 1 (MEAM1)) were identified on cultivar ‘Jade’ for eggs, and cultivars ‘Gold Mine’, ‘Golden Rod’, ‘Long Tendergreen’, and ‘Royal Burgundy’ for the nymphs. The numbers of potato leafhopper (Empoasca fabae) and tarnished plant bug (Lygus lineolaris) adults were significantly lower on cultivars ‘Greencrop’ and ‘PV-857’. The highest counts of adult insects were on Week 1 for B. tabaci and Mexican bean beetle (Epilachna varivestis); Week 3-4 for cucumber beetles, kudzu bug (Megacopta cribraria), E. fabae, thrips, L. lineolaris; and Week 5-6 for bees. Temperature and relative humidity were correlated with whitefly, bee, Mexican bean beetle, and predator ladybird beetle populations. These results provided valuable information on the pest management on snap bean.