Project Overview

Reports

Commodities

• Ecosystem: Ecosystem

• Vegetables: brassicas, greens (leafy)

Target Pests

Practices

• Pest Management: trap crops

• Production Systems: agroecosystems

Collard greens are an important commodity in the southern US where they serve as an important source of family income especially among small limited resource growers and a delicacy in southern cuisine. However, as with most leafy vegetables, insect pests including caterpillars (cabbage looper, the diamondback moth, the imported cabbageworm, striped cabbageworm), harlequin bugs, aphids, whiteflies, and flea beetles constitute the pest complex of collards. The harlequin bug is the major pest in the southern US and North Carolina in particular. It attacks the crop from seedling throughout crop growth. This results in extensive damage that warrants frequent dependence on insecticides to keep the pest below economically damaging levels, sometimes resulting in over $1 billion in management costs and severe crop loss. The economic impact of this pest can be far-reaching, especially among small growers who produce most of the collard found in the US market. Cases of resistance by some crucifer pests to all classes of insecticides have been reported in the US and elsewhere. Heightened public debate regarding excessive pesticide use on vegetables and the documented negative effects have provided the impetus for increased research to find viable alternatives to pesticides. The proposed project explores the use of “trap solution,” (TS) from mustard (leaves and flowers) that is attractive to the harlequin bugs and, which has been used as a trap crop to serve as pest sinks. This will be achieved through the following two objectives: (1) To determine the range of effective concentrations of leaf and flower trap solution (TS) and their retention times of the harlequin bug, and (2) To determine the potential for field application of trap solution (TS). The outcome of this project will expand our knowledge of the possibilities of pesticide alternatives and the ability to manage an important field pest. The long-term goal is to reduce insecticide use in vegetable production, conservation of beneficial arthropods, and increase farm profits while enhancing food and environmental safety, and well-being in farm communities.

Objective 1: To determine the range of effective concentrations of leaf and flower trap solution (TS) and their retention times of the harlequin bug.

Objective 2: To determine the potential for field application of trap solution (TS).