TY - JOUR
T1 - Novel insecticides and generalist predators support conservation biological control in cotton
AU - Bordini, Isadora
AU - Ellsworth, Peter C.
AU - Naranjo, Steven E.
AU - Fournier, Alfred
N1 - Funding Information: We thank Y. Carrière for valuable suggestions on earlier drafts of this manuscript. We thank F. Bojorquez, G. Lizarraga, J. Partida, A. Brown, E. Thacker, T. Thacker, N. Pier, P. Merten, M. Cruz, F. Pat, J. Fan and J. Trejo for their lab technical assistance. We thank the pest control advisers Tom Montoya, Nathan Kempton, Ryan Tregaskes for supporting our proposal for this project, and the grower Karl Button for helpful comments on drafts of this manuscript. We thank the Entomology and Insect Science Graduate Interdisciplinary Program at University of Arizona. We also appreciate the funding support from the Western Integrated Pest Management Center, Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Extension, Arizona Cotton Growers Association, United States Department of Agriculture – National Institute of Food and Agriculture (Extension Implementation Program) and Cotton Incorporated. We thank Bayer, Corteva, FMC, and Nichino America, the makers of Sivanto (flupyradifurone), Transform (sulfoxaflor), Exirel (cyantraniliprole) and PQZ (pyrifluquinazon), respectively, for supplying the formulated products for our unrestricted use in our research. Mention of trade names or commercial products in this article is solely for the purpose of providing specific information and does not imply recommendation or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Funding Information: We thank Y. Carrière for valuable suggestions on earlier drafts of this manuscript. We thank F. Bojorquez, G. Lizarraga, J. Partida, A. Brown, E. Thacker, T. Thacker, N. Pier, P. Merten, M. Cruz, F. Pat, J. Fan and J. Trejo for their lab technical assistance. We thank the pest control advisers Tom Montoya, Nathan Kempton, Ryan Tregaskes for supporting our proposal for this project, and the grower Karl Button for helpful comments on drafts of this manuscript. We thank the Entomology and Insect Science Graduate Interdisciplinary Program at University of Arizona. We also appreciate the funding support from the Western Integrated Pest Management Center, Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Extension, Arizona Cotton Growers Association, United States Department of Agriculture – National Institute of Food and Agriculture (Extension Implementation Program) and Cotton Incorporated. We thank Bayer, Corteva, FMC, and Nichino America, the makers of Sivanto (flupyradifurone), Transform (sulfoxaflor), Exirel (cyantraniliprole) and PQZ (pyrifluquinazon), respectively, for supplying the formulated products for our unrestricted use in our research. Mention of trade names or commercial products in this article is solely for the purpose of providing specific information and does not imply recommendation or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Publisher Copyright: © 2020 The Authors
PY - 2021/3
Y1 - 2021/3
N2 - Arizona has a successful integrated pest management plan for arthropod pests of cotton including two key pests, Bemisia argentifolii (=B. tabaci MEAM1) and Lygus hesperus. Central to this plan is conservation of natural enemies through threshold-based use of effective and selective insecticides. Field studies were designed to test the selectivity of the insecticides cyantraniliprole, flupyradifurone, pyrifluquinazon and sulfoxaflor on the cotton arthropod community (27 taxa measured), which includes the key generalist predator taxa: Collops spp., Orius tristicolor, Geocoris spp., Misumenops celer, Drapetis nr. divergens and Chrysoperla carnea s.l. Compared with an untreated check and in contrast to acephate-treated positive controls, predator densities were rarely affected, and the overall arthropod predator community was conserved by all insecticides. Occasional significant reductions in predator abundances were likely associated with lower prey availability after insecticide sprays rather than direct toxic effects. The proportions of time that predator to prey ratios were at or above levels indicative of functioning biological control were either significantly higher or not significantly different from the untreated check for these insecticides. The cotton food web populated by generalist predators is resilient and flexible enough to accommodate temporary reductions in abundance of some species, periods of low prey densities, or other constraints on individual predator species function. Our study demonstrates that the insecticides tested are selective and compatible with sustainable pest management in the Arizona cotton system, representing new options for insect pest control that conserve natural enemies and support biological control through generally favorable changes to predator to prey ratios.
AB - Arizona has a successful integrated pest management plan for arthropod pests of cotton including two key pests, Bemisia argentifolii (=B. tabaci MEAM1) and Lygus hesperus. Central to this plan is conservation of natural enemies through threshold-based use of effective and selective insecticides. Field studies were designed to test the selectivity of the insecticides cyantraniliprole, flupyradifurone, pyrifluquinazon and sulfoxaflor on the cotton arthropod community (27 taxa measured), which includes the key generalist predator taxa: Collops spp., Orius tristicolor, Geocoris spp., Misumenops celer, Drapetis nr. divergens and Chrysoperla carnea s.l. Compared with an untreated check and in contrast to acephate-treated positive controls, predator densities were rarely affected, and the overall arthropod predator community was conserved by all insecticides. Occasional significant reductions in predator abundances were likely associated with lower prey availability after insecticide sprays rather than direct toxic effects. The proportions of time that predator to prey ratios were at or above levels indicative of functioning biological control were either significantly higher or not significantly different from the untreated check for these insecticides. The cotton food web populated by generalist predators is resilient and flexible enough to accommodate temporary reductions in abundance of some species, periods of low prey densities, or other constraints on individual predator species function. Our study demonstrates that the insecticides tested are selective and compatible with sustainable pest management in the Arizona cotton system, representing new options for insect pest control that conserve natural enemies and support biological control through generally favorable changes to predator to prey ratios.
KW - Arthropod predators
KW - Bemisia argentifolii
KW - Bemisia tabaci MEAM1
KW - Non-target effects
KW - Predator-to-prey ratios
KW - Selective insecticides
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85098183559&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85098183559&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.biocontrol.2020.104502
DO - 10.1016/j.biocontrol.2020.104502
M3 - Article
SN - 1049-9644
VL - 154
JO - Biological Control
JF - Biological Control
M1 - 104502
ER -