Effectiveness of Biorational Pesticides for Controlling Some Vegetable Pests in Serbia

Abstract

Biological effectiveness of three natural products (abamectin, azadirachtin and rapeseed spray oil) and three synthetic products with novel modes of action (acetamiprid, pymetrozine and metaflumizone) against greenhouse whitefly (Trialeurodes vaporariorum), two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae), green peach aphid (Myzus persicae), cabbage aphid (Brevicoryne brassicae) and cabbage worm (Pieris rapae) was evaluated in glasshouse and field trials at several localities in Serbia in 2004-2008. The effectiveness of these biorational pesticides was compared to several conventional products (alpha-cypermethrin, bifenthrin, dimethoate, diazinon, fenazaquin and pirimiphos-methyl). In glasshouse trials, the efficacy of abamectin against T. vaporariorum in tomato and T. urticae in cucumber was 96.1% and 92.2%, respectively. In controlling T. vaporariorum, pymetrozine achieved 94.1% efficacy, and acetamiprid 94.7%, while the efficacy of rapeseed oil against T. urticae was 84.1-94.6%. In field trials, the efficacy of acetamiprid, pymetrozine and rapeseed oil against M. persicae in pepper was 100%, gt 97% and gt 92%, respectively, and against B. brassicae gt 94%, gt 92% and gt 93%, respectively. In controlling P. rapae, metaflumizone achieved 92.8% and azadirachtin 85.3% efficacy. The conventional pesticides were found to have the same or slightly lower efficacy than biorational ones. The importance of these results for vegetable pest control is discussed.