Efficacy of Insecticides on Tomato Insects, 1996

Seedlings were transplanted in a sandy loam soil on 22 Apr at the Cherry Farm, Clemson, SC. Experimental plots consisted of two adjacent 3-ft wide bedded-rows, 15 ft long, with 6-ft spacing between rows, arranged in a RCB design with four replications. Seedlings were placed 18 inches part within rows and were drip irrigated. Treatments were applied with a CO2-powered backpack sprayer using TX10 hollow cone tips on a three-nozzle boom, delivering 48 gal finished spray/acre at 60 psi. Both sides of each row were sprayed. Treatments using formulations containing Bacillus thuringiensis were applied on approximately a 5-d schedule. Able + Agree; Mattch + MPEDE were applied on 4, 9, 14, 19, 24, 29 Jun, 3, 9, 12, 17 and 19 Jul. All other treatments were applied on approximately a 10-d schedule: 4, 14, 24 Jun, 3,12 and 19 Jul. Maintenance sprays comprising of the fungicides Manzate 200 at 3 lb product/acre and Kocide DF at 2 lb product/acre were tank-mixed and applied with the insecticide treatments on the 10 d schedule. Thrips population was evaluated on 17 Jun by selecting 10 flowers at random from each plot, dissecting the flowers and counting the numbers of FT. Actual numbers of thrips/10 flowers/plot are reported. On 24 Jul, 25 fruits were picked at random from each plot and examined for fruitworm injury. The data are expressed as percent fruitworm injury. Twenty-five fruits were harvested at random from each plot on 24 Jul and examined for stink bug injury. The data are expressed as percent stink bug injury.