Evaluation of Insecticidal Control of Gray Fly and Sawfly in Wheat, 1990

This test was conducted in dryland wheat at Sidi El Aydi, Morocco, during the 1989-90 growing season. The Hessian fly resistant spring wheat variety 'Saada' was used in this test to evaluate Phorbia sp. and SF without the confounding effects of Hessian fly. The wheat was planted in a vertic calcixeroll soil (66% clay, 25% silt, 9% sand, and 1.87% organic matter). Treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block design with 4 replicates. The plots were 1.5 m wide (six rows) × 9 m long and separated with 0.5 m of bare ground. Granular insecticides were applied in-furrow with the seed at planting (15 Dec 1989) to control the first generation Phorbia sp. Foliar insecticide applications were made on 8 Feb to control second generation Phorbia sp. and on 21 Mar to control SF. Foliar applications were applied with a hand operated backpack sprayer delivering 833 liters/ha. Plants in 0.5 m from each of the center 4 rows of each plot were collected on 15 Mar and examined in the laboratory for Phorbia sp. After harvest in Jun, plants from 0.5 m of each of the center 2 rows of each plot were collected and examined in the laboratory for SF-cut stems. Minimum air temperatures for Dec through Apr averaged 3.4 to 8.0°C and maximum air temperatures averaged 17.0 to 23.6°C. A total of 113.8 mm of rain fell prior to planting, but after planting there were only 4 rainfall events during the period greater than 10 mm, on 27 Dec, 4 Jan, 29 Jan, and 9 Mar, for a total accumulation in the period of 200 mm.