Vorsah Roger V, Dingha Beatrice N, Gyawaly Sudan, Fremah Sarah A, Sharma Harmandeep, Bhowmik Arnab, Worku Mulumebet, Jackai Louis E
Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Design, North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA.
Department of Animal Science, North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA.
Insects. 2020 Mar 3;11(3):162. doi: 10.3390/insects11030162.
Amaranth ( spp.) is an increasingly high-valued niche vegetable crop among small organic growers in North Carolina, due to its increasing demand among diverse immigrant groups. Production is however hampered by insect pests such as the flea beetle (FB), (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), that cause significant yield reduction. Chemical insecticides are generally applied for pest control despite their known risks to health and the environment. Integrated pest management (IPM), which is a cost effective and environmentally friendly approach is still under-exploited in vegetable production by small growers. We studied IPM approaches, suitable for organic production of amaranth by screening nine amaranth varieties for resistance to the flea beetle (FB), . , grown with, and without, mulch. population was 60% higher in plots with mulch compared to plots without. The amaranth varieties and recorded the lowest and the highest population commensurate with low, and high leaf damage, respectively. Conversely, leaf yields in the mulched plots were 50% less than recorded in the zero-mulch counterpart, with variety recording the lowest. These findings will serve as building blocks for a sustainable pest management plan that is appropriate for organic production of spp. in North Carolina.
苋属植物在北卡罗来纳州的小型有机种植者中已成为一种价值日益提高的特色蔬菜作物，这是因为不同移民群体对其需求不断增加。然而，其生产受到诸如跳甲（FB）（鞘翅目：叶甲科）等害虫的阻碍，这些害虫会导致产量大幅下降。尽管化学杀虫剂已知对健康和环境有风险，但通常仍被用于害虫防治。综合虫害管理（IPM）是一种经济高效且环保的方法，在小型种植者的蔬菜生产中仍未得到充分利用。我们通过筛选九个苋属品种对跳甲（FB）的抗性，研究了适用于苋属植物有机生产的IPM方法，这些品种在有覆盖物和无覆盖物的情况下种植。有覆盖物的地块中的跳甲种群数量比无覆盖物的地块高60%。苋属品种[品种名称1]和[品种名称2]分别记录到最低和最高的跳甲种群数量，相应地叶片损害程度低和高。相反，有覆盖物地块的叶片产量比无覆盖物地块低50%，其中[品种名称3]的产量最低。这些发现将成为适合北卡罗来纳州苋属植物有机生产的可持续虫害管理计划的基石。
