Vegetable Diagnostics 101: Insects and Diseases

The 2013 Educational Program Committee is pleased to share conference educational materials with you under the condition that they are used without alteration for educational and non-commercial use only. All materials are protected by copyright law. The authors kindly request their work is properly cited, including the date of publication. For more information on Small Farms, visit our website at: http://smallfarms.ifas.ufl.edu/ or contact your local County Extension Agent. For inquiries about this topic, please contact: Danielle Treadwell, Educational Program Chair. Phone: (352) 273-4775 Email: ddtreadw@ufl.edu Suggested Citation: Author Full Name. Title of Presentation or Handout. 2013 University of Florida-IFAS and Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University-CAFS Florida Small Farms and Alternative Enterprises Conference. August 2-4, Kissimmee, FL.

http://smallfarms.ifas.ufl.edu/mailto:ddtreadw@ufl.edu

Identification of Pest and Beneficial Arthropods

Hugh Smith

University of Florida/IFAS/

Gulf Coast Research and Education Center

Arthropods – Insects and Mites

Need to know: ●Life Cycle ●Damage ●Host range

Silverleaf whitefly

Yellow calyx – Pepper weevil damage Strappy leaves – broad mite damage

Scouting – twice a week

Strike the plant onto a light surface to detect small, cryptic pests

Monitoring with Yellow Sticky Cards

Aphids

Whiteflies

Leafminers

Fungus gnats Shore flies Thrips

Use yellow sticky cards to monitor establishment of biocontrol agents.

Whitefly parasitoid

Silverleaf whitefly, Bemisia tabaci biotype B

Jane Medley UF/IFAS

Silverleaf whitefly, Bemisia tabaci biotype B

Adult Eggs

Crawler

Nymphs

Red-eyed nymph

Silverleaf whitefly – adult and eggs

www.bio-bee.com

Whitefly nymphs – mid instar and red-eyed (final instar) nymph

Bemisia tabaci

Silvering of cucurbit leaves caused by feeding of the silverleaf whitefly, Bemisia tabaci Biotype B

Tomato yellow leaf curl virus – vectored by silverleaf whitefly

Squash leaf crumple virus – vectored by silverleaf whitefly

Eretmocerus eremicus

Encarsia formosa

Eretmocerus mundus

Whitefly parasitoids Photos: Lyle Buss

Scouting for commercially-available naturally enemies - Parasitism

Silverleaf whitefly exuvia with T-shaped exit hole (left); red-eyed nymph (right). Photo: Yankai Li.

Whitefly nymphs and nymphs parasitized by Encarsia formosa. Arrow points to round exit hole of left by parasitoid. Photo: Yankai Li.

Encarsia formosa adult. Photo: Lyle Buss

Amblyseius swirskii, predatory mite: attacks whitefly, thrips, broad mite, others Photo: Lyle Buss

Western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis)

Lyle Buss

Western flower thrips larva

Western flower thrips prepupa

Lyle Buss

Koppert

In plant tissue

In soil/container media

Thrips life cycle

Adult

Egg

Larvae

Pupae

Florida flower thrips vs Western flower thrips Antennal characteristics are used.

Thrips damage

Stippling Bronzing

Leaf abrasion and frass

Thrips damage – bronzing and distortion

Thrips-vectored tospoviruses

Tomato spotted wilt virus Ground nut ring spot virus Photos: Gary Vallad

Combine biocontrol agents that attack different life stages of the pest.

Koppert

Thrips

Orius – Minute pirate bug

Orius nymph

Spider mite eggs

Two spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae

Spider mite damage

Eggplant Strawberry

Scouting for commercially-available natural enemies - Predation

Two-spotted spider mite with eggs Y. Li

Amblyseius californicus feeding on spider mite eggs. Spider mites in lower right. L. Buss

A. swirskii egg Y. Li

Phytoseiulus persimilis

● only eats mites

“Persimilis”

Amblyseius/Neoseiulus

● can survive on pollen or prey

“Californicus”

P. persimilis

A. californicus

Photos – Lyle Buss

Aphid colony – note honeydew and caste skins

Aphids have cornicles

Green peach aphid alate – Scott Bauer – USDA ARS

Cotton or melon aphid (Aphis gossypii) Cindy Fake - UCCE

Parasitized aphids – Aphid “mummies.”

Aphid parasitoids

All images UC IPM

UCDAVIS

Chaney

Chaney

Chaney

Ladybird beetle life cycle

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