A field study was conducted at Yuma in 1991 to examine the relative effectiveness of several formulations of Bacillus thuringiensis on beet armyworm and cabbage looper on seedling and pre-cupping lettuce. Several applications were made before and after thinning. Results of the study suggest that most formulations are capable of controlling small larvae. However, because of the inherent variation in beet armyworm dispersion, it was difficult to statistically attribute differences in pest levels due to insecticide efficacy.

A study was conducted to determine the effects of repeated insecticide applications on leaf niner and parasitoid populations on spring melons. After four applications, none of the insecticides induced large build-ups of leafminer larvae. A new material, AC 303630, was very effective in maintaining low numbers of pupae. However, the results of this preliminary test indicate that all insecticides tested had a negative impact on the parasitoid population. In general, in the absence of insectcides, parasitoids were capable of maintaining L. sativae populations at low levels in the experimental plots.

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Four insecticides were evaluated for their effect on onion seed production in Yuma County where two species on thrips (western flower and onion) were present in seed fields. Visual differences between treatments resultant from onion thrips damage was evident within 10 days after treatments were applied at flower opening. Lorsban, Ammo and Capture treatments provided control of onion thrips based on condition of seed heads. Only Ammo and Capture treatments increased seed yield as the Lorsban treatment was thought to repel bees which are needed for pollination. Pyrethroid treatments yielded 40% more than the untreated check. Damage from onion thrips to onion seed in Yuma County is conservatively calculated to currently be at least $1.1 million annually.

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Five insecticides were evaluated for Apache cicada control in asparagus. Best control was achieved by two unregistered pyrethroid insecticides. The currently registered pyrethroid insecticide in this study (Pounce) was not as effective as Capture or Baythroid. Methomyl Pinnate) applied after the experiment was also very effective in controlling adult Apache cicadas. Di-Syston provided very little control.

The effects of Admire formulation and soil placement on colonization by sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius), at three plant growth stages of lettuce, Lactuca sativa L., were evaluated in experimental and commercial lettuce plots in 1993-1994. We also evaluated the effects of Admire treatments on yield response and incidence of chlorosis associated with whitefly control. Admire placement had a significant affect on whitefly colonization in lettuce throughout the experimental period. Whitefly densities on lettuce varied at each plant stage relative to depth of placement within the lettuce seed bed. Applications made to the soil surface and at 1.5 inch sub-seed furrow followed by irrigation, provided the most consistent control of whitefly nymphs in both small plot and on -farm lettuce plots. These Admire soil treatments also prevented reductions in head size and incidence of leaf chlorosis associated with whitefly colonization in lettuce. Our data suggest that incorporation of Admire into the upper 1.5 - 2 inches of soil below the seed furrow is optimal for absorption and translocation by lettuce roots. Admire soil treatments may provide a more environmentally suitable and effective alternative to control of whiteflies in lettuce than is currently possible with foliar insecticide reatments.

Foliar insecticides for whiteflies (Bemisia sp., WF) were applied as a supplementary control measure at 6 weeks after treatment with imidacloprid (Admire®) at planting time of melons. Beauveria bassiana fungus spores (Mycotrol®), pyriproxyfen (S-71639, Valent), and azadirachtin (Align®) are non-conventional insecticides that could be safer on beneficial parasites and predators. The number of eggs and nymphs counted at all rating dates for all treatments were not significantly different from the foliarly untreated check. Mycotrol treated melons showed higher number of nymphs following the second application. The Align treatment tended to exhibit higher number of nymphs after two applications. The addition of an adjuvant did not appear to enhance pyriproxyfen efficacy.