PJB-2025-441
EVALUATION OF SELECTED BOTANICAL-, MICROBIAL- AND PYRIDINE-BASED INSECTICIDES FOR CONTROLLING PHENACOCCUS SOLENOPSIS UNDER GREENHOUSE CONDITIONS
HALİL DEMİR
Abstract
Phenacoccus solenopsis is an invasive mealybug causing significant losses in many cultivated plants worldwide. In southwestern Turkey, it has recently emerged as a major pest of both outdoor and greenhouse crops, and its control largely depends on synthetic insecticides. However, reduced efficacy has been observed due to increasing resistance. This study evaluated the performance of several insecticide groups—entomopathogenic fungi (Beauveria bassiana Bb-1 and Verticillium lecanii V1-1; Nostalgist® and Nibortem®), botanical insecticides (Nimbecidine® containing neem oil + azadirachtin; Essen’ciel® containing orange oil), and an insect growth regulator (pyriproxyfen; Urban®)—for controlling P. solenopsis on greenhouse-grown lettuce during two consecutive growing periods. Lambda-cyhalothrin (Petra®) served as the reference insecticide. All products were applied at the full recommended field dose and half of the recommended dose.
All tested insecticides provided varying levels of control compared with the water-treated control. Their efficacy was consistently higher against nymphs (1st–3rd instars) than adult females. In both seasons, V. lecanii strain V1-1 applied at the full dose showed the highest efficacy, causing 89.6–92.4% nymphal and 78.7–79.8% adult mortalities 10 days after treatment. Essen’ciel® was the second most effective product, resulting in 82.3–86.8% mortality in nymphs and 77.2–78.4% mortality in adults. In contrast, the reference insecticide lambda-cyhalothrin was the least effective against nymphs, with mortality remaining below 65% in both seasons. Pyriproxyfen (Urban®) caused more than 80% mortality in nymphs but resulted in the lowest mortality in adults (<10%). Nimbecidine® demonstrated promising efficacy; however, it required at least 10 days to reach optimal activity.
Across all products, full recommended doses resulted in significantly greater reductions in pest populations compared with half doses. Overall, both botanical- and microbial-based treatments caused a gradual decline in P. solenopsis densities, suggesting a progressive and cumulative suppressive effect on this invasive pest.
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