Pepper weevil is a devastating pest of pepper in Florida. Adults useflower buds and fruits for oviposition, which are destroyed by adultand larval feeding. Insecticidal control is difficult because all immaturestages are contained within the fruit and as such protectedfrom contact with the spray materials. For this trial, experimentalbeds were fumigated with Pic-Clor 60 EC (chloropicrin 56.7%+ 1,3-dichloropropene 37.1%) at 300 lbs/ac on 14 Aug at theSouthwest Florida Research and Education Center in Immokalee,FL. The greenhouse-raised pepper seedlings were transplanted in thefield at 2 ft distance between plants in two raised beds on 6-ft centers420 ft in length, and covered with black polyethylene film mulchon 6 Sep. An RCB design was used with four replicates and fivetreatments plus the untreated check (Table 1). Each plot contained12 plants and there was 8 foot buffer space between plots. A rowof peppers was also left between to the two treated rows acting asa pest reservoir and spray buffer. Maintenance sprays to controldiseases particularly bacterial spot, included Kocide (1.5 lbs/acre)and Manzate (1.5 lbs/acre) applied weekly as a tank mix. Abba Ultra7.5 oz/acre and Oberon 8.5 oz/acre were also applied for control ofbroadmite in this experiment. Multiple foliar applications for pepperweevil control in each treatment were made with a high clearancesprayer operating at 180 psi at 2.3 mph with solutions deliveredthrough two vertical booms each equipped with two or three yellowAlbuz ATR 80 hollow cone nozzles applying at a rate of 40 or 60GPA (Table 1). All fallen fruit were collected and counted from allplots on 13, 20 Nov and 7 and 21 Dec. Remaining fruit on plant wascollected and graded as marketable or damaged on 20 Nov and 7Dec. Due to some plant mortality in a few plots, data are presentedon a per plant basis. Cumulative data were analyzed using ANOVAand differences among treatment means were determined using leastsignificant difference test (P = 0.05).
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