An Integrated Pest Management approach: monitoring strawberry pests grown under protected structures.

摘要

This study was initiated to monitor the population dynamics of natural late-autumn and early-spring infestations of the cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii, on strawberries grown in a glasshouse in north central Florida and to evaluate the effectiveness of third instars of Coleomegilla maculata in controlling the aphids. The results indicated that different cotton aphid life forms predominate on different plant locations, Nymphs were more frequently found on a leaf than on the developing bud in the early season, but that distinction did not persist later. Apterous adults predominated on the bud during the mid-season, while alate adults were more frequently found on a leaf during the same period. The greatest positive functional response of C. maculata to cotton aphid occurred when the prey was most dense. This is a characteristic of an efficient predator and indicates that C. maculata may be a good candidate for biological control of A. gossypii on strawberry.