TOO HOT to handle: Hot peppers may be an organic alternative for cutworm control

摘要

Pyrethroid barrier trunk sprays have proven effective against cutworms in Washington State, but for growers who want to avoid using pyrethroids, an organic alternative is looking pretty "hot" in research trials. The industrywide adoption of trunk barrier sprays for cutworms has greatly helped reduce the use of pesticides by Washington grape growers, said Dr. Doug Walsh, Washington State University entomologist and integrated pest management coordinator. Using pyrethroid insecticides like Capture (bifenthrin) and Danitol (fenpropathrin) have allowed grape growers to move almost completely away from broad-spectrum chemicals Lorsban (chlor-pyrifos) and dimethoate that were traditionally used for cutworm control but interfered with IPM.