marianae find more densities compared to plots

treated at a higher mite threshold, or plots treated with regularly scheduled sprays, or in control plots. Likewise, an initial spray with azadirachtin (Aza-Direct®) when two H. armigera eggs were detected in 10 of the plant samples, followed by an additional spray only if two damaged fruits or H. armigera larvae were detected per 50 immature fruit, resulted in lower percent fruit damage and higher marketable yield compared to other threshold levels or a regular spray schedule. Although a pest management based threshold level is always better than calendar based sprays, we did not have the results for threshold levels ready when we initiated this study. In addition, there was urgency to develop an effective control method for T. marianae and H. armigera to replace the conventional sprays in the Pacific Islands. Not all growers want to follow threshold-based sprays since it is labor intensive and difficult to schedule for work. Although a binominal sampling scheme (presence: absence) would be ideal, many growers do not want to count mites and assess fruit damage in the field. Integrated selleck kinase inhibitor pest management

strategies for spider mites and fruit borer favor botanical pesticides over conventional broad-spectrum chemical pesticides due to the former’s lower toxicity, and higher safety to the environment and beneficial arthropods (Yang et al., 2010). Presently, conventional insecticides (carbaryl and malathion) are the only pesticides used by growers in this region on tomato. However, repeated use of broad-spectrum insecticides is often expensive and harmful to natural enemies, and can lead to insecticide resistance, environmental

pollution and secondary pest outbreaks (Mallet, 1989). More broadly, FAD biorational insecticides include botanical extracts, pathogens (bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa and entomopathogenic nematodes), semiochemicals, and insect growth regulators, and they have been used to control many species of pest insects (Djerassi et al., 1974, Schmutterer, 1990, Schmutterer, 1995, Davidson et al., 1991, Trdan et al., 2007 and Leng and Reddy, 2012). Insecticidal oils, including those of botanical or mineral origin, are also biorational pesticides that are used against many pest insects (Trdan et al., 2006 and Yang et al., 2010). On the other hand, most of the treatments used in the present study are cost effective and affordable by the growers (Reddy and Tangtrakulwanich, 2014). In this study, the IPM package (PSO, B. bassiana, azadirachtin and B. thuringiensis) at 15, 30, 45 and 60 DAT was the most effective treatment in reducing the damage by T. marianae and H. armigera and significantly increasing the marketable yield of tomatoes.