Subsurface application of insecticides for control of white grubs and black vine weevil in field-grown nursery crops |
Researchers with the Application Technology Research Unit Horticultural Insects Lab are investigating a variety of systems for delivering insecticide directly to the root zone of woody plants.
In recent years, exotic white grubs (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) have been found stunting and killing field-grown nursery crops in northern Ohio. Grubs injure and kill plants by feeding on the roots.
Since the grubs often distribute themselves throughout the root zone of woody crops, a large proportion of the population is deep in the soil where they are difficult to reach with surface-applied insecticides. Researchers believe subsurface application may provide growers with a means of preventing or reducing white grub damage to their field-grown nursery crops.
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