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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Gainesville, Florida » Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology » Insect Behavior and Biocontrol Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #328444
Research Project: Improved Biologically-Based Tactics to Manage Invasive Insect Pests and Weeds

Location: Insect Behavior and Biocontrol Research

Title: “Push-pull” strategies against vegetable insect pests

Author
item Legaspi, Jesusa

Submitted to: FAMU-CESTA-CBC Newsletter
Publication Type: Popular Publication
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/6/2014
Publication Date: 12/5/2014
Citation: Legaspi, J.C. 2014. “Push-pull” strategies against vegetable insect pests. FAMU-CESTA-CBC Newsletter. 12:4.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Whiteflies and aphids are important insect pests in vegetable crops. To mitigate the use of chemical insecticides, “push-pull “strategies can be used as components of sustainable or cultural pest management. Dr. Jesusa C. Legaspi (USDA-ARS) and collaborators conducted field studies using mustard plants (var. giant red mustard and caliente) as companion crops intercropped at different ratios with the target collard crops. Additionally, laboratory olfactometer tests measured the effects of plant volatiles from giant red mustard as whitefly repellents. We found that the giant red mustard and caliente mustard plants are promising repellents against silverleaf whitefly, thereby comprising a potential “push” component. In another field study, buckwheat was used as an attractive plant for beneficial natural enemies when intercropped with collards. Preliminary analysis combined with a separate study on sweet alyssum intercropped with lettuce revealed the most common predatory hoverflies to be Eupeodes americanus and Allograpta obliqua. “Push-pull” strategies can be complemented with natural enemy refuges as cultural management techniques in farmscaping towards sustainable management of whiteflies and aphids.