Abstract
Wireworms (Coleoptera: Elateridae) are economically significant pests of potatoes (Solanum tuberosum), damaging the marketable portion of the crop by feeding and tunneling into tubers. While conventional potato growers use the few registered synthetic insecticides to control wireworms, certified organic growers are left with less options due to the limited effectiveness of the available insecticides. Biologically derived pesticides provide an additional alternative for both systems. Certain gram-negative proteobacteria, such as Burkholderia spp., possess insecticidal compounds. However, very little is known about their efficacy on wireworms. From 2018 to 2021, we conducted experiments in Virginia to assess the efficacy of a Burkholderia spp.-based commercial pesticide, Majestene, as a wireworm control in potatoes. In a lab experiment, soil drench application of this insecticide at a rate of 66 g a.i. per 1 liter resulted in 30% wireworm mortality and significantly reduced wireworm feeding damage on potato tubers. In the field, in-furrow applications of Burkholderia spp. at a rate of 17.66 kg a.i. per ha significantly reduced wireworm damage to tubers in 2 of 7 field experiments conducted. By comparison, the commercial standard insecticide, bifenthrin, significantly reduced tuber damage in 3 of the 7 field experiments. Our study demonstrates the prospect for proteobacteria-derived insecticides for control of wireworms and potentially other soil-dwelling insects. In conclusion, findings present growers with another option to combat wireworm pressure, especially in organic systems.
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Claims 5
Claim · model-written summary
Laboratory soil drench caused 30% wireworm mortality.
- Taxon
- potatoes
Solanum tuberosumt0 - Treatment
- soil drench application of this insecticide at a rate of 66 g a.i. per 1 litere0
- Interactor
- wirewormst0pest
- Outcome
- wireworm mortalitye0
- Value
- 30%e0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“soil drench application of this insecticide at a rate of 66 g a.i. per 1 liter resulted in 30% wireworm mortality”
t0“wireworms (Coleoptera: Elateridae) in potatoes”
Claim · model-written summary
Laboratory soil drench significantly reduced wireworm feeding damage to potato tubers.
- Taxon
- potatoSolanum tuberosume0
- Treatment
- soil drench application of this insecticide at a rate of 66 g a.i. per 1 litere1
- Interactor
- wireworme0pest
- Outcome
- wireworm feeding damage on potato tuberse0
- Direction
- reducede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“significantly reduced wireworm feeding damage on potato tubers”
e1“soil drench application of this insecticide at a rate of 66 g a.i. per 1 liter”
Claim · model-written summary
Field in-furrow Burkholderia reduced wireworm tuber damage in two of seven trials.
- Taxon
- potatoesSolanum tuberosumt0
- Treatment
- in-furrow applications of Burkholderia spp. at a rate of 17.66 kg a.i. per hae0
- Interactor
- wireworme0pest
- Second interactor
- Burkholderia spp.
Burkholderiae0biocontrol_agent - Outcome
- wireworm damage to tuberse0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- 2 of 7 field experimentse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“in-furrow applications of Burkholderia spp. at a rate of 17.66 kg a.i. per ha significantly reduced wireworm damage to tubers in 2 of 7 field experiments conducted”
t0“potatoes”
Claim · model-written summary
Bifenthrin significantly reduced tuber damage in three of seven field experiments.
- Taxon
- potatoesSolanum tuberosumt0
- Treatment
- bifenthrine0
- Interactor
- wirewormst0pest
- Outcome
- tuber damagee0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- 3 of the 7 field experimentse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the commercial standard insecticide, bifenthrin, significantly reduced tuber damage in 3 of the 7 field experiments”
t0“wireworms (Coleoptera: Elateridae) in potatoes”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors present the bacterial pesticide as another option for growers facing wireworm pressure, especially in organic systems.
- Taxon
- potatoesSolanum tuberosumt0
- Interactor
- wireworme0pest
- Outcome
- another option to combat wireworm pressuree0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“findings present growers with another option to combat wireworm pressure, especially in organic systems.”
t0“potatoes”
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See all 33 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.