Controlling Cucumber Beetles Using Precision Banded Admire

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Controlling Cucumber Beetles Using Precision
Banded Admire

• Jim Jasinski1, Matt Darr2, Reza Ehsani2, Erdal
  Ozkan2, Matt Sullivan2, Bob Precheur3
• 1 IPM Program, 2 Food, Agriculture, and
  Biological Engineering, 3 Horticulture Crop
  Science

Great Lakes Expo 2006
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Background

• Research project conducted in 04 05
• 13,000 A of cucurbits in Ohio (2005)
• includes 7,400 A pumpkin
• Control of Striped cucumber beetle critical
• Defoliation or bacterial wilt, leads to stand loss

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Management Options

• Traditional IPM
• Adjust seeding date
• Later plantings
• Transplant seedlings
• Mid to late June
• Direct seed
• Scout seedlings
• Spray pests when they exceed threshold

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Management Options

• Use systemic insecticides in-furrow at planting
• Furadan 4F (cancelled?), Platinum 2SC, Venom,
  Admire 2F or Pro
• Generic Imidacloprid Products for 07?
• Alias 2F, Couraze 2F, Advise 2FL, Macho 2FL,
  Nuprid 2F, and Imida E-AG 2F
• Admire 2F (Imidacloprid)
• Signal Word - Caution
• Oral LD50 2000 Dermal LD50
• High efficacy in past research trials
• 4.30 oz, 16-24 oz. / A rate, 69-103/A (04-05)
• Admires efficacy high cost spurred interest in
  modifying application method

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A Primer on Admire Rates

• Example 1
• 24 oz. / A
• 5 rows
• 2.75 oz. / 1000

• Example 2
• 24 oz. / A
• 10 rows
• 5.5 oz. / 1000

1 Acre
1 Acre
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Background Control Ideas

• Over 13,000 A of cucurbits grown in Ohio (2004)
• includes 6,000 A pumpkin
• Early season control of Striped cucumber beetle
  critical
• Avoid stand loss due to defoliation or bacterial
  wilt
• Adjust planting date (mid June) for direct seeded
  fields
• Transplant seedlings (mid to late June)
• Direct seed, scout seedlings and spray pests when
  they exceed threshold

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Background

• Over 13,000 A of cucurbits grown in Ohio (2004)
• includes 6,000 A pumpkin
• Use in-furrow systemic insecticides
• Furadan 4F (toxic), Platinum 2SC (not labeled),
  Admire 2F
• Admire (imidacloprid) systemic insecticide
• Used predominantly in-furrow
• Shown great success in past research trials
• Oral/Dermal LD50 2000-5000
• Admires high cost efficacy spurred interest in
  alternative application methods

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Objectives

• 1. To determine the accuracy of the precision
  bander
• 2, 3, and 4 miles per hour
• Cucumber, zucchini, and pumpkin seed
• 2. To determine efficacy of the precision bander
• Bioassays with striped cucumber beetles
• 3. To determine how band length and volume
  affect efficacy

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Conventional In-furrow Application
Spray Tank
Sprayer Hose
Optical Sensor
Nozzle
Continuous insecticide band over seed
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Modified In-furrow Application
Sprayer Hose
Optical Sensor
Nozzle
Small insecticide band over seed
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Precision In-furrow Application
Sprayer Hose
Optical Sensor
Miniature Solenoid
Insecticide band over seed
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Precision In-furrow Application
Optical Sensor
Miniature Solenoid
Insecticide band over seed
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Precision Bander

• User Interface
• Calibration
• Seed counter
• Band length/Volume
• Continuous on switch

• Planter w/ bander
• Solenoid
• Pressure regulator
• Spray Tank

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Seed / Band Accuracy Trials
Each band 5 long, volume 3 mls Seed planted
on the soil surface
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Precision Bander Accuracy
Based on four 100 seed count replicates -
Applied at 3 mls / injection in a 5 inch band
applied at 6mls/injection in a 10 inch band
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Summary

• Precision Bander Accuracy (min. 90)
• Decreases as ground speed increases
• Decreases as seed size decreases
• Increases as band lengthens

Accuracy
2 mph 3 mph 4 mph
Accuracy
Accuracy
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Treatment Comparisons Pumpkins, Zukes, Cukes
VS.

• Precision bander _at_ 24 oz/A _at_ 15row spacing
• Admire rate 8.26 oz / 1000 row (5
  0.10184 mls,

1000
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Admire Treatment Bracketsfor Pumpkins, Zukes,
Cukes
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Measuring Efficacy - Bioassay Trials
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Measuring Efficacy - Bioassay Trials
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Measuring Efficacy - Bioassay Trials
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Measuring Efficacy - Bioassay Trials
24-72 hrs
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Bioassay Trial Results

• If Striped cucumber beetle lives
• Check plot beetles should survive
• Insecticide band missed seed
• Plant tissue has outgrown diluted lethal Admire
  concentration
• Otherwise, the beetle should die

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Treatment Comparisons All treatments applied in
5 bands _at_ 3 mls

• Bioassayed Cotyledon thru 4th leaf
• 4 reps x 10 samples 40 bioassays / trt

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Pumpkin Bioassay After 72 hrs
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Cucumber Bioassay After 72 hrs
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Zucchini Bioassay After 72 hrs
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Bioassay Summary

• 4 / 12 trials, check had significantly less
  mortality than ALL other treatments
• 12 / 12 trials, at same rate (16 or 24 oz) no
  sig. difference in mortality regardless
  application method
• In general
• mortality decreased as seedling stage and size
  increased
• mortality increased as Admire concentration
  increased
• 2nd year some striped cucumber beetles revived in
  bioassay
• Water stress may negatively impact Admire uptake

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Environmental Economic Savings 3 mls per
injection, 5 band

• PB Precision Banded, CF Continuous In-Furrow
• Assumes Admire _at_ 4.30/oz.

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Varying Volume and Band Length

• Up to now, all studies based off of 16.6 GPA,
  equals 3 mls in a 5 band
• Will mortality (efficacy) improve if we
• Keep the concentration the same
• Increase volume per injection?
• Lengthen band width?

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Varying Volume Band Length(concentration not
changed)

• Check, water only
• CF 24oz _at_ 5
• PB 5 band, 3mls
• PB 5 band, 9 mls
• PB 10 band, 6 mls
• PB 10 band, 18 mls
• PB Multi 5 band, 18 mls

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Pumpkin Bioassay After 72 hrs
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Pumpkin Bioassay After 72 hrs
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Bioassay Summary

• Mortality increased with increasing volume and
  longer band length
• Mortality 5-60 higher at 2-3 leaf stage w/
  increased volume / longer band

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Yield from alternative volume band length study
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Environmental Economic SavingsAlternative
volume and band lengths

• 30 in row seed spacing
• PB Precision Banded
• CF Continuous In-Furrow
• Assumes Admire _at_ 4.30/oz.

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Project Summary

• Accuracy of Precision Bander (min. 90)
• Decreased as ground speed increased
• Decreased as seed size decreased
• Increased as band width lengthened
• Bioassay studies (P, Z, C)
• 33 of ALL trial treatments had significantly
  higher mortality than Check
• In 100 trials, the 16 or 24 oz trts had no sig.
  difference in mortality regardless of
  application method
• Range of efficacy is very robust, very
  encouraging
• Water stress may negatively impact Admire uptake

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Project Summary

• Multi-disciplinary team project
• 2 Years of research indicate precision bander is
  equivalent to continuously applied in-furrow
• 50-83 savings (chemical cost)
• Refer to your States rules regarding reduced
  rates
• May void manufacturer liability if applying
  reduced rates
• Precision Bander Cost
• 1 Row unit ca. 1,000 300 for each extra row
• Can be adapted to any planter w/ optical seed
  tube
• Precision Bander Availability - ???
• Seed treatment may arrive soon for cucurbits

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Acknowledgements

• This research would not have been possible
  without funding from the OARDC Industry Small
  Grants Competition and the Ohio Vegetable Small
  Fruit Research and Development Program.
• We would also like to acknowledge additional
  support for this project by George F. Ackerman
  Company, TeeJet Spray Systems, Rupp Seed Company,
  and Harris Moran Seed Company.
• Special thanks to the staff at the Western
  Agricultural Research Station for plot
  preparation and planting assistance.
• Special thanks also to Karen Setty Kara Konys
  for data collection.

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Want a Bander? Contact

• John Wilkerson
• Lead Engineer
• University of Tennessee
• Biosystems Engineering Soil Science
• WILKERJ_at_tennessee.edu
• [phone]

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For More Information Contact

• Matt Darr
• Darr.27_at_osu.edu
• 614-292-6007
• Precision bander construction, engineering
• Jim Jasinski
• Jasinski.4_at_osu.edu
• 937-484-1526
• Bioassays and field studies