Effects of autumn kaolin and pyrethrin treatments on the spring population of Dysaphis plantaginea in apple orchards.

Summary

Abstract: The impact of treatments with the pyrethrin insecticide Pyrethrum FS and the repellent kaolin product Surround WP to control the autumn forms of Dysaphis plantaginea Pass. (Homoptera: Aphididae), a major pest insect on apple, was assessed in one-year field experiments in Switzerland. Single and multiple applications of pyrethrin and kaolin were tested at different dates after apple harvesting in autumn 2002 when sexuales of the rosy apple aphid were present. Repeated applications of Surround WP in autumn significantly reduced the number of females in autumn and, consequently, the number of hatched fundatrices in spring. Single kaolin treatments were less effective. Unexpectedly, neither single nor multiple applications of the contact insecticide Pyrethrum FS had a knock-down effect on females in autumn. However, pyrethrin significantly reduced the number of hatched fundatrices in spring. Neither pesticide completely controlled the rosy apple aphid but with a more detailed analysis of factors influencing the efficacy of autumn treatments a new approach to control this serious pest could be achieved.