Help Us Document the Heavy Insect Pressure in Desert Lettuce This Season
With the produce season winding down rapidly, now is a good time to reflect on pest activity and insecticide usage you experienced this season in desert lettuce. The 2023 Lettuce Crop Losses Workshop will be held live, in-person Tuesday, May 9th at the Yuma Agricultural Center from 11:30 until 3:00 pm (see agenda below). Get there early as lunch will be provided. The meeting has been approved for 2.5 CA/AZ CEUs. Participants will be asked to complete two short surveys to document pest pressure and control tactics used on lettuce this season. This workshop has been invaluable to our Vegetable IPM Team over the past 18 years because it allows us to develop accurate “real world” data on crop losses and pesticide usage which is important to the assessment of IPM programs in Arizona. It’s also valuable to PCAs, as it can translate their efforts into economic terms for their growers and confirms their value to the lettuce industry by showing the importance of key insect pests and their cost-effective management in desert lettuce production.
It's no secret, the insect activity this spring was exceptional. Lettuce aphids and green peach aphids were abundant most of the spring, and thrips numbers were down until late in the season. As I’ve reported previously, I think this may be one of the heaviest aphid years I’ve experienced in the desert in a long time. Earlier Lettuce Insect Losses surveys from theses workshops estimated that over a 18-year period, PCA made on average 1.5 sprays on lettuce for aphids (ranging from 1.0 to 2.5 sprays). For the complete report see: Insect Losses and Management on Desert Lettuce: An 18-year Summary. Based on reports from PCAs this spring, it is likely that considerably more sprays were applied this spring for green peach aphid, and perhaps fewer for thrips. Also, a wide variety of insecticides products were reportedly used by PCA’s, some with mixed results. You can review the historical database of insecticides used for aphids and other insects here: Insecticide Usage on Desert Lettuce, 2021-2022The bottom line: from a historical perspective, it would be quite useful to document insect pressure and sprays applied this year compared to previous years. In addition to the reporting, Marco Pena will be presenting the latest results of his herbicide trials and areawide weed survey. Finally, I will be providing the latest efficacy trial results on aphids, thrips, worms, and whiteflies. So, we hope you can make it to the workshop and participate in this important process.
Lettuce Crops Losses Workshop
May 9, 2023 11:30-3:00 pm
Yuma Agricultural Center Conference Room
Agenda
11:30-12:00 pm Lunch (It will be yummy)
12:00- 12:30 pm Impact of IPM on Lettuce Insect Losses John Palumbo
12:30-1:00 pm Individual Completion of LIL Questionnaires Attendees
1:00-1:30 pm Historical Results of Insect Losses /Insecticide Usage John Palumbo
1:30-2:00 pm Weed Management Research Update Marco Pena
2:00-3:00 pm Insect Management Research Update John Palumbo
This study was conducted at the Yuma Valley Agricultural Center. The soil was a silty clay loam (7-56-37 sand-silt-clay, pH 7.2, O.M. 0.7%). Lettuce was seeded, then sprinkler-irrigated to germinate seed on Nov 28, 2023 on double rows 12 in. apart on beds with 42 in. between bed centers. All other water was supplied by furrow irrigation or rainfall. Treatments were replicated five times in a randomized complete block design. Each replicate plot consisted of 25 ft of bed, which contained two 25 ft rows of lettuce. Plants were thinned Jan 4, 2024 at the 3-4 leaf stage to a 12-inch spacing. Treatment beds were separated by single nontreated beds. Treatments were applied with a tractor-mounted boom sprayer that delivered 50 gal/acre at 100 psi to flat-fan nozzles spaced 12 in apart.
Month
MaxTemp(°F)
Min Temp (°F)
Average Temp (°F)
Rainfall
November
80
51
65
0.08 in
December
71
44
57
0.82 in
January
68
42
54
1.14 in
February
73
47
59
0.50 in
Downy mildew (caused by Bremia lactucae) rating was done on variety Eblin, Bobcat, and 180 (partially funded by AILRC grant). Disease was first seen on 1-30-24. Please see attached excel file for chemicals application date. Disease rating was done on February 29, 2024. Disease severity was determined by rating 10 plants within each of the five replicate plots per treatment using the following rating system: 0 = no downy mildew present; 0.5 = one to a few very small downy mildew colonies on bottom leaves; 1 = downy mildew present on bottom leaves of plant; 2 = downy mildew present on bottom leaves and lower wrapper leaves; 3 = downy mildew present on bottom leaves and all wrapper leaves; 4 = downy mildew present on bottom leaves, wrapper leaves, and cap leaf; 5 = downy mildew present on entire plant.
The data in the table illustrate the degree of disease control obtained by application of the various treatments in this trial. Most of the treatments exhibited activity against the disease to some extent. Latitude, Amara, Eject, Previcure flex exhibited good control in the variety Eblin (highly susceptible variety). Whereas Cevya, Stargus, Latitude, Amara, Revus, Thrive 4 M, Actigard, Instigo+Carbose+intereact showed activity against the pathogen in variety Bobcat. Please see excel file for the full list of chemicals and their efficacy. The lettuce variety 180 was resistant to the disease and no downy mildew was observed on the particular variety. No phytotoxicity was observed in this field.
Band-Steam Applicator for Controlling Soilborne Pathogens and Weeds in Lettuce
Steam sterilization of soils is commonly used in plant nurseries and greenhouses for effective control of soilborne pathogens and weed seeds. The technique, however, is highly energy intensive as the entire soil profile is heated. This is too costly and slow to be practical for field scale vegetable production. To reduce energy consumption and cost, use of band-steaming, where steam is applied only in the area where it is needed – in the plant root zone, is proposed. In this method, narrow strips of soil centered on the seed line are treated with steam rather than the whole bed.
Over the course of the last year, we developed a prototype band-steam and co-product applicator that is designed to raise soil temperatures in a band 2” deep by 4” wide to levels sufficient to control soilborne pathogens (140 °F for > 20 minutes) and weed seed (150 °F for > 20 minutes). The device is principally comprised of a 35 BHP steam generator and a co-product applicator mounted on top of a bed shaper (Fig.1). The apparatus applies steam via shank injection and from cone shaped ports on top of the bed shaper. An exothermic compound can be co-applied via shank injection and/or a banding spray nozzle. The rationale behind co-applying an exothermic compound with steam is that exothermic compounds react and release heat when combined with water, thereby reducing energy requirements and increasing travel speed.
Preliminary testing of the device this spring in Yuma, AZ were very promising. Trial results showed that application of steam alone effectively raised soil temperature in the center of the seed line to levels required for effective pest control (140 °F for more than 20 minutes). Use of the exothermic compound increased soil temperature by about 10 °F. A video of the device in action can be found at the link provided below.
We are currently evaluating the device in field trials with lettuce in Salinas, CA. Target pests in these experiments conducted in collaboration with Steve Fennimore, UC Davis, are soil pathogens which cause Sclerotinia lettuce drop and in-row weeds. Future articles will report the findings of this research.
This fall, we will be replicating these tests in Yuma, AZ and also investigating the effectiveness of band-steam for controlling Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lactucae which causes Fusarium wilt of lettuce. Heat has been shown to effectively kill Fusarium oxysporum spores and control Fusarium wilt disease. As an example, soil solarization, where clear plastic is placed over crop beds during the summer, raises soil temperatures to 150-155˚F at the soil surface, effectively killing the pathogen and reducing disease incidence by 45-98% (Matheron and Porchas, 2010).
These projects are sponsored by USDA-NIFA, the Arizona Specialty Crop Block Grant Program and the Arizona Iceberg Lettuce Research Council. We greatly appreciate their support.
If you are interested in seeing the machine operate or would like more information, please feel free to contact me.
See the band-steam and co-product applicator in action!
References:
Matheron, M. E., & Porchas, M. 2010. Evaluation of soil solarization and flooding as management tools for Fusarium wilt of lettuce. Plant Dis. 94:1323-1328.
Sprangletop has become increasingly widespread in Arizona mostly because of its growth habits and tolerance to many commonly used herbicides. It is in the Leptochloa genus which is derived from the Greek words leptos (thin) and chloa (grass). There are more than 150 species of sprangletop worldwide but only three in Arizona and two in Yuma County. The two that are the most common in the low desert are Mexican Sprangletop, which is Leptochloa uninervia and Red Sprangletop, Leptochloa filiformis. A third species, Bearded Sprangletop, Leptochloa fascicularis, is more common at higher elevations of 1500 feet or higher. It is not uncommon to find both Red and Mexican Sprangletop in the same field and it is not hard to distinguish them when they are side by side. Red Sprangletop has a light green leaf blade which is similar in width to watergrass and barnyardgrass. It has very fine hairs and very small and fine branches and spiklets. It also has a long membranous ligule. The name Red refers to the leaf sheath, which is characteristically red, rather than the seed head. Mexican Sprangletop has a thinner leaf blade which is darker green or grayish in color and similar in appearance to common bermudagrass. The seed head is distinctly coarser than that of Red Sprangletop. Side by side, leaf color and size of the seed make it easy to distinguish these two. Both of these grasses are classified as summer annuals, but they grow more like perennials in the low desert. Sprangletop does very well in the hottest part of the summer and typically germinates from seed during the hottest period between July and September. Once established, however, it often survives through the cold winter months. It grows into clumps that often appear to be dead during the winter. New shoots commonly grow from these established crowns the next season. When this occurs, preemergent herbicides such as Trifluralin or Prowl are ineffective. Some Sprangletop plants stay green and grow through the winter. Many of the postemergence, grass specific herbicides that control many grasses are ineffective on Sprangletop. This also has contributed to the spread of these weeds. Sethoxydim (Poast) and Fluazifop (Fusilade) do not control either Red or Mexican sprangletop. Only Clethodim (Select Max, Select, Arrow and others) is the only one of these grass herbicides that is effective and only at the highest labeled rates. Two applications are often necessary to achieve season long control.
Results of pheromone and sticky trap catches can be viewedhere.
Diamondback moth:
DBM captures beginning to increase in all trap locations comparable to previous years during September.
To date, average captures ( < 1 moths / night ) comparable to the 2018-19 growing season
Moths have been most active in the Yuma Valley where they averaged ~ 1 moth/night in the in traps in both the north and south ends of the valley.
Comparisons between paired fields showed that a significantly higher number of adults were trapped in transplants (cabbage and cauliflower) compared to direct seeded broccoli.
Moth activity is 5-fold higher now than this time last year.
Diamondback
We have started our Areawide Insect and DBM Trapping Network for the 2019-20 season.
We have added another trapping location in Bard, CA.
Results of pheromone and sticky trap catches can be viewedhere.
Corn earworm: Moth activity about normal for September but beginning to increase, particularly in Dome Valley and south Yuma Valley.
Beet armyworm: Moths remain active throughout the desert, especially in Texas Hill and Tacna growing areas- Staring to pick up in the south Yuma Valley.
Cabbage looper: Cabbage looper activity unusually low for mid-late September. Larvae just starting to show up in some fields.
Whitefly: Adult movement has been relatively light and about average for this time of year. Activity highest in Dome Valley.
Thrips: To date, thrips activity has been seasonably low at all trap locations; most activity found in Bard. Numbers beginning to slowly trend upward
Aphids: No aphids have been caught on traps thus far. Normal for this time of year. Still early, anticipate they will begin to show up in October.
Leafminers: Adult activity below normal for September, but moderate numbers caught in Wellton and south Gila Valley in areas where cotton was recently harvested and disked under.