![]() Biological control, such as introduction of the spined soldier bug ( Podisus maculiventris), a predator of the yellowmargined leaf beetle.Cultural control, such as cultivation and clean-up of fields immediately after harvest, to reduce plant debris that serves as shelter and food for overwintering beetle populations.In their article, Balusu and his colleagues summarize the basic life stages, ecology, and feeding behavior of the yellowmargined leaf beetle, and they identify various other management methods available to organic crucifier growers, including: Yellowmargined leaf beetle adults and larvae feed voraciously on crucifers, causing severe defoliation such as in the cabbage shown above. “Our research showed that farmers that adopt the integrated trap crop-biopesticide strategy will likely make on average $232 per acre more than those using the growers’ standard practice.” ochroloma management is gaining popularity through extension publications and hands-on training, it is still currently an underutilized tactic,” Balusu says. Balusu, Ph.D., a research fellow in the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology at Auburn University and lead author of the JIPM article. They can then apply organically approved insecticides on the trap crop to reduce or eliminate the use of insecticides on the main crop, says Rammohan R. ![]() By doing this, growers can reduce the beetle’s impact on the main crop. Trap cropping involves planting a border of crops that the beetle is most attracted to-turnips and Napa cabbage-around a main crop like cabbage or mustard. Past research has shown that the yellowmargined leaf beetle prefers some crucifers over others a behavior that can be used to manage the beetle via a method known as trap cropping. ochroloma in the open-access Journal of Integrated Pest Management (JIPM) offers growers a useful guide for understanding how to manage the pest. The beetle is usually susceptible to synthetic insecticides, but, in the absence of those insecticides in organic systems, the beetle has become one of the major pests of organic cruciferous vegetable crops, such as cabbage, cauliflower, collard, and radish. One insect causing a considerable amount of damage to organic crops in the southeastern United States is the yellowmargined leaf beetle ( Microtheca ochroloma). Insecticide restrictions on organic crops mean the insects have an easier chance to grab a free meal without getting killed in the process. While humans are falling in love with organic food more and more, insects are also quite fond of it. Organic food sales surpassed $35 billion in the United States in 2014, up from an estimated $12 billion in 2005, according to the U.S. In recent years, the demand for organic foods by the consuming public has exploded. A new profile in the Journal of Integrated Pest Management offers a guide for growers in managing the pest. The yellowmargined leaf beetle ( Microtheca ochroloma)-adult females (left) and males (right) shown in dorsal (A) and lateral (B) views above-is a major pest of crucifer vegetables.
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