A pest management program based on a 10-year survey of major insect pests of greenhouse cherry tomato in organic farming

Abstract

To develop an IPM program that could be adopted in cherry tomato greenhouses with JAS organic certification, we investigated the pest species and the numbers of individuals on plants in certified organic greenhouses (area, 11 to 22 a) in Ibaraki Prefecture, central Japan, at 2-week intervals during the cultivation period in 2009–2013 and 2015–2019. The major pests were whiteflies (Trialeurodes vaporariorum, Bemisia tabaci), aphids (Aphis gossypii, Macrosiphum euphorbiae), and tomato rust mite (Aculops lycopersici). Periodic release of either or both of the parasitoid wasps, Encarsia formosa and Eretmocerus eremicus, suppressed whiteflies to the extent that the fruits were not substantially damaged. The aphid parasitoid Aphidius colemani was released against Aphis gossypii. However, release of A. colemani after pest occurrence could not control the aphids and resulted in infestation throughout the greenhouses in 2009 and 2010. A banker plant system using A. colemani was introduced in 2011 and has controlled the pest densities continuously to a low level since then. Macrosiphum euphorbiae was suppressed by using the aphid parasitoid, Aphelinus asychis, during all years except 2016. In 2016, the occurrence of M. euphorbiae immediately after planting in one of the greenhouses resulted in the failure of control by A. asychis and the cessation of cultivation in that greenhouse. This problem was caused by infestation of the nursery greenhouse with the pests. A work procedure to prevent the introduction of pests was adopted the following year. Although the percentage of plants damaged by tomato russet mite reached 20% or more from 2009 to 2011, from 2012 onward it became possible to control it by applying milbemectin emulsion, which is registered as a JAS-certified material. With these control measures against insect pests, the yield per 10 a, which was initially less than 2000 kg, reached 5000 kg in 2019. We present details of the IPM program established through these field practices. Summary