Case Study #3: Greenhouse Pest

Management Programs

HS 495. Greenhouse Management

October 24, 2006

- Daniel Whatley
- Felipe Salvador
 Crops Experiencing Pest
Problems
• Euphorbia pulcherrima ‘poinsettia’

• Tagetes ‘mariglod’
The Pests
• Poinsettia: Marigolds
– Whiteflies Spider Mites

– Fungus Gnats
Step 1
• It is essential before any crops arrive to have a
clean greenhouse.
- Dry (well drained), level, weed free
floors eliminate the breeding areas.
- All media, tools, pots, etc. should be
pasteurized/sterilized.
- A fallow period of 1 week, when all weeds
and plants are eliminated should help
minimize potential pest problems.
Poinsettia Program
• Poinsettia cuttings should be examined
upon arrival before planting, look for:
– Fungus gnat larvae.
– Fungus gnat & Whitefly feeding damage.
– Underside of leaves for adult and immature
whitefly presence.
Whiteflies & Fungus Gnats
• In order to properly monitor and treat these pests it is
important to learn how to recognize them and identify
different growth phases, as they may require different
treatment.
– Adult fungus gnats are small (1/8 inch long), mosquito-like insects,
with long legs and antennae. Their two wings are delicate and clear
with an Y-shaped vein in the wing pattern.
– The powdery white (0.06 inch long) greenhouse whitefly adults
have wings that tend to lie flat over their body.
• Placing yellow sticky cards when the pots enter the
greenhouse will help alert the grower of any fly or gnat
problems.
Chemical Treatment Recommendation for
Tom’s Wholesale Greenhouse Poinsettias
-Marathon 1% G (imidacloprid )
-Effectively controls whiteflies
and fungus gnats with a
lasting residual effect of
10-12 weeks.
- Best if applied pot to pot.
 Marathon Application
• On potted crops such as poinsettia, marathon is
best applied at a rate of 1.3 grams per pot 10-12
weeks before the crop is sold, thus eliminating the
need to spray at the end of crop.
• Cost: 1.3g. /pot x 1,900 pots = 2,470g. = 5.45 lbs.
of marathon required.
• Available in 5 lb. Jugs for $119.50.
• Total cost: $119.50 x 2 = $239.
Biological Treatment Recommendation for
Tom’s Wholesale Greenhouse Poinsettias

• Pestrap Jumbo
• Traps should be mounted just above the
crop canopy.
• Cable above benches is required as well as
“s” hooks to hold the traps.
• Discard traps when they are full.
 Pestrap Jumbo
• Recommended use: 14 traps along a 90 ft.
bench.
• Available at $20.40/package (1 package =
10 traps).
 Cost
24 ft.
• Greenhouse bench layout.
• 14 traps/row x 3 rows =
6 ft. 42 traps needed. At
$20.40/10 traps = $102.
• 96 ft. x 3 = 288 ft. wire
96 needed. At $26.90/ 500 ft.
ft. of wire.
• 42 x 2 = 84 hooks needed.
At $4.30/100 hooks.
• Disposable gloves. At
$20.40/ 100 gloves.
• Total Cost = 153.60
1.5 ft. 3.5 ft.
 Biological Treatment Recommendation for
Tom’s wholesale greenhouse Poinsettias.
(Fungus Gnats)
• Although traps are effective for mature fungus gnats,
there is the need to use a product that will prevent the
appearance of this pest in the greenhouse.
• GNATROL is a biological larvicide controls fungus
gnat larvae, but it is not effective with mature fungus
gnats.
• Applied with sprayer or through injector every few
days.
• Recommended application is 8 pints per 100 gallons.
Since 8 pints = 1 gallon, then it should be applied as a
1% Gnatrol solution.
 Cost
• 2 quarts of spray will
cover 100 sq. ft. of crop.
• 1,600 sq. ft. actual
growing space/100 sq. ft.
x 2 = 32 quarts of spray
required.
• 32 quarts = 30.4 l = 7.9
gallons of solution.
• 7.9 x 0.01 = 0.079 gallons
of Gnatrol required.
• Available in 2 ½ gallon
jugs at $86.40.
 Spider Mites

Less then 1/20 inch long, spider mites live in colonies on the undersides of
leaves. Spider mites produce silk webbing, which helps distinguish them
from other non-harmful species.

Adequate irrigation will help prevent spider mite damage, water stressed
plants are most likely to be damaged.

Due to the fact that they are so small, mites can be difficult to detect.
Plant damage is the most obvious sign, check for:
• - Yellowing of Leaves
• - Underside of leaves for mites, their eggs, and webbing (a 10X hands
lens will probably be necessary to identify them).

Mites suck cell contents from leaves, which can cause serious damage
when high populations are present.
• Weekly scouting and random plant inspection is needed to
detect populations early before feeding damage occurs.
Inspect at least 10 plants per 1000 square feet. Monitoring
is especially important during the summer months when
hot, dry conditions prevail. In the greenhouse, focus on
scouting hot and dry locations near furnaces. Check near
the doorways and vents, where mites may be blown in
from weedy areas outside.

• Lush growth from over-fertilizing can attract mites as well

 Chemical Treatment Recommendation for
Tom’s Wholesale Greenhouse Marigolds.
• Ultrafine spray oil
• High degree of plant safety.
• Acts as a suffocant and ovicide.
• Do not use on plants that have been sprayed with
sulfur.
• Do not apply through any kind of irrigation system.
• Recommended application: 3 parts oil to 100 parts
water (3%).
Cost
• 2 quarts will cover 100 sq. ft.
of crop.
• 1,600 sq. ft. actual growing
space /100 sq. ft. x 2 quarts =
32 quarts = 7.9 gallons of
solution needed.
• 7.9 gallons x 0.03 = 0.237
gallons pf oil required.
• Available in 2 ½ gallon jugs at
$38.10.
 Biological Treatment Recommendation for
Tom’s Wholesale Greenhouse Marigolds.
• Phytoseiulus permisilis- The fast action predatory
mite.
• One of the first popular biocontrol agents.
• Respond well to high pest numbers.
• Fast reproduction.
• Easy to spread evenly around greenhouse.
• Very effective and simple to use.
• Available in 500 ml bottles containing 2000 mites
at $40.20 per bottle.
 Sources

Hummert International. 2006 Catalogue

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/index.html . UC IPM Online. Statewide IPM Program,

Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California
© 2006 The Regents of the University of California.

http://www.hort.uconn.edu/ipm/ . University of Connecticut Department of Plant

Science Cooperative Extension System. Webmaster: Chase, Marilyn.

http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/ent/biocontrol/predators/phytoseiulus_persimilis.ht
ml . Biological Control: A Guide to Natural Enemies in North America.
Weeden, Shelton, Li, & Hoffmann : Editors. Cornell University.