BackgroundSelection of pesticides with small ecological footprints is a key factor in developing sustainable agricultural systems. Policy guiding the selection of pesticides often emphasizes natural products and organic-certified pesticides to increase sustainability, because of the prevailing public opinion that natural products are uniformly safer, and thus more environmentally friendly, than synthetic chemicals.Methodology/Principal FindingsWe report the results of a study examining the environmental impact of several new synthetic and certified organic insecticides under consideration as reduced-risk insecticides for soybean aphid (Aphis glycines) control, using established and novel methodologies to directly quantify pesticide impact in terms of biocontrol services. We found that in addition to reduced efficacy against aphids compared to novel synthetic insecticides, organic approved insecticides had a similar or even greater negative impact on several natural enemy species in lab studies, were more detrimental to biological control organisms in field experiments, and had higher Environmental Impact Quotients at field use rates.Conclusions/SignificanceThese data bring into caution the widely held assumption that organic pesticides are more environmentally benign than synthetic ones. All pesticides must be evaluated using an empirically-based risk assessment, because generalizations based on chemical origin do not hold true in all cases.

The pepper weevil (Anthonomus eugenii Cano) is a destructive insect pest of field and greenhouse pepper crops across North America. Its management remains challenging with significant implications for pepper production, despite a documented presence in Central America, Mexico, the United States, and the Caribbean for approximately a century, and recently in Canada. Currently, the main tools and methods applied to manage pepper weevil populations in greenhouse peppers are the implementation of strict biosecurity protocols, diligent monitoring, physical and cultural management techniques, and chemical insecticides when necessary. However, these tools can be costly, labor-intensive, and insufficient, particularly when new outbreaks go undetected for prolonged periods. Additionally, the use of available insecticides is limited due to significant nontarget effects these have on biological control agents used to manage other important greenhouse pepper pests. Recently, research efforts have focused on developing better tools for pepper weevil management to mitigate a rising incidence of insecticide resistance and the spread of weevils into temperate regions, however, multiple constraints remain. Here, we review the current state of knowledge of the pepper weevil and identify information gaps, which future research should address to improve the targeted management of this pest in greenhouse pepper production systems.

Mahoney, K. J., McCreary, C. M. and Gillard, C. L. 2014. Response of dry bean white mould [ Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Bary, causal organism] to fungicides. Can. J. Plant Sci. 94: 905–910. White mould [Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Bary, causal organism] is a serious disease of dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). Producers frequently rely on preventative fungicides, yet, this represents a significant production cost. Studies were conducted in 2009, 2010, and 2011 to determine fungicide efficacy under conditions optimized for white mould. Disease incidence×severity ratings were used to calculate the area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC). After harvest, a return on investment (ROI) was calculated. AUDPC values were similar across boscalid, fluazinam, fluopyram, and thiophanate-methyl and lower than Bacillus subtilis, CaCl2, and the untreated. Yield was greatest for fluazinam and fluopyram, followed by thiophanate-methyl. Bacillus subtilis and CaCl2 yields were similar to the untreated. In early-planted environments, using fluazinam and fluopyram resulted in a $500 ha−1 greater ROI than the untreated with $554 gained for every tonne per hectare of dry bean harvested. In late-planted environments, fluazinam and fluopyram averaged about $200 ha−1 greater ROI than the untreated and $494 was returned for every tonne per hectare of dry bean. When dry bean yield potential is reduced under conditions of increased white mould severity, profit margins become narrowed and producers may have to select fungicides that are both efficacious and economical.

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The pepper weevil,Anthonomus eugeniiCano (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is the most important pest of pepper (CapsicumLinnaeus; Solanaceae) crops in North America. Native to Mexico, the southern United States of America, and Central America, it is intercepted in Canada when peppers are imported to supplement domestic production. Given the proximity of greenhouse and field production to packing facilities, this pest poses a serious risk to the cultivation of peppers in Canada. Once established, it is difficult to control because immature stages of the weevil are protected within the pepper fruit. As such, chemical control targeting these life stages is not effective, and other strategies, including biological control, may prove useful. To explore the potential for biological control options to manage the pepper weevil in areas at risk in Canada, natural enemy surveys were conducted in southern Ontario following the reports of transient, localised field populations in 2016. Parasitoids belonging to three Hymenoptera families including Pteromalidae (Jaliscoa hunteriCrawford,Pteromalus anthonomiAshmead), Eupelmidae (Eupelmus pulchricepsCameron), and Braconidae (NealiolusMason species,BraconFabricius species) were reared from infested field-collected pepper fruits. Together, these new natural enemy records could facilitate the exploration and development of novel agents for the biological control of the pepper weevil.

The pepper weevil, Anthonomus eugenii Cano, is an economically important pest of field and greenhouse pepper crops in North America. In this study, a series of insecticides covering a broad-spectrum of insecticidal modes of action were assessed for their potential in managing the pepper weevil under laboratory and greenhouse conditions. To accomplish this, laboratory mini-spray tower and greenhouse cage trials were conducted that evaluated the efficacy of 16 conventional, reduced-risk, and microbial insecticides. In laboratory trials, adult weevils were sprayed with insecticides, placed on treated leaves within a cup cage, and were monitored for their survival over 10 d. Of the 16 insecticides tested, 8 provided greater than 60% weevil control, a threshold considered necessary for including products in further greenhouse testing. In greenhouse trials, adult weevil mortality, bud and foliar damage, bud and fruit abortion, and subsequent weevil offspring emergence were measured following each of three weekly insecticide applications. The most efficacious insecticides included kaolin clay and mineral oil, which performed as well as the thiamethoxam-positive control, and incurred 70 and 55% of adult weevil mortality, respectively. Additionally, kaolin clay and mineral oil reduced offspring weevil emergence by 59 and 54%, respectively, compared with untreated controls. Despite the clear challenge that controlling this pest represents, this study has identified useful new tools for the integrated management of the pepper weevil, which may accelerate the rate at which these become available for use in greenhouse and field pepper production.

Studies were conducted in Ontario on dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) in 2010 and 2011 using fulvic acid (LX7®, MTS Environmental Inc.) or humic acid (Plant XL®, Alpha-Agri) fertilizers. Twenty fulvic acid field trials and 15 humic acid field trials indicate that these fertilizers were ineffective, as plant vigour, height, 100-seed weight, and yield were similar to a control treatment.