Effect of acidification of insecticide sprays in pest control of sugar beet seedlings

Abstract

The pH of dimethoate, formetanate and methidathion insecticide spray liquids was reduced from 8.0 to 4.0 by adding 0.1 M H3PO4. Acidification did not improve the effectiveness of sprays against Lygus rugulipennis, Chaetocnema concinna or Piesma maculatum. There were also no significant differences in root or top yields between plots treated with acidified insecticides and the incecticides alone.

Introduced leaf beetles of the Maritime Provinces, 9: Chaetocnema concinna (Marsham, 1802) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

“…This author also mentioned that C. concinna was one of the pests causing the most damage to rhubarb by eating holes or creating brown pits in the leaves. Varis (1976) studied the effect of acidification of insecticides in pest control of sugar beet seedlings. After field experiments, conducted between 1958 and 1973, Varis & Rautapaa (1976) concluded that dimethoate gave the highest increase in sugar beet root yields.…”