Growing strawberries under protective low tunnels provides benefits of season extension and crop protection that can expand the production of locally sourced food in the northeastern U.S. However, it is currently unclear how this new system impacts the presence of pests and beneficial invertebrates and options for pest management. Using active and passive monitoring, we conclude that low tunnels can protect against fruit and foliar pathogens while having minimal impact on services provided by beneficial predators, parasitoids and pollinators. However, we identified tarnished bug “TBP” and twospotted spider mites “TSSM” as the most economically important pests on low tunnel strawberry that was the focus of my subsequent research. We evaluated diverse tactics (physical control, host plant resistance, microbial control, and biological control) to build a holistic integrated pest management program against TPB and TSSM. First, we demonstrated that UVB-blocking plastics can be used as low tunnel coverings to improve efficacy of biopesticides that contain microbial biocontrol agents against TPB. Second, using behavioral and predation experiments we identified strawberry cultivars that show increased resistance to TSSM and associated resistance with large plant size. When comparing efficacy of two commercially available predatory mites Phytoseiulus persimilis and Neoseiulus fallacis against TSSM, we found that retention and efficacy on strawberry was higher for N. fallacis and recommend this species as a candidate for biocontrol efforts. This research showcases innovative tools and approaches to IPM that address stakeholder needs while providing sustainable recommendations for pest management.
