Assistant Professor Purdue University Lafayette, Indiana, United States
Background/Question/Methods
The carrot weevil (Listronotus oregonensis), hereafter CW, is one of the most destructive pests of carrots, parsley, and celery in Ohio, parts of Michigan, New Jersey, and several Canadian provinces. Progress on CW regulation is constrained by outdated management recommendations and by limited information on growers’ IPM knowledge, experience, and practices across regions.
In this study, we utilized an interdisciplinary approach to identify social and biological factors that influence the efficacy of CW management tactics across affected states in the Great Lakes and mid-Atlantic regions of the U. S. We developed a survey instrument to identify which pest management practices are used most and perceived as most effective by vegetable producers in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, and New Jersey. We utilized social network analyses to to quantitatively and qualitatively analyze relationships and flows between growers and other knowledge-possessing actors that might influence CW/vegetable pest management practices. We monitored populations and activity of adult CW and compared the financial implications of CW monitoring and scouting strategies in replicated field blocks that are planted following: 1) conventional, early season timing, and 2) delayed, late season timing. We combined principle components and ANOVA to assess management practices and delayed planting strategies on CW activity.
Results/Conclusions
Activity of overwintering CW adults did not significantly differ among delayed and conventionally planted parsley fields, but feeding damage was less prevalent in delayed plantings. The results of our survey indicate that CW and vegetable pest management practices vary across the region, as do levels of connectivity and diversity of knowledge networks among its vegetable producers. Our findings suggest that CW management strategies should be much more tailored to specific regions within the Great Lakes region, and that geography plays a prominent role in the socialization and transfer of pest management knowledge and practices.
