Proc. of
IPM System in Avocado
Plantations in
Manes Wysoki and Eliahu Swirski
Department
of Entomology,
Yehonatan Izhar
Extension
Service, Ministry of Agriculture, Hakiria, Tel
Abstract. An IPM system was developed for avocado plantations which included control of lepidopterous pests [the giant looper, Boarmia selenaria (Geometridae), the honey dew moth, Cryptoblabes gnidiella (Phycitidae), and the carnation leaf roller, Cacoecimorpha pronubana (Tortricidae)], by means of Bacillus thuringensis preparations by aerial or ground applications. Since only young caterpillars of the giant looper are sensitive to those preparations, a monitoring system is used to forecast the appearance of the young caterpillars. Migration of Egyptian cotton leafworm, Spodoptera littoralis (Noctuidae), is prevented by dusting safety belts with benzene hexachloride. The outbreaks of the long-tailed mealybug, Pseudococcus longipinus (Homoptera: Pseudococcidae), (which have resulted from drift of aerial pesticide sprays of adjacent cotton fields), were controlled by limiting these sprays and releases of two parasitoids, Arhopoideus ( = Hungariella) pereginus and Anagyrus fusciventris (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae). The Japanese bayberry whitefly, Parabesimia myricae (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae), is successfully controlled by an imported California parasitoid, Eretmocerus sp. Efforts are being made to introduce more natural enemies against the pyriform scale, Protopulvinaria pyriformis (Homoptera: Coccidae), which is suppressed by two imported parasitic wasps, Metaphycus stanleyii and M. swirskii (Encyrtidae). Additionally, mineral oils are sprayed against young stages to encourage the activity of those natural enemies.