Author(s)

Hala Adel^1*, Saad A. Gaffar¹, Ahmed Toman²

¹Central Laboratory for Organic Agriculture, Agricultural Research Center, Cairo, Egypt.
²Plant Protection Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Cairo, Egypt.

Destructive effects of conventional insecticides on environment have created a necessity to introduce bio-rational products in pest control programs. Effectiveness of bio-pesticide (Beauvaria bassiana), natural oil (anti-insect), a botanical extract (nimbecidine) and malathion insecticide was evaluated against Thrips spp. and Bemisia tabaci attacking tomato in Kafr El Sheik, Egypt. The trial was conducted during two successive seasons; 2017-18 in a total area of 4912 m2 cultivated with tomato cultivar zero 42. The experiment was set up in a randomized complete block design with five replications for each treatment. Yellow sticky traps were used to monitor population of both pests before and after spraying, in addition, their numbers on plants were counted. Results revealed that highest control rates of both pests were recorded after the fourth day of each spraying. Long inter-applications periods decreased effectiveness and the greatest control resulted when three consecutive sprayings were applied. Malathion achieved the highest suppression of both pests. Within the bio-rational pesticides, nimbecidine gave the greatest thrips control whereas products showed no significant difference for whiteflies. The study recommends those bio-rational compounds to join Integrated Pest Management programs of both pests in Egypt, taking into consideration spraying for 3 consecutive times with at least 5 days intervals.

Solanum lycopercicum, Bio-Pesticide, Natural Oil, Nimbecidine, Malathion

Adel, H. , Gaffar, S. and Toman, A. (2018) Effectiveness of Three Bio-Rational Products and a Traditional Insecticide against Thrips spp. and Bemisia tabaci Attacking Tomato Fields in Kafr El-Sheik Governorate, Egypt. Agricultural Sciences, 9, 1538-1552. doi: 10.4236/as.2018.912108.