Entrapment SP provides superior aphid and whitefly control on greenhouse tomatoes

Among the most prevalent insect pests of greenhouse tomatoes are aphids and whiteflies. Attune Agriculture conducted a trial in Oregon City, OR to evaluate Entrapment SP for control of green peach aphid, potato aphid, and spiraling whitefly.

Both aphids and whiteflies have piercing/sucking mouth parts which are used to feed on plant sap. These insects discharge a liquid called “honeydew” which consists of partially digested plant sap. With heavy infestations, leaves can become covered with honeydew which often becomes a food source for black sooty mold. Feeding on the fruit can cause discoloration. 

Collins Agricultural Research conducted a greenhouse trial in Oregon City, OR to evaluate Entrapment SP for control of three insects: green peach aphid, potato aphid and spiraling whitefly. Cherry tomatoes (Red Chief variety) were grown in 2 gallon pots, a single plant in each pot and in a 2 ft by 2 ft plot. A single pot was a replication and there were 5 replications per treatment. Plants were inoculated with the three insect pests and allowed to establish themselves. Insect counts were completed 103 days post planting. There were 2.0 to 11.0 green peach aphids per 10 leaves, 1.2 to 3.8 potato aphids, and 94.4 to 164.0 whiteflies. Plants were sprayed with a backpack sprayer using a 100 gallon per acre spray volume. The treatments were applied 3 times on a weekly basis. Insect counts were taken 1 day before application and 1, 6, 13 and 21 days after the first application.  

Entrapment SP @ 0.25% provided 98.2% control of green peach and potato aphids which was comparable to the control provided by Admire Pro® @ 1 fl oz/A. With whiteflies, Entrapment SP @ 0.25% provided 91.2% control whereas Admire Pro provided 64.7% control. Entrapment SP provided 40.9% higher control compared to Admire Pro.

This trial demonstrates that Entrapment SP provides high levels of control of two of the most prevalent insect pests of greenhouse grown tomatoes.