A New Use for Metalized Mulch Film in Managing

Greenhouse Pests

R. C. Hochmuth, W. L. Laughlin, R. K. Sprenkel, K. S. SmithUF/IFAS North Florida Research and Education Center – Suwannee Valley

Florida Greenhouse Industry

• 80 Acres Greenhouse Vegetables & Herbs

• Over 100 Acres Greenhouse Vegetable Transplants

• Not including 100s of Acres Greenhouse and Shadehouse Horticultural Crops

Silverleaf Whitefly (SLWF)

• Virus Transmission• Tomato Chlorosis Virus (1990s)• Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus (2000)• Tomato Irregular Ripening

Red “eye spots” to identify silverleaf whiteflySilverleaf whitefly life

stages

Florida Greenhouse Tomato

• Seeded August

• Transplanted September

• Peak of SLWF in North Florida

• 2005-06 Season Disaster with Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus (TYLCV)

• Yellow Leaf Curl Virus

SLWF Control

• Control very difficult once inside

• Insect exclusion necessary

Overall IPM Program

• Sanitation• Air-lock Entrance• Resistant Cultivars• Insect Screening• Scouting &

Monitoring Populations

• Metalized Mulch Insect screening on greenhouse air intake

Metalized Mulch Trial

• Cheney Farms• 2 greenhouses, both with screening• Fan and Pad Structures• “Treated” = with Metalized Mulch• “Untreated” = No Mulch• Metalized Mulch: Thanks to Mark

Jordan, Pliant Corporation

Monitoring

• Yellow Sticky Traps (6 locations)

• Recorded Twice Weekly

• Cards Replaced or Cleaned After

Each Count

• Adult SLWF Found Before Crops

Planted

Table 1. Effect of metalized mulch applied to the ground around the exterior of a greenhouse on the entrance of silverleaf whitefly into the greenhouse.

DateTotal number of silverleaf whitefly adults on 6 yellow sticky cards inside the test greenhouse.

With metalized mulch No mulch

Aug 22 11 40

Aug 25 16 122

Aug 29 15 43

Sep 01 20 235

Sep 05 18 436

Sep 08 5 96

Sep 12 4 47

Sep 15 2 54

Sep 19 17 146

Summary• Metalized mulch can play

an important role in an overall insect exclusion plan.

• Metalized mulch alone reduced SLWF populations ten fold in the grower trial.

• Metalized mulch should be used in combination with exterior insect screening programs to maximize exclusion.

• Metalized mulch is most effective on fan and pad type structures.

Video Done on Process of Application of Metalized Mulch

http://vfd.ifas.ufl.edu

This presentation brought to you by the Small Farms/Alternative Enterprises Focus Team.

Thank You

For more information visit the Small Farms web at

http://smallfarms.ifas.ufl.edu

Take a virtual field day tour by visiting the Virtual Field Day web at http://vfd.ifas.ufl.edu