Entomology, Ornithology & Herpetology: Current Research
Open Access

Abstract

Trunk Injection: A Discriminating Delivering System for Horticulture Crop IPM

Wise JC, VanWoerkom AH, Aćimović SG, Sundin GW, Cregg BM and Vandervoort C

Trunk injection technology represents an alternative delivery system to provide crop protection for horticultural crops of commercial and smallholder farmers in the developed and developing world. Field studies, laboratory bioassays, and residue profile analysis were used to determine the seasonal effectiveness of trunk injected insecticides against key apple insect pests. Insecticides formulated for trunk injection, imidacloprid, rynaxypyr, and emamectin benzoate were injected into semi dwarf Empire apple trees and evaluated for a wide range of insect pests. Imidacloprid controlled piercing and sucking pests, and emamectin benzoate controlled leaf rollers, Oriental fruit moth, and leafhoppers, and rynaxypyr controlled Oriental fruit moth and leaf rollers. The residue profiles for insecticides showed that vascular delivery was predominantly to foliage, with fruit residues far below the EPA maximum residue limits, and low to no residues detected in apple flower parts. These results suggest that trunk injection is a promising delivering system for plant protection materials for control of foliar pests, while minimizing impacts on natural enemies, eliminating spray drift, and reducing the pesticide load in the agro-ecosystem. For smallholder farmers this low-capital investment technology has the potential to significantly reduce the human health risks associated with pesticide use, while protecting high value horticultural crops from pests