Economic injury levels and economic thresholds for Leptoglossus zonatus (Dallas) (Hemiptera: Coreidae) infesting seed maize.

BACKGROUNDAlthough Leptoglossus zonatus is considered a secondary pest of maize grown for grain, when grown for seed, this pest can cause significant economic damage. There are no records of management recommendations for this pest. The objectives of this work were to quantify losses caused by L. zonatus to different genotypes used for seed maize production and to estimate the acute toxicity of selected insecticides to L. zonatus using different application technologies. The ultimate goal was to calculate economic injury levels (EILs) and develop economic thresholds (ETs) for L. zonatus infesting seed maize. RESULTSEILs and ETs varied, respectively, from 3 to 8 and from 2 to 6 adults per 1000 plants, depending on the genotype, insecticide and application technology. Effective control was obtained by using aerial or ground application of -cyhalothrin (10.6%)+thiametoxan (14.1%) or permethrin (38.4%) at the rates of 1.48mL ha(-1) and 27.10mL ha(-1), respectively, or ground application of methomyl (21.5%) at the rate of 244.06mL ha(-1). CONCLUSIONMaize grown for seed is susceptible to L. zonatus damage during reproductive stages, and the pest densities requiring management vary with genotype, insecticide, and application technology. These results contribute significantly to integrated pest management (IPM) for seed maize. (c) 2017 Society of Chemical Industry