350 Produce Degradation: Reaction Pathways and their Prevention
TABLE 11.4
Examples of Vegetable Insect Pests in the U.S., Major Problems They Cause,
and Insecticides Used for Their Control
Commodity Insects Problems Insecticides
Beans, peas Bean and pea aphids
Aphis fabae
Acyrthosiphon pisum
Sucking the plant sap leading to
curled leaves and stunted
plants; excreting honeydew (a
fungi growth medium);
vectors of plant virus diseases
Acephate, disulfoton,
dimethoate,
endosulfan,
esfenvalerate,
malathion, methomyl
Carrots, celery,
parsley
Carrot weevil
Listronotus
oregonensis
Larvae feeding on roots and
stalks causing damage
Cyfluthrin,
esfenvalerate,
imidacloprid, oxamyl,
parathion-methyl,
permethrin
Cole
vegetablesa,
spinach
Cabbage looper
Trichoplusia ni;
diamondback moth
Plutella xylostella
Feeding on leaves and
depositing fecal matter;
damaging and contaminating
broccoli and cauliflower heads
Cyhalothrin-lambda,
cypermethrin,
endosulfan,
esfenvalerate,
permethrin, spinosad,
thiodicarb
Cucurbitsb Cucumber beetles
Acalymma vittata
Diabrotica
undecimpunctata
howardi
Feeding on young seedlings,
stems, foliage and soft fruits,
larvae feeding on roots;
vectors of bacterial wilt
disease and mosaic virus
Carbaryl, carbofuran,
endosulfan,
esfenvalerate,
malathion, permethrin
lettuce Aphids
Myzus persicae,
Nasonovia ribis-nigri,
Macrosiphum
euphorbiae
Sucking the plant sap leading to
stunted plants; excreting
honeydew; vectors of plant
virus diseases (lettuce mosaic
virus)
Acephate, diazinon,
dimethoate,
endosulfan,
imidacloprid,
oxydemeton-methyl
Onions, garlic Onion and western
flower thrips
Thrips tabaci
Frankliniella
occidentalis
Sucking the plant sap causing
stunted and deformed plants,
leading to decreased yields
and quality
Cyhalothrin-lambda,
cypermethrin,
diazinon, malathion,
methomyl,
permethrin,
Peppers, sweet
corn
European corn borer
Ostriania nubilalis
Feeding on leaves; larvae
tunneling into pepper fruit or
corn stalks and ear shanks and
feeding on kernels in the ear
Bifenthrin, carbaryl,
cyhalothrin-lambda,
cyfluthrin,
esfenvalerate,
methomyl,
permethrin
Potatoes,
tomatoes,
eggplants
Colorado potato beetle
Leptinotarsa
decemlineata
Feeding on leaves leading to
decreased yields and quality
and ultimately to the plant’s
death
Aldicarb, carbaryl,
endosulfan,
imidacloprid,
permethrin, phorate,
Bacillus thuringiensis