Produce Degradation Pathways and Prevention

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