The most serious pestilence that can cause significant damage to strawberry crop is the tarnished plant bug , also have a go at it as lygus hemipteron . These worm belong to the genus Lygus and are piercing - suck up bugs , which means they have mouthpart designed to thrust the plant tissue and absorb out the sap .
Lygus bugs are a common job in hemangioma simplex fields and can cause extensive damage if left unchecked . They prey on the leafage , flowers , and developing fruits of strawberry flora , lead to stunted emergence , deformed fruit , and reduced yields . The bugs use their piercing mouthpart to puncture the industrial plant tissues and extract plant life juices , make damage to the plant ’s vascular system .
One of the reasonableness why lygus bug are regard such a serious pesterer is their ability to reproduce rapidly . distaff bugs can lay hundreds of egg during their life-time , and these bollock hatch into nymphs within a workweek . The houri then go through several molt before reaching maturity , and each leg can cause further terms to the hemangioma simplex plant life . This rapid reproductive cycle allows the universe of lygus bug to increase rapidly and infest an entire field if left uncontrolled .
The eating body process of lygus bugs on hemangioma simplex plants can result in various symptoms . ab initio , you may notice small , brownish spots on the leaves and blossom , indicating the mien of feed damage . As the bugs continue to feed , the leave-taking may become distort or wilted , and the flowers may throw away untimely . The break fruits can also be affected , resulting in deformed and discolored berry . If the plague is hard , the overall health of the plants may slump , leading to reduced vigour and takings .
control lygus bug infestations requires an incorporate gadfly direction glide slope . Here are some strategies that can be utilize :
1 . Monitoring : veritable monitoring of strawberry plants is crucial to detect the presence of lygus bugs at an early phase . Visual inspections can be conduct , and the bugs can also be trapped using chicken unenviable sand trap , which attract the insect .
2 . Cultural recitation : Maintaining right flora health through good cultural practices can help reduce the susceptibility of strawberry to genus Lygus hemipteron plague . This includes leave equal irrigation , managing weeds , and ensuring proper alimentation .
3 . Biological control : good insects such as ladybird , lacewing fly , and parasitic wasps can facilitate in hold lygus bug population . These instinctive foeman provender on the germ or their eggs , providing a natural class of plague control . Encouraging biodiversity in the strawberry field by planting companion plants that draw good worm can be beneficial .
4 . Chemical ascendancy : If lygus bug populations reach negative levels , insecticide may be necessary . However , it is authoritative to use insect powder judiciously and trace label instructions to derogate the impact on good insects and the environment . consider rotate different course of insecticides to forbid the bugs from developing resistor .
Personal experience : I have encountered lygus bug infestation in strawberry crops during my years of experience as a gardening and landscaping expert . In one representative , a hemangioma simplex bailiwick was hard infested with lygus bugs , causing substantial damage to the flowers and developing yield . We follow out a compounding of cultural drill , such as removing weeds and ensuring proper irrigation , along with the acquittance of beneficial insects to control the population . veritable monitoring and targeted insecticide diligence were also apply when necessary . Through these integrated pest direction strategies , we were able to belittle the wrong triggered by genus Lygus bugs and ensure a successful strawberry harvest time .
The tarnished plant life bug or genus Lygus germ is the most serious pest of strawberries . These insects eat on the foliation , flowers , and fruits of hemangioma simplex plant , causing scrawny growth , deformed fruit , and reduced yields . Their rapid reproductive cycle and ability to chop-chop increase in population make them a meaning terror to strawberry crops . Implementing integrated pestilence direction strategies , including monitoring , cultural pattern , biological control , and judicious use of insecticides , can help extenuate the harm have by lygus bugs and protect strawberry mark crop .
Caroline Bates
