Research
Trap Crop results for 2004

2004 Results

Overall, more striped and spotted beetles visited fields with treated zucchini than fields with just melons or non-treated zucchini (P<0.05).  This means that some of the trap crop fields can be a local attractant to beetles.  However, having more beetles in a trap-cropped field is only a problem if they feed on melon plants rather than zucchini.  The trap crop may attract more beetles to the field, and doesn't distract all beetles from the melon plants.  Consequently, the average number of wilted plants in melon rows was about the same in fields with and without the trap crop. 

We hoped to slow the dispersal of beetles from zucchini plants to melon plants by making weekly sprays of insecticide in the trap crop in one field.  These sprays did not reduce the average number of beetles or wilted plants in melon rows when compared to non-sprayed rows.  It appears, from average beetle counts and wilt ratings, that a zucchini trap crop, sprayed or unsprayed, does not decrease the incidence of bacterial wilt in muskmelon. 

Yield data from these three fields, however, show that the field without a trap crop and the insecticide-treated trap crop field produced fewer melons and total weight of melons than did the non-sprayed trap crop field.  This is exactly the opposite result of data from 2003.  Also, there was no correlation between bacterial wilt development and beetle captures this season (P<0.05).

Mean striped and spotted beetle counts, incidence of bacterial wilt, and yield in melon and squash rows of fields with no trap crop, non-sprayed trap crop, and treated trap crop

Treatment

 Melon
Number

Melon Wt.
(lb)

% Melons
Marketable

Striped cucumber beetle
(weekly ave.)

Spotted cucumber beetle
(weekly ave.)

Wilt
(% plants)a

 Wilt
(% plants)b

Melon alone

16.0

  86.7

60.6

1.56

1.58

33.8

46.0

Melon + trap crop

26.8

151.2

71.5

1.46

0.87

31.5

31.8

Melon + treated trap crop c

15.6

  79.4

51.9

2.65

0.84

25.1

49.7

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trap crop

---

---

---

2.28

1.87

28.3

32.8

Treated trap crop c

---

---

---

4.38

2.11

35.0

51.4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LSD (P<0.05)

6.2

32.7

14.3

0.85

0.49

n.s.

n.s.


























a Percent wilted plants on 27-Jul
b Percent wilted plants in early August, just before harvest
c Insecticide was Capture alternated with Sevin