A FIELD METHOD FOR ASSESSING THE HARMFULNESS TO OLIVE TREE ENTOMOFAUNA OF PESTICIDES USED FOR OLIVE FLY CONTROL

A.F. Spanedda, A. Terrosi
In an olive grove area of Central Italy field experiments were carried out for 3 consecutive years to test side effects of some pesticides on olive tree canopy entomofauna. The field method followed, with some adaptations, the guidelines suggested by “Pesticides and Beneficial Organisms” IOBC/WPRS – Working Group. Active ingredients tested were Dimethoate, Deltamethrin and Fenthion, which are commonly used for controlling olive fly (Bactrocera oleae Gmel.). The method aimed at estimating the harmfulness of the above insecticides to major insect taxa (e.g. orders) and to compare the mortality effect of larvicide and adulticide treatments. Among the tested active ingredients, larvicide treatments with Dimethoate proved more harmful than adulticide treatments with Deltamethrin or Fenthion. Hymenoptera showed the highest rate of mortality among major orders of dead insects collected.
Spanedda, A.F. and Terrosi, A. (2002). A FIELD METHOD FOR ASSESSING THE HARMFULNESS TO OLIVE TREE ENTOMOFAUNA OF PESTICIDES USED FOR OLIVE FLY CONTROL. Acta Hortic. 586, 849-852
DOI: 10.17660/ActaHortic.2002.586.184
https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2002.586.184
insecticides, side-effects, ecological impact, olive, non-target entomofauna
English

Acta Horticulturae