Ultraviolet Light as a Pest Control Option for Strawberries
July 28, 2021 A few years back, the University of Florida (UF) grew strawberries under an ultraviolet (UVC) light system to help combat disease. Natalia Peres, a Plant Pathologist and lead in the study, has since published a paper that showed the system helps control powdery mildew.
Now, fellow researchers have used that same UVC applicator to show it works well to slow the spread of another strawberry pest.
“This information is useful to the strawberry growers of Florida, who have to constantly battle with chilli thrips and spider mites,” says Sriyanka Lahiri, Assistant Professor of Entomology at UF. “Also, this information is relevant to strawberry growers across the world, industry partners, small-fruit crops research, and the Extension community.”
The scientists studied if UVC would help control mites and thrips while also not interfering with other biological control efforts.
The results found that in predatory mites, the UVC kills the pests’ eggs. They also indicated that biological control through predatory mites is most effective only after the strawberry crop is treated with UV radiation.
The system, however, was not capable of controlling chilli thrips.
“Thrips and spider mites are the most economically damaging species affecting strawberry production in Florida,” Lahiri says. “Even though there is overwhelming reliance on the use of synthetic insecticides and miticides to manage these pests, biological control agents such as predatory mites can be effective in integrated pest management in strawberry.”
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