Todd P. West

USE OF ACEPHATE, BENOMYL AND ALGINATE ENCAPSULATION FOR ELIMINATING CULTURE MITES AND FUNGAL CONTAMINATION FROM IN VITRO CULTURES OF HARDY HIBISCUS (HIBISCUS MOSCHEUTOS L)

SummaryShoot cultures of three Hibiscus moscheutos (L.) cultivars were infested with micro-arthropods (mites). Nodal segments (1 cm long) were excised from these cultures and encapsulated in a sodium alginate gelled Driver and Kuniyuki Walnut DKW medium containing 10, 50, or 100 mg l−1 acephate (insecticide) or 10 mg l−1 acephate plus 0, 50, or 100 mg l−1 benomyl (fungicide), then placed in refrigerated (5°C) darkness for 4 wk. Acephate was tested alone if visible fungus was not touching the shoot masses and benomyl was tested if fungus was in contact with the proliferating shoots. Cold-stored encapsulated nodes were then placed on DKW medium with 0.1 μM thidiazuron for 6 wk for subsequent shoot development. The presence of acephate in the encapsulation medium completely eradicated or killed the mites, with 38–69% of cultures fungus-free; 12% of the fungal-contaminated nodes encapsulated with 100 mg l−1 benomyl were fungus-free.

Evaluating Osmia cornifrons as Pollinators of Highbush Blueberry

The objective of this study was to investigate the use of Osmia cornifrons Radoszkowski (hornfaced bees) as a pollinator of Vaccinium corymbosum L. (highbush blueberry). Currently, there are no reports available on hornfaced bee use for commercial blueberry production. Five pollination treatments were compared in a 2-year evaluation (2005–06) including hornfaced bees, honeybees, bumblebees, native pollinators, and no pollinators. Enclosed pollination cages were constructed around mature, field-grown highbush blueberry plants to prevent mixing of pollination treatments. Each cage contained a single pollination treatment, except for the open pollination and no pollination treatments. The five pollination treatments were replicated three times inside separate pollination field cages on the farm. Three branches per plant were randomly selected that had a minimum of five fruiting buds and blossom number was recorded. After pollination occurred, the cages were removed to allow the berries to ripen. Ripe fruits were picked weekly over the fruiting season (July to August) in each year (2005 and 2006), with the fruit from each sample being counted and weighed. Blossom number was compared to fruit number and weight to determine efficiency of pollination as a result of the pollination treatments. The results showed that hornfaced bees can be a successful pollinator of commercial highbush blueberry under pollination field cage conditions.