Population abundance and management of pepper weevil, Anthonomus eugenii Cano (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Pepper weevil, Anthonomus eugenii remains one of the most economically important pests affecting pepper in areas where it is grown. Managing pepper weevil is challenging because all immature life stages develop inside the fruit, making the adults the only targeted life stage to manage under field conditions. Feeding by pepper weevil larvae and adults causes severe yield losses in south Florida. The use of insecticides is common. However, as an integrated approach to managing pepper weevil, we evaluated the efficacy of reflective plastic mulches and intercropping of non-host and repellent plants against pepper weevil on Jalapeño pepper. The experimental design was a split-plot with four replications as the block, mulch treatments as the main plot, and non-host treatment plots as the sub-plot. The three mulch treatments evaluated were: Can-Shine (Metalized top and white bottom), Shine N’ Ripe (Metalized top and black bottom), and white on black (Can-Grow XSB) mulch. The non-hosts’ plants tested were basil, cilantro, marigold, cabbage, and lemongrass. In addition to the 5 treatments, we had a control treated plot and a Plinazolin treated plot. The mean number of infested fruits was lower on the reflective mulches compared to the regular mulch plots. Crop diversification can also contribute to higher net income for the growers as the risk of losing a crop to one pest is lessened. It also enhances the presence of important pollinators and predators in agricultural ecosystems. Further studies are needed to determine the significant effect of the reflective mulches and the non-host plants.