Effect of compost and casing treatments of insecticides against the sciarid Bradysia ocellaris (Diptera: Sciaridae) and on the total yield of cultivated mushrooms, Agaricus bisporus.
BACKGROUND
Bradysia ocellaris (Comstock) is one of the major pests of cultivated mushrooms, Agaricus bisporus (Lange) Imbach. The feeding of sciarid fly larvae causes damage to the cultivation substrates, compost and casing. A comparative study of insecticidal treatments incorporated into compost and casing against B. ocellaris was conducted during 2003-2004. Treatments with an organophosphate, diazinon, a pyrazole, fipronil, and an insect growth regulator (IGR), triflumuron, were incorporated into casing. Another IGR, cyromazine, was incorporated into compost. Insecticidal incorporation into compost and casing has been associated with reductions in mushroom yield. Therefore, the effect of these insecticidal treatments on the overall yield was evaluated.


RESULTS
A combined treatment, incorporation of cyromazine at 10 mg kg(-1) into compost and of triflumuron at 20 mg kg(-1) into casing, provided 100% control against B. ocellaris. There was no apparent reduction in yield as a result of incorporation of the tested chemicals into either compost or casing.


CONCLUSIONS
The results obtained from this study suggest that incorporation of insecticides into both compost and casing is required to control a moderate to high pressure of insect pests. There were no significant yield reductions as a result of the incorporation of pesticides in the Australian mushroom-growing system.
Shamshad
Afsheen
A
Marsh Lawson Mushroom Research Unit, McMillan Building A05, Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, Science Rd, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia. a.shamshad@usyd.edu.au
Clift
Alan D
AD
Mansfield
Sarah
S
D000364:Agaricus / Q000502:physiology*; D000383:Agriculture; D000818:Animals; D004175:Diptera / Q000187:drug effects*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D007306:Insecticides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012987:Soil
D007306:Insecticides; D012987:Soil