Background: The California dry bean industry is important for agriculture in the San Joaquin and SacramentoValley. Three major bean types are grown on 150,000 acres annually; Blackeye, Lima and Kidney. The industry relies on high production and good quality beans to maintain a competitive position in the world market. To achieve these objectives, arthropod pests must be kept to a minimum level so beans can be free of damage that causes bean discoloration and scaring and depresses yields. Beans are a host to numerous damaging pests. Aphids (Aphis fabae and A. craccivora), lygus bugs (Lygus hesperus), leafhoppers (Empoasca spp.) and beet armyworms (Spodoptera exigua) are primary pests and spider mites (Tetranychus spp.) and leafminers (Liriomyza spp.) are, in most cases, induced secondary pests. The list of insecticides recommended for control of bean pests is mostly organophosphates and carbamate materials, many of which are under scrutiny from regulatory agencies. The early and frequent use of these broad-spectrum insecticides often creates a disruption in the predator/pest balance and causes other pest problems.
Examples of Work during Recent Years
- To design a management plan thatutilizes reduced-risk materials.
- To examine lygus bug levels and appropriate sampling technique on bush vs. vine lima beans.
- To evaluate the effectiveness and mode of action of breeding lines of lima beans with lygus bug resistance.