Evaluation of Harpin for the Control of Insect-Vectored Bacterial Wilt of Pumpkin and Comparison of Cucurbit Crop Types and Cultivars for their Attractiveness to Cucumber Beetles and Susceptibility to Bacterial Wilt
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Recently there has been a dramatic increase in the occurrence of bacterial wilt, especially in pumpkin and squash, not only in New York, but also elsewhere in the U.S. The bacterium causing this disease (Erwinia tracheiphila) cannot be controlled directly with pesticides, therefore, management practices have targeted the insects that harbor and vector the pathogen, which are the striped and spotted cucumber beetles. Application of insecticides is the main management practice being used. The goals of this project, which was started in 1999, were 1) to determine if harpin can reduce beetle infestations and/or the occurrence of wilt and 2) to compare cucurbit crop types and cultivars for their attractiveness to cucumber beetles and susceptibility to wilt. Unfortunately, harpin does not appear to an effective tool for managing beetles or wilt in a highly wilt-susceptible pumpkin cultivar. It may be effective with other cucurbit crops.