Correct identification of the pest or disease cannot be
understated. How can a pest be controlled if it is unknown? Unless the pest is
known, proper treatment cannot be administered. For instance, a doctor would
not prescribe cold medicine to treat athlete's feet. Following are a number of
the more common pests and diseases found in the greenhouse.
Pests
Aphids—Aphids are pear-shaped, soft-bodied, usually wingless
insects. They are often green or yellowish in color. Aphids have the ability to
reproduce very rapidly. Astonishingly, they give birth to live young that are
pregnant! Aphids use their mouthparts to pierce the plant and suck out juices.
Aphids attack a wide variety of greenhouse plants.
Fungus gnats—Fungus
gnats are
long-legged, winged, gray-black insects less than an eighth
of an inch long. The larvae of fungus gnats feed on root hairs and tunnel into
plant stems. They prefer growing media that is constantly moist.
Leaf miners—Leaf
miners are small stocky flies. The adult deposits eggs inside a leaf. The eggs
hatch and the larva feeds on the interior of the leaf, making tunnels as it
moves along.
Chrysanthemums are subject to leaf miner damage.
Mealybugs—Mealybugs
are slow-moving, oval-shaped, whitish insects. They have a waxy finish and
produce small cottony masses. Mealybugs pierce plant leaves and suck the plant
juices. As with aphids, they give birth to living nymph.
Mites—Mites are
not insects. They have eight legs and are related to spiders. Mites pierce
plant leaf tissues and suck juice. Symptoms include a yellow speckled
appearance to the leaf, and in severe cases, yellowing of the leaves and
defoliation. TWo-spotted or red spider mites are among the most serious
greenhouse pests. Two-spotted mites have two dark spots on their back and
appear as tiny specks. Cyclamen mites infest a broad range of plants and are
not visible to the naked eye. Bulb mites damage lily bulbs and the developing
shoots. Spider mites create a complex network of webbing as they move about a
plant.
Scale—Many types
of scale insects infest greenhouse plants. 'Typically, they have flat, oval,
often brown bodies. They may or may not be covered with an armored shell. Scale
insects pierce plant leaves and stems and suck juices.
Western flower thrips—Western
flower thrips are small insects with two pairs of fringed wings. They are dark
brown in color.
Whiteffies—Whiteflies
are small insects that are not surprisingly, white. They generally camp out on
the undersides of leaves where they pierce the tissues and suck juices. Their
flat, scale-like larvae feed on the undersides of the leaves. The whitefly is a
major pest of poinsettias and fuchsias.
Worms or caterpillars—Caterpillars
are the larva of various moth species. They damage
greenhouse crops by eating
the plants.
Diseases
Botrytis blight—Botrytis
blight is a fungal disease that can attack nearly all greenhouse crops, and is
a common problem with cut flower storage. It causes a brown rotting and
develops fuzzy, gray mold as it produces spores. Botryt,is is most common when
temperatures are between 60 and 70°F, air circulation is poor, and humidity is
high.
Erwinia—Erwinia
is a bacterial disease that causes rotting of plant tissues. The bacteria enter
the plant through wounds. It is a common problem on
Dieffenbachia,
Philodendron, chrysanthemum, and cyclamen.
Powdery mildew—Powdery
mildew is a fungal disease. Characteristic symptoms include a white dusty
coating to leaves and flowers. Infected plants can become stunted. High
humidity contributes to powdery mildew problems.
Pythium—Pythium
is a fungal disease that attacks greenhouse plants under cool, wet conditions.
It is one fungus that can cause damping- off. Damping-off is a term used to
describe the early death of seedlings that have germinated. More mature plants
can develop root and stem rots as a result of Pythium, particularly when
growing medium has poor aeration.
Phytophthora—Phytophthora
is a fungal disease similar to Pythium. It causes crown and stem rots in cool,
wet conditions.
Rhizoctonia—Rhizoctonia
is a fungal disease prevalent under wet and warm conditions. It is a common
disease problem in the southeastern region of the country. Rhizoctonia causes
damping-off, as well as, root and stem rots.
Thielaviopsis—Thielaviopsis
is a fungus that causes root and stem rots. Problems caused by Thielaviopsis
are favored by cool, moist conditions.
Virus—Tobacco
mosaic and aster yellows are two common viral diseases associated with
greenhouse crops. Symptoms of infection include discoloration of plant tissues,
stunting of growth, and deformed growth. The spread from one plant to another
is primarily by feeding greenhouse insects. Tobacco mosaic virus can be spread
to the plants from the hands of workers who smoke.
PEST CONTROL STRATEGIES
For successful management of pests, the IPM program must be
a year- round program. Also, IPM control measures for a specific crop,
poinsettias for example, should begin before the plants enter the greenhouse.
The strength of IPM is the combination of control measures used. Four broad
areas of control include sanitation, cultural/physical control, biological
control, and chemical control.
Greenhouse Sanitation
Many pest problems can be greatly reduced, if not
eliminated, with greenhouse sanitation. Greenhouse sanitation is simply the
efforts made to keep a greenhouse clean. Many modern greenhouse ranges have
been built with concrete floors partly because they are easier to keep clean
than gravel floors.
One aspect of greenhouse sanitation involves the removal of
weeds from the interior of the greenhouse and the immediate area outside the
greenhouse. The importance of weed control cannot be understated. Weeds harbor
pests. Control measures applied to a crop fail to control pests that find
safety on the weeds. After awhile, the pests migrate to the crop to cause
damage. Only a few herbicides are labeled for use in the greenhouse.
Another important
sanitation practice is the removal of
plant debris and other debris from the floors and benches. Debris often houses
disease organisms and pests. Severely infested or infected plants should also
be removed and disposed of properly.