Vega Almodóvar, Mabel

Profile Picture

Filters

20121
Reset filters

Settings

Citations

Publication Search Results

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • Thumbnail Image
    Publication
    Efectos de cobertura de suelo y plaguicidas en el rendimiento y la calidad de sandía (Citrullus lanatus [Thunberg] Matsumura et Nakai) en un sistema orgánico en Puerto Rico
    (2012) Vega Almodóvar, Mabel; Morales Payán, José P.; College of Agricultural Sciences; Román Paoli, Elvin; Martínez Garrastazú, Sonia L.; Department of Crops and Agro-Environmental Sciences; Soto Vélez, Jay Omar
    Experiments were conducted during 2007 and 2008 at the Agricultural Experiment Station of the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez Campus at Lajas, to determine the effect of biopesticides acceptable for organic production with and without mulching of the planting bed in organicallymanaged watermelon. Before watermelon planting, beds were either covered with cut foliage of the grass Hyparrhenia rufa or left as bare soil. Watermelon plants were sprayed weekly with the following biopesticides: (1) a formulation of oils of Rosmarinus officinalis, Eugenia caryophyllata, Thymus vulgaris and Gaultheria procumbens with lecithin and buthyl lactate (SporanTM); (2) an agricultural formulation of hydrogen dioxide (OxiDateTM); (3) a formulation of Melaleuca alternifolia oil (TimorexTM); (4) a clarified hydrophobic oil formulation of neem (Azadirachta indica) (TrilogyTM); (5) a formulation of oils of Mentha sp., Gaultheria procumbens, and Rosmarinus officinalis, and vanillina, with lecithin and buthyl lactate (EcotrolTM); (6) a formulation of potassium bicarbonate (MilstopTM); (7) Bacillus pumilis strain QST 2808 (SonataTM); (8) Bacillus subtilis strain QST 713 SerenadeTM); (9) whole milk (dissolved in water at a 1:10 ratio); (10) a concentrated extract of garlic (Allium sativum: Garlic BarrierTM); and (11) Bacillus thuringiensis (JavelinTM) tank-mixed with a cupric fungicide (NuCopTM) alternated with Bacillus thuringiensis (AgreeTM) tank-mixed with another cupric fungicide (NuCopTM); (12) a control treatment sprayed with water was used. In 2007 only ‘Crimson Sweet’ watermelon was planted. In 2008, ‘Allsweet’ and ‘Crimson Sweet’ watermelons were grown. Throughout the growing seasons, one or two days prior to reapplication of the biopesticides, we assessed pest presence and damage to the leaves, disease incidence and severity, weed abundance, and soil coverage by the crop. At harvesting we determined marketable yield by fruit number and weight, fruit size, pulp soluble solid concentration, firmness and coloration. Fruit samples were stored for 14 days at 16°C and 90% relative humidity, then fruit weight, size, and soluble solid concentration in the pulp juice, firmness and coloration were assessed. Insect pests caused little damage to the watermelon canopy, and in general biopesticides did not reduce foliar damage associated with disease and had little impact on fruit yield, but some of them affected internal fruit quality. In contrast, plots with mulching had lower weed populations, higher fruit yield and fruit with higher soluble solid concentration than bare-soil plots. The ‘Allsweet’ watermelon was less affected by weed interference than ‘Crimson Sweet’. In summary, biopesticides were not effective in containing fungal disease, but mulching had a dramatic impact on the organic crop by increasing fruit yield and soluble solid content in the fruit pulp.