Suppression of the Colorado Potato Beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), on Solanaceous Crops with a Copper-Based Fungicide

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Abstract
Field experiments were carried out to determine if a copper-based fungicide known to deter feeding by the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say), in the laboratory, could suppress the growth of L. decemlineata populations in the field when used regularly for plant disease protection on tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplants. Larval densities on plants treated with a fungicide formulated with copper hydroxide [Cu(OH) 2 ] were between 44 and 100% lower than on untreated control plants or plants treated with a more commonly used fungicide, mancozeb. The greatest reductions occurred on tomatoes, the least suitable host of the three for L. decemlineata growth and survival.