Insect Management for Okra1
S. E. Webb2
Okra (Abelmoschus esculentum) is a warm weather crop grown in the summer throughout Florida, but commercial production is concentrated in south Florida where it can be grown most of year. It is often grown as a second crop after more valuable vegetables. Historically, relatively few insecticides and miticides have been registered for use on okra making it difficult to manage insect and mites effectively. Recently, okra has been added to the Fruiting Vegetables Crop Group (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant) and when this change is published in the Federal Register there will be many more options for pest control. Arthropod pests of okra include caterpillars (larvae of Lepidoptera), aphids, thrips, whiteflies, and mites.
Leaf-feeding caterpillar pests (lepidopteran larvae) that attack okra include beet, southern, and fall armyworm, cabbage looper, and corn earworm. Cabbage looper and corn earworm can also bore into pods. Scouting for these pests is essential because the pesticides available (Bacillus thuringiensis products, spinosad, and methoxyfenozide) are most effective on young caterpillars and are less effective on later stages that can defoliate plants. Melon aphid, green peach aphid, and silverleaf whitefly can be very damaging. Imidacloprid will control these sucking insects but effects of a soil application will wear off before the end of the growing season. Melon thrips and southern green stink bug can also cause serious damage and growers have very limited options for control at this time. Spinosad is effective for reducing thrips populations but overuse could lead to the development of resistance and loss of control. Sulfur and bifenazate can be used for mite control. Products containing neem or azadirachtin can be used for all pests of okra but are generally only moderately effective.
Because of limited options for chemical control of insects, conservation of natural enemies is important and possible. As with all crops, destruction of the crop after harvest can help reduce pest populations. The practice of prolonging production by topping plants may contribute to pest problems even though it reduces the cost of production.
Tables
Selected insecticides approved for use on insects attacking okra.
Trade Name (Common Name)
|
Rate (product/acre) |
REI (hours) |
Days to Harvest |
Insects |
MOA Code1 |
Notes
|
Acramite-50WS (bifenazate) |
0.75-1.0 lb |
12 |
3 |
twospotted spider mite |
un |
One application per season. |
Admire Pro (imidacloprid) |
7-14 fl oz |
12 |
21 |
aphids, flea beetles, leafhoppers, foliage feeding thrips, whiteflies |
4A |
No more than 14 oz per acre. |
Admire Pro (imidacloprid) |
0.44 fl oz/10,000 plants |
12 |
21 |
aphids, whiteflies |
4A |
Planthouse - 1 application to transplants. See label. |
*Asana XL (0.66 EC) (esfenvalerate) |
5.8-9.6 fl oz |
12 |
1 |
cabbage looper, corn earworm, southern armyworm |
3 |
Florida only. |
Avaunt (indoxacarb) |
2.5-3.5 oz |
12 |
3 |
beet armyworm, hornworms, loopers, southern armyworm, tomato fruitworm |
22 |
Maximum = 14 oz/acre per crop |
Aza-Direct (azadirachtin) |
1-2 pts, up to 3.5 pts, if needed |
4
|
0
|
aphids, beetles, caterpillars, leafhoppers, leafminers, mites, stink bugs, thrips, weevils, whiteflies |
un |
Antifeedant, repellant, insect growth regulator. OMRI-listed2. |
Azatin XL (azadirachtin) |
5-21 fl oz |
4 |
0 |
aphids, beetles, caterpillars, leafhoppers, leafminers, mites, stink bugs, thrips, weevils, whiteflies |
un |
Antifeedant, repellant, insect growth regulator. |
Beleaf 50SG (flonicamid) |
2.0-2.8 oz |
12 |
0 |
aphids, plant bugs |
9C |
Do not apply more than 8.4 oz/acre per season. |
*Brigade 2EC (bifenthrin) |
2.1-6.4 fl oz |
12 |
7 |
aphids, armyworms, corn earworm, cucumber beetles, cutworms, flea beetles, leafminers, loopers, mites (broad, carmine, twospotted), stink bugs, thrips, whitefly |
3 |
Do not apply more than 0.2 lb ai/acre per season. |
BotaniGard 22 WP, ES (Beauveria bassiana) |
WP: 0.5-2.0 lb/100 gal ES: 0.5-2 qt/100 gal |
4 |
0 |
aphids, thrips, whiteflies |
-- |
May be used in greenhouses. Contact dealer for recommendations if an adjuvant must be used. Not compatible in tank mix with fungicides. |
*Capture LFR (bifenthrin) |
3.4-6.8 fl oz |
12 |
at planting |
cutworms, flea beetle larvae, wireworms |
3 |
Soil application at planting. |
Coragen (rynaxypyr) |
3.5-5.0 fl oz |
4 |
1 |
beet armyworm, corn earworm |
28 |
Foliar only. Do not make more than 4 applications or apply more than 15.4 fl oz per acre per crop. |
Courier 40SC (buprofezin) |
9.0-13.6 fl oz |
12 |
1 |
immature stages of leafhoppers, mealybugs, planthoppers, whiteflies |
16 |
Make no more than 2 applications per crop cycle. |
Crymax WDG (Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies kurstaki) |
0.5-2.0 lb |
4 |
0 |
caterpillars |
11 |
Use high rate for armyworms. Treat when larvae are young. |
Deliver (Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies kurstaki) |
0.25-1.5 lb |
4 |
0 |
caterpillars |
11 |
Use higher rates for armyworms. OMRI-listed2. |
Entrust (spinosad) |
0.5-2.5 oz |
4 |
1 |
armyworms, flower thrips, leafminers, loopers, other caterpillars, Thrips palmi, tomato fruitworm |
5 |
Do not apply more than 9 oz per acre per crop. OMRI-listed2. |
Esteem Ant Bait (pyriproxyfen) |
1.5-2.0 lb |
12 |
1 |
red imported fire ant |
7C |
Apply when ants are actively foraging. |
Extinguish ((S)-methoprene) |
1.0-1.5 lb |
4
|
0
|
fire ants
|
7A |
Slow-acting IGR (insect growth regulator). Best applied early spring and fall where crop will be grown. Colonies will be reduced after three weeks and eliminated after 8 to 10 weeks. May be applied by ground equipment or aerially. |
Intrepid 2F (methoxyfenozide) |
4-16 fl oz |
4 |
1 |
beet armyworm, cabbage looper, fall armyworm, hornworms, southern armyworm, tomato fruitworm, true armyworm, yellowstriped armyworm |
18 |
Do not apply more than 64 fl oz per acre per season. |
Javelin WG (Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies kurstaki) |
0.12-1.50 lb |
4 |
1 |
most caterpillars, but not Spodoptera species (armyworms) |
11 |
Treat when larvae are young. Thorough coverage is essential OMRI-listed2. |
JMS Stylet-Oil (oil, insecticidal) |
3-6 qts/100 gal |
4 |
0 |
leafminers, mites, whiteflies |
-- |
See label for tank mix cautions. Organic Stylet-Oil is OMRI-listed2. |
Knack IGR (pyriproxyfen) |
8-10 fl oz |
12 |
14 |
whiteflies (immatures) |
7C |
Do not make more than 2 applications per season. |
Malathion 8F (malathion) |
1.5 pt |
12
|
1
|
aphids
|
1B |
|
*Mustang (zeta-cypermethrin) |
2.4-4.3 oz |
12 |
1 |
brown stink bugs, cabbage looper, cutworms, fall armyworm, flea beetles, grasshoppers, green stink bugs, hornworms, leafhoppers, plant bugs, southern armyworm, tomato fruitworm, tomato pinworm, true armyworm, yellowstriped armyworm |
3 |
Do not make applications less than 7 days apart. Do not apply more than 0.3 lb ai/acre per season. |
Neemix 4.5 (azadirachtin) |
4-16 fl oz |
12 |
0 |
aphids, armyworms, leafhoppers, leafminers, loopers, whiteflies |
un |
IGR and feeding repellant. OMRI-listed2. |
Portal (fenpyroximate) |
2 pt |
12 |
1 |
mites, including broad mites |
21A |
Do not make more than two applications per season. |
Provado 1.6F (imidacloprid) |
3.8-6.2 fl oz |
12 |
0 |
aphids, leafhoppers, whiteflies |
4A |
Do not apply more than 19.2 oz per acre per year. |
Pyrellin EC (pyrethrin + rotenone)
|
1-2 pt |
12
|
12 hours
|
aphids, leafhoppers, leafminers, loopers, Lygus bugs, plant bugs, mites, thrips, whiteflies |
3, 21 |
|
Radiant SC (spinetoram) |
5-10 fl oz |
4 |
1 |
armyworms, dipterous leafminers, hornworms, loopers, thrips, tomato fruitworm |
5 |
Control of leafminers and thrips may be improved with an adjuvant. |
Requiem 25EC (Chenopodium ambrosioides) |
2.0-4.0 qt |
4 |
0 |
thrips, whiteflies |
-- |
Apply before pests reach damaging levels. Do not apply more than 10 times per crop production cycle. |
Sevin XLR, 4F, 80S (carbaryl) |
XLR, 4E: 1-1.5 qt 80S: 1.25-1.88 lb |
12
|
3
|
corn earworm, stink bugs
|
1A |
Do not apply more than a total of 6 qt or 7.5 lb per acre per season. |
SpinTor (spinosad) |
1.5-10.0 fl oz |
4 |
1 |
armyworms, flower thrips, hornworms, leafminers, Liriomyza spp., Thrips palmi, tomato fruitworm |
5 |
For resistance management, do not use more than 2 consecutive times. Do not use more than 29 fl oz/acre per season. |
Synapse (flubendiamide) |
2.0-3.0 oz |
12 |
1 |
armyworms, hornworms, loopers, tomato fruitworm |
28 |
Do not apply more than 9 oz/acre per season. |
*Telone C-35 (dichloropropene + chloropicrin) |
See label |
5 days - See label
|
preplant |
symphylans, wireworms |
-- |
See supplemental label for use restrictions in south and central Florida. |
*Telone II (dichloropropene) |
See label |
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Trilogy (extract of neem oil) |
0.5-2.0% V/V |
4 |
0 |
aphids, mites, suppression of thrips and whiteflies |
18B |
Apply morning or evening to reduce potential for leaf burn. Toxic to bees exposed to direct treatment. OMRI-listed2. |
Vetica (flubendiamide and buprofezin) |
12.0-17.0 fl oz |
12 |
1 |
armyworms, cabbage looper, cutworms, garden webworm, suppression of leafhoppers and mealybugs, saltmarsh caterpillar, tobacco budworm, tomato hornworm, tomato fruitworm, tomato pinworm, suppression of whiteflies |
28, 16 |
Do not apply more than 3 times per season or apply more than 38 fl oz per acre per season. Same active ingredients as Synapse, Coragen, and Courier. |
The pesticide information presented in this table was current with federal and state regulations at the time of revision. The user is responsible for determining the intended use is consistent with the label of the product being used. Use pesticides safely. Read and follow label instructions. |
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1Mode of Action codes for vegetable pest insecticides from the Insecticide Resistance Action Committee (IRAC) Mode of Action Classification v. 6.1 August 2008. 1A. Acetyl cholinesterase inhibitors, Carbamates (nerve action) 1B. Acetyl cholinesterase inhibitors, Organophosphates (nerve action) 2A. GABA-gated chloride channel antagonists (nerve action) 3. Sodium channel modulators (nerve action) 4A. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonists (nerve action) 5. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor allosteric activators (nerve action) 6. Chloride channel activators (nerve and muscle action) 7A. Juvenile hormone mimics (growth regulation) 7C. Juvenile hormone mimics (growth regulation) 9B and 9C. Selective homopteran feeding blockers 10. Mite growth inhibitors (growth regulation) 11. Microbial disruptors of insect midgut membranes 12B. Inhibitors of mitochondrial ATP synthase (energy metabolism) 15. Inhibitors of chitin biosynthesis, type 0, lepidopteran (growth regulation) 16. Inhibitors of chitin biosynthesis, type 1, homopteran (growth regulation) 17. Molting disruptor, dipteran (growth regulation) 18. Ecdysone receptor agonists (growth regulation) 22. Voltage-dependent sodium channel blockers (nerve action) 23. Inhibitors of acetyl Co-A carboxylase (lipid synthesis, growth regulation) 28. Ryanodine receptor modulators (nerve and muscle action) un. Compounds of unknown or uncertain mode of action 2 OMRI listed: Listed by the Organic Materials Review Institute for use in organic production. |
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* Restricted Use Only. |
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Footnotes
This document is ENY-466 (IG152), one of a series of the Entomology & Nematology Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Published: July 2002. Revised: February 2010. For more publications related to horticulture/agriculture, please visit the EDIS Website at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/.
S. E. Webb, associate professor, Entomology and Nematology Department, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, 32611-0640.
The use of trade names in this publication is solely for the purpose of providing specific information. UF/IFAS does not guarantee or warranty the products named, and references to them in this publication does not signify our approval to the exclusion of other products of suitable composition. All chemicals should be used in accordance with directions on the manufacturer's label. Use pesticides safely. Read and follow directions on the manufacturer's label.
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