Testing the Single and Combined Effect of Kaolin and Spinosad against Bactrocera oleae and Its Natural Antagonist Insects in an Organic Olive Grove

Veronica Vizzarri; Luca Lombardo; Carmine Novellis; Pierluigi Rizzo; Massimiliano Pellegrino; Giuseppe Cruceli; Gianluca Godino; Francesco Zaffina; Annamaria Ienco

doi:10.3390/life13030607

Testing the Single and Combined Effect of Kaolin and Spinosad against Bactrocera oleae and Its Natural Antagonist Insects in an Organic Olive Grove

Life (Basel). 2023 Feb 22;13(3):607. doi: 10.3390/life13030607.

Authors

Veronica Vizzarri¹, Luca Lombardo¹, Carmine Novellis¹, Pierluigi Rizzo¹, Massimiliano Pellegrino¹, Giuseppe Cruceli¹, Gianluca Godino¹, Francesco Zaffina¹, Annamaria Ienco¹

Affiliation

¹ CREA Research Centre for Olive, Citrus and Tree Fruit, 87036 Rende, Italy.

Abstract

The presence and infestation level of Bactrocera oleae was monitored in an organic olive orchard divided into differently treated parcels with kaolin (K), spinosad (S) and with kaolin and spinosad (K + S) in alternate rows. The treatments did not seem to affect olive fruit fly population dynamics, while statistically significant protective effects were recorded against total and harmful infestation, but not against the active one. Eventually, neither kaolin nor spinosad were shown to have a particular detrimental effect against naturally occurring B. oleae parasitoids.

Keywords: Bactrocera oleae; kaolin; organic oliviculture; spinosad.

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Italian Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies in the context of the “Piano Olivicolo Oleario” (Interministerial Decree DI.OL n. 23774-06/09/2017).