The results suggest that both neem products and hot-water extracts of O. onites and P. anisum may be potential alternatives to conventional pesticides for the control of mushroom phorid fly.

The chickpea, Cicer arietinum L. (Fabales: Fabaceae), seeds are vulnerable, both in the field and in storage, to attack by seed-beetles. Beetles of the genus Callosobruchus are major storage pests of chickpea crops and cause considerable economic losses. In the present study, a total of 11 chickpea genotypes including five ‘kabuli’ (Mexican white, Diyar, CA 2969, ILC 8617 and ACC 245) and six ‘desi’ chickpeas (ICC 1069, ICC 12422, ICC 14336, ICC 4957, ICC 4969 and ICC 7509) were evaluated for resistance to the pulse beetle Callosobruchus maculatus F. (Coleoptera: Bruchidae). Resistance was evaluated by measuring percent damage to seeds. Damage to seeds by C. maculatus was manifested by the round exit holes with the ‘flap’ of seed coat made by emerging adults. Of the 11 genotypes tested, only one (ICC 4969) exhibited a complete resistance to C. maculatus in both free-choice and no-choice tests; no seed damage was found over the test period. In general, the ‘desi’ chickpeas were more resistant to C. maculatus than the ‘kabuli’ chickpeas. Among the tested chickpea genotypes, only ICC 4969 can be used as a source of C. maculatus resistance in breeding programmes that could then be grown in organic cultivation free from pesticides.

Over the last decade, mushroom production has become one of the most actively developing fields of agriculture in Turkey. About 45% of the total mushroom production and >50% of the total compost production occurs in the Antalya-Korkuteli district (southwestern Turkey). Major insect pests of mushroom production are cecidomyiid, sciarid and phorid flies with Megaselia halterata (Wood) (Diptera: Phoridae) being the most common species in the district. In the present study, two commercial microbial products [a bacterial larvicide, Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis Berliner (Bti) commercially available as Gnatrol® (Valent USA Corp., Walnut Creek, CA), and an entomopathogenic nematode, Steinernema feltiae (Filipjev) Wouts, Mracek, Gerdin & Bedding commercially available as Entonem® (Koppert Biological Systems, The Netherlands)] and spinosad, a biologically-derived insecticide that is commercially available as Laser® (Dow AgroSciences, Zionsville Road, IN), were evaluated for control of M. halterata in 3 successive mushroom-growing periods. These products were compared with a control treated with water and a conventional chemical insecticide control (chlorpyrifos-ethyl). Treatments were targeted at larvae as soil drenches; treatment efficacy was evaluated by assessing adult emergence and larval damage. Treatments with the microbial products had significantly lower numbers of emerging adults than those observed in water-treated control. There were no significant differences in adult emergence among the 3 microbial products and the chlorpyrifos-ethyl control over the 3 growing periods. Each of the microbial products reduced the incidence of fruit damage by the larvae and resulted in significantly lower damage rates when compared with the watertreated control. These results suggest that these microbial products can be used as alternatives to conventional chemicals in controlling M. halterata on mushroom.

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