Results from recent IPM research projects lead us to believe that strawberries can be grown in NY with fewer fungicides and insecticides than are currently used. Broad spectrum fungicides use on strawberries can be reduced or eliminated by using cultural techniques and the biological control agent Trichoderma harzianum , to control Botrytis fruit rot. As the need for synthetic fungicides are reduced, the possibility of using fungal biocontrol agents to control insects such as tarnished plant bug can become a reality. One insect pathogen that shows promise against the TPB is Beauveria bassiana . This fungus acts as a contact insecticide.
Spores attach to the insect, germinate and grow directly through the insect cuticle.
The fungus grows rapidly within the insect, killing it in 3-7 days. Speed of kill depends on the number of spores contacting the insect, insect age, and ambient temperature. Particular strains of this fungus have proved to be effective against heteropteran pests such as whiteflies and aphids. This experiment was conducted at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, NY on strawberries planted in 1996. All of these cultivars are susceptible to TPB damage.