MD2 pineapple pests: why early detection decides crop protection costs
A pest outbreak detected early needs only one well-targeted treatment. Detect it a few days late and the population has already multiplied several times over, so the farm has to spray more often with broader-spectrum products. For export MD2 pineapple growing areas, more spraying also means a higher residue risk when the goods reach the border of the importing country. Key points Populations of many pest species grow exponentially in hot weather; a difference of a few days in detection decides the number of sprays. For pineapple, the threat to watch is the pink pineapple mealybug (Dysmicoccus brevipes), which transmits the virus behind mealybug wilt and is tended and spread by ants. According to the University of Florida, ant control…
