Efficacy of Azadirachtin on Cannabis sativa pest, Tetranychus urticae

Bc. Ali Tuten

Master's thesis

Abstract:

Non-synthetic pesticides are becoming more and more convenient in global crop production. Safely produced crops are in high demand and Cannabis sativa is no different. The two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae is an important Cannabis pest as it is for many other crops. In this study the efficacy of azadirachtin is measured for the control of spider mites by the effects on mortality, repellence and the LDI score of foliar damage on a scale of 0-5. Neem oil (0.3% azadirachtin) formulations at two different concentrations are compared with commercially available synthetic acaricide Omite against spider mites on Cannabis plants. High concentration neem oil (NOH) formulation, at 10 ml/l was shown to be more effective in protecting Cannabis plants against spider mites than Omite at the recommended concentration of 1 ml/l. NOH treatment controlled 100% of the mite population by either killing or repelling the pest whereas Omite treatment controlled 97.8%. The low concentration neem oil (NOL) formulation, at 5 ml/l controlled 76.6% of the mite population. LDI scores for the treated plants were significantly lower than the control, with more foliar damage observed in the control plants. Azadirachtin containing neem oil was shown to be a potential alternative to synthetic acaricide Omite for the control of T. urticae on Cannabis plants.

Keywords

Formulation, botanical pesticide, neem, mortality, repellence, foliar damage

Jazyk práce: English

Datum vytvoření / odevzdání či podání práce: 20. 4. 2024

Obhajoba závěrečné práce

• Obhajoba proběhla 23. 5. 2024
• Vedúci: doc. Ing. Pavel Klouček, Ph.D.
• Oponent: Ondřej Douda, externi

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague

Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources

Master programme:
Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security