Symphylan Control in Seed Crops

Students in Field Crop Entomology Program Collecting Data on Symphylan Densities

The garden symphylan, Scutigerella immaculata Newport, is a serious soil arthropod pest whose root-feeding affects yield potential and survival of several high-value crops in Western Oregon during crop establishment. The broad host range includes grass grown for seed, vegetable seed crops, and other specialty crops such as peppermint and strawberries. Previously, symphylans have primarily managed using Lorsban (chlorpyrifos) as pre-plant incorporation (PPI). Now that chlorpyrifos is being phased out, growers will have limited chemical control options (pyrethroids only) as no clear path for registration exists for alternate chemistries (e.g., Mocap and Ethoprop). In this study, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy of new and existing insecticides and to identify potential options to support the product registration process.