Strawberry cultivars compensate for simulated bud weevil damage in matted row plantings

The strawberry bud weevil (Anthonomus signatus Say; clipper) is considered to be a serious early-season pest in perennial matted row strawberry (Fraga ria xananassa Duchesne) plantings in North America. Adult females damage fl ower buds in early spring by depositing an egg in the bud, then clipping th e bud from the pedicel. Action thresholds are low (two clipped buds/meter o f row) because pest managers and growers have assumed that one clipped flow er bud results in the loss of one average-sized fruit. Fields with a histor y of clipper damage are often treated with insecticides during the first pe riod of warm weather that coincides with inflorescence development, without scouting for clipped buds or evaluating damage. We examined 12 strawberry cultivars and found that most can compensate for a significant amount of fl ower bud loss, provided that the loss occurs early in the development of th e inflorescence, A new threshold is proposed in which the potential loss of fruit per inflorescence is considered, along with the total number of seve rely damaged inflorescences. We believe that in most circumstances and with most cultivars, clipper injury will remain below the damage threshold.