Comparison between sustained effects of spray and injection thiamethoxam on apple aphids and non-target insects in apple orchard

Spray application is considered to be the most common method of insecticide use in apple orchard, while trunk injection has often be used in labor-intensive areas. Here, a comparison of both methods in aphid control efficiency and non-target effects was conducted. We evaluated the effects of thiamethoxam by either spray or injection on apple aphid Aphis citricola, and examined the temporal dynamic of thiamethoxam in leaves by using residue analysis. Results showed that thiamethoxam had a remarkable suppression effect on Aphis citricola, and both application methods had obvious control efficiency with the highest value above 90%. The control effect of spray method on Aphis citricola reached the maximum at 7 days after application, while that of injection method reached the maximum at 14 days after application. Moreover, the control effect of injection after 14 days and that of spray after 7 days were not significant, suggesting the spray method had a higher quick-acting effect than the injection method, and the two methods had a similar persistence effect. The population dynamics of nontarget insects (ladybugs, parasitoid wasps and predatory bugs) showed basically the same as that of blank controlled. The control effect evaluation of thiamethoxam on Aphis citricola suggest that injection treatment was more effective in protecting natural enemies than spray treatment, and thiamethoxam didn't interfere with natural enemies to control Aphis citricola with both two application methods.