https://doi.org/10.37229/fsa.fja.2025.12.03

A field evaluation of various pesticides was conducted on two piercing-sucking pests in watermelon crops during the two successive growing seasons of 2024 and 2025, in Fayoum Governorate, Egypt. Four commercial synthetic pesticides were selected: Hexythiazox and Abamectin against spider mite Tetranychus urticae Koch, and Imidacloprid and Pyriproxyfen against whitefly Bemisia tabaci Genn. Beside two bio-rational pesticides, Anti-insect (mineral oil) and Potassium soap were also applied against both pests. The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the mineral oil and Potassium soap in controlling these pests compared to chemical compounds. The experiment was carried out with four treatments with four replicates each. The results showed the effectiveness of all tested compounds in reducing the two pests' populations. Hexythiazox and Abamectin demonstrated the highest and most immediate effectiveness in reducing mite populations after the first day of treatment, with rates of 93.1% and 91.8% for Hexythiazox, and 92.8% and 89.2% for Abamectin during the first and second spray seasons, respectively. For whitefly, Imidacloprid and Pyriproxyfen achieved control rates of (92.6% and 92.4%), and (90.4% and 90.9%) during the first and second application seasons, respectively. Anti-insect and Potassium soap achieved the highest reduction rates after the third day of treatment, (81.7% and 80.1%) and (86.8% and 81.0%) for mite, and (80.4% and 75.7%), and (83.5% and 83.3%) for whitefly in the first and second spray seasons, respectively. Overall, Hexythiazox recorded the highest average reduction (86.5%), followed by Imidacloprid (84.9%), while the lowest average reduction (70.4%) was recorded with Potassium soap. Based on these results, Anti-insect and Potassium soap could be considered effective and safe alternatives to traditional pesticides in specialized agricultural production systems such as organic farming.