Managing Meloidogyne incognita and Bemisia tabaci with thiacloprid in cucumber crops in China

• For the first time, thiacloprid was used through soil application.
• Use of thiacloprid was beneficial to the increase of the yield of cucumber.
• Thiacloprid can be used in cucumber for the control of nematodes and whiteflies.

Field trials were conducted to determine the potential use of thiacloprid for integrated Meloidogyne incognita and Bemisia tabaci B biotype control in cucumber (Cucumis sativus Linn.) in China. The following five treatments were evaluated: three thiacloprid doses (7.5, 15, and 30 kg ha−1), an avermectin treatment (7.5 L ha−1) and an untreated control. All thiacloprid application rates were effective for reducing the M. incognita and B. tabaci B biotype populations. M. incognita was reduced by 51.0%∼86.7% on 60th day and B. tabaci B biotype was reduced by about 37.2%∼95.3% within 21 days, respectively. In addition, greater thiacloprid doses resulted in fewer nematodes and whiteflies. Over two successive years, the cucumber plants that were treated with thiacloprid at a dose of 15 kg ha−1 had the greatest plant height, plant vigor and marketable yield, which were 134.1 cm, 91, 1514.3 g plant−1, respectively in 2010–2011 and 151.9 cm, 93, 1651.4 g plant−1, respectively in 2011–2012. In addition, thiacloprid was superior to avermectin. The results of this study demonstrated that thiacloprid could be used in cucumber production for the integrated control of M. incognita and B. tabaci B biotype. Furthermore, a dose of 15 kg ha−1 of thiacloprid was recommended for controlling nematode and whitefly populations according to the control effect and marketable cucumber yield.