WERA_OLD43: Establishing Bio-Intensive Pest Management Programs for Western Orchard Systems
(Multistate Research Coordinating Committee and Information Exchange Group)
Status: Inactive/Terminating
WERA_OLD43: Establishing Bio-Intensive Pest Management Programs for Western Orchard Systems
Duration: 10/01/2003 to 09/30/2008
Administrative Advisor(s):
NIFA Reps:
Non-Technical Summary
Statement of Issues and Justification
Codling moth (CM), Cydia pomonella L., is the key pest of pome fruit and walnut production in the western region of the United States (US) (Beers et al. 1993). Apple and pear are grown on 300,000 acres in five states (WA, OR, ID, UT, CA) and the region accounts for 70% of the fresh market apples sold in the US and 90% of the pear production. In addition, walnuts are produced on nearly 200,000 acres in CA. Organophosphate (OP) insecticides are the most widely used class of insecticides in pome fruit orchards in the western US, most targeted at control of CM (Beers and Brunner 1991, NASS 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998). Resistance to OP insecticides occurs in the key pests, codling moth and leafrollers, and has been documented in pome fruit orchards throughout the western US (Varela et al. 1993, Knight et al. 1994, Dunley et al. 2000). Many secondary pests, such as aphids, leafhoppers, and leafminers, have also developed high levels of resistance to OP and carbamate insecticides.
Implementation of the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 (FQPA) will limit the availability and use of OP, carbamate and other insecticides that have been used for over 30 years (Whalon et al. 1999). Because apple and pear are important foods in the diets of infants and children (NAS 1993), the FQPA will restrict pesticides used on these crops more than on others.
The widespread adoption of CM mating disruption (CMMD) in western apple and pear orchards resulted from efforts of the highly successful Codling Moth Areawide Management Project (CAMP) ? 1995-1999 (Calkins 1998, Brunner et al. 2001). CAMP was successful in achieving its goals of implementing mating disruption as the primary control for CM, reducing broad-spectrum insecticide use by about 75%, and enhancing opportunities for biological control in pome fruit orchards. The same group scientists involved in CAMP successfully competed for and IFAFS (Building a multi-tactic pheromone-based pest management system in western orchards) and RAMP (Enhancing pheromone mating disruption for lepidopterous pests in western orchards) grants with goals of stabilizing and extending the benefits of CAMP through research and educational activities. Participants in these grants form the core of individuals requesting the establishment of this new multistate coordinating committee.
This proposed new WCC broadens the focus of the former committee (WCC-43). The new WCC will provide a vehicle to continue and enhance the coordination of research projects and exchange of ideas and information that exist within the region and to expand the focus to crops other than pome fruits. The new WCC will likely coordinate activities and possibly hold joint meeting, with a similar newly formed coordinating committee in the eastern US working on similar kinds of issues associated with deciduous tree fruits.
The proposed new coordinating committee will address issues of reducing reliance on broad-spectrum pesticides, development of alternative methods of pheromone delivery for mating disruption of pests, development and evaluation of non-pheromone monitoring methods, determination of the impact of new pesticides on natural enemies, evaluation of how modification of orchard habitats and nearby natural habitats can enhance biological control, and information transfer to pest management decision makers. All of these issues are of critical importance to the western orchard industry. New knowledge generated from these activities will provide greater stability of ?soft? pest control programs allowing growers and crop consultants to implement multi-tactic programs with a greater degree of confidence. The reduction of reliance on broad-spectrum pesticides will reduce risk of negative environmental impacts of pest management practices, a benefit to all citizens living in the western region. However, the group most directly benefiting will be farm worker whose working environment will become much safer.
Objectives
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Improve the efficacy or extend the use (e.g. walnut production) of pheromones in orchard crops by developing and/or evaluating novel pheromone delivery systems for orchard pests.
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Develop a better understanding of the mechanisms of mating disruption and establish base-line data that could address future questions of behavioral resistance of insects to pheromone treatments.
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Minimize pesticide use in orchard systems by evaluating the best use of new insecticides, establishing base-line data for addressing future resistance questions, and examining the threat of cross-resistance with older insecticides.
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Enhance biological control in orchards by evaluating newly registered insecticides for their impact on key natural enemies of orchard.
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Enhance biological control of selected pests (leafrollers and pear psylla) by modifying the external orchard habitat in ways that will conserve natural enemies close to orchards.
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Reduce pesticide use by eliminating un-needed uses or by optimizing efficacy against pests by the development and evaluation new monitoring methods and predictive models for pests that will
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Reduce the impact of true bugs on orchard systems by modifying the orchard cover crop or managing the natural habitat-orchard interface to reduce the impact of invading pests
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Reduce duplication of effort by working closely with colleagues in the eastern US to establish joint projects with common goals and hold joint meetings for reviews and planning purposes. (Based on the 2002 meeting there are planned cooperative projects under objectives #1, 2, and 3 above).
Procedures and Activities
Expected Outcomes and Impacts
- New pheromone delivery systems will be critically evaluated by unbiased scientists and the best systems will be recommended for use in appropriate crops. This will happen faster and at lower overall expense than with scientists working in isolation. It is possible that new pheromone delivery systems will be more efficient and therefore less expensive for the grower or will bring mating disruption technology to new crops where old pheromone dispensing systems were not practical.
- There will be a better utilization of newly registered insecticides for pest control as growers and crop consultants understand which pests they should target with which insecticides, at what rates and time during the growing season. In addition, there will be a better understanding on how to use new products in a resistance management scenario that will preserve their efficacy and reduce overuse. Information will also be available that will allow the confirmation or rejection of claims of insecticide resistance when they arise.
- Orchard environments will be altered in ways that will conserve natural enemies of pests and therefore enhance biological control in orchard systems. New insecticides can be recommended for pest suppression that have little or no effect on natural enemies. And orchards or nearby habitats will be modified in ways that conserve natural enemies in close proximity thus reducing barriers to immigration and establishment. The result will be either reduced insecticide use for selected pests or better pest suppression leading to reduced crop losses, or both.
- There will be an exchange of ideas and/or information/data between scientists working in the area of tree fruit and nut crops in the western region and colleagues in the eastern US. This will result in joint projects on common research goals, the development of joint research grants and reduction of duplication of efforts where they currently exist.
Projected Participation
View Appendix E: ParticipationEducational Plan
Our target audience is growers, professional crop consultants, and
private consultants. The information is delivered through a variety
of different outlets. These include web-based information,
multi-state extension bulletins, popular articles in lay
publications, regional workshops, local field days, and annual grower
meetings sponsored by Cooperative Extension and private companies.
In regards to communicating among WCC43 members a web-based
newsletter will be maintained where newly published abstracts of
refereed publications can be posted. A symposium on bio-intensive
orchard pest management at regional, national, and international
meetings will be organized and conducted at one venue least once each
year.
Regarding the training of future orchard pest management specialist a
web-based graduate level distance education course, with regional
contributors will be prepared.
Organization/Governance
The Chairman serves for one year and is responsible for the agenda and local arrangements for the meeting. The Chair-elect is selected at the beginning of the meeting and serves as Secretary for that meeting. The meeting location is decided at the beginning of each meeting and is associated with the residence of the Secretary/Chair-Elect. This form of governance has worked effectively for this group for over 20 years.
Budget: The only request is that Experiment Station Directors of states from which member originate support the travel of specified representatives and the Administrative Advisor to attend annual meetings.
Literature Cited
Beers, E. H., and J. F. Brunner. 1991. Washington state apple and pear pesticide use survey, 1989-1990. Report to USDA-NAPIAP.
Beers, E. H., J. F. Brunner, M. J. Willet, and G. M. Warner. 1993. Orchard pest management: a resource book for the Pacific Northwest. Good Fruit Grower, Yakima, WA.
Brunner, J. F., S.Welter, C. Calkins, R. Hilton, E. Beers, J. Dunley, T. Unruh, A. Knight, R. Van Steenwyk, P. Van Buskirk. 2001. Mating disruption of codling moth: a perspective from the Western United States. IOBC wprs Bull. Vol. 25(1): 207-215.
Calkins, C. O. 1998. Review of the codling moth areawide suppression program in the Western United States. J. Agric. Entomol. 15(4): 327-333.
Dunley, J. E., J. F. Brunner, M. D. Doerr, and E. H. Beers. 2000. Baseline insecticide tolerances and cross-resistance in obliquebanded leafroller and pandemis leafroller (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). J. Econ. Entomol. 93: (submitted).
Knight, A. L., J. F. Brunner, and D. Alston. 1994. Survey of azinphosmethyl resistance in codling moth (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in Washington and Utah. J. Econ. Entomol. 87(2): 285-292.
[NASS]. National Agric. Statistics Serv. 1992. Agricultural chemical usage, 1991 fruit crops. NASS, Washington, DC.
[NAS]. National Academy of Science. 1993. Report on diets of infants and children. National Academy Press, Washington, DC.
[NASS]. National Agric. Statistics Serv. 1994. Agricultural chemical usage, 1993 fruit crops. NASS, Washington, DC.
[NASS]. National Agric. Statistics Serv. 1996. Agricultural chemical usage, 1995 fruit crops. NASS, Washington, DC.
[NASS]. National Agric. Statistics Serv. 1998. Agricultural chemical usage, 1997 fruit crops. NASS, Washington, DC.
Varela, L. G., S. C. Welter, V. P. Jones, J. F. Brunner, and H. Riedl. 1993. Monitoring and characterization of insecticide resistance in codling moth (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in four western states. J. Econ. Entomol. 86(1): 1-10.
Whalon, J. E., B. J. Jacobson, D. Rawlins, D. Ricks, and M. Swinton. 1999. Agricultural impact of the sudden elimination of key pesticides under the food quality protection impact. Council for Agricultural Science and Technology Issue paper no. 11.