Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/263110
www.goodfruit.com GOOD FRUIT GROWER MARCH 1, 2014 31 growers as possible, ideally less than $4,000. With fund- ing from National Grape Cooperative, Project GREEEN, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, this project is under way with a few years of vineyard testing still to go. Ledebuhr spent 2013 testing various ideas, and hopes to have the project done by the end of 2014. He talked about it during the Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable, and Farm Market Expo in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in December. One challenge, Ledebuhr said, is to inject a small amount of undiluted insecticide—for example, four ounces of Belt insecticide per acre—into a dilute fungi- cide spray stream. Another is overcoming the problem of latency—how far will the sprayer move down the row during the time the insecticide is moving from the pump to the sprayer nozzles. Ledebuhr built a system for juice grape grower Bryan Cronenwett of Lawton, Michigan, and they worked with MSU research technician Keith Mason to run the trials last year. The team expects to have a more complete evaluation of this approach and a set of plans ready by year end so other grape growers can build their own. The system may prove to be useful to other fruit growers. Grape berry moth is not the only insect that is a bigger pest on the margins than in the interior. Brown marmorated stinkbug is another. Then there are "hot spots," places in vineyards and orchards where there are patches of weeds or outbreaks of mites. Ledebuhr thinks this system could be flexible enough to find many applications beyond grape berry moth management. • APPLE • PEAR • CHERRY • PLUM • APRICOT Our pollen is viability tested to assure quality. Exclusive distributor of SCUMBY PUFFERS®. Accurate on any planting. 800-322-8852 www.firmanpollen.com 301 N. 1st Avenue • Yakima, Washington 98902 509-452-8063, fax 509-453-6838 Quality Firman Pollen Improves: Fruit Set Bee Efficiency Pollination Timing Quality Pollination Improves: Yield Consistency Fruit Quality Fruit Storability Trust Quality Firman Pollen Viability And Virus Tested Compatibility Matched Leaders in Application Technology j j j j j j j j j Since 1933 FIRMAN P ollen Co. QUALITY & VALUE you can TRUST WASHINGTON: CALIFORNIA: AREA REPRESENTATIVES: Columbia Basin and Yakima Valley Randy Bunce 509-452-8063 randy@firmanpollen.com Wenatchee/ Okanogan area Tom, Kyle & Linda Batch 509-687-9670 Bleyhl Farm Service Grandview 509-882-1225 Zillah 509-829-6922 Linden John DeMartini 209-484-8502 Tulare & Kern Counties Bob Cademartori 209-601-0754 PHOTO BY RUFUS ISAACS Grape berry moth can cause significant yield loss directly, as well as open clusters to invasion by diseases.