Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/263110
www.goodfruit.com GOOD FRUIT GROWER MARCH 1, 2014 11 beginning with organophosphates, was an impetus for growers to consider alternatives. Although growers feared the loss of traditional pes- ticides, Brunner said that ultimately, FQPA had some positive effects. It stimulated private industry to develop new products and tools that were less detrimental to beneficial insects, the environment, and human health. It heightened the emphasis on IPM and promoted the replacement of broad-spectrum insecticides with newer, more selective products. And this led to more stable pro- grams that take a longer-term view of pest management, rather than just responding to the immediate problem with a spray. WSU helped growers transition to softer codling moth programs. Today, mating disruption is used on 85 to 90 percent of Washington's bearing apple acreage, Brunner estimates, but scientists are still working on better ways to control the pest. For example, Dr. Steve Garczynski, with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Yakima, Washington, is working on ways to block the male codling moth's abil- ity to detect the females' pheromones with its antennae. Males would then have difficulty locating females even without additional pheromones being applied. Decision Aid System In recent years, Dr. Vince Jones at WSU has been leading efforts to enhance biological control. Predictive models for pests have been available for decades, but he's developing predictive models for natural enemies so growers can figure out when they're active in the orchard and time sprays to avoid harming them. Jones is director of WSU's free online tree fruit Deci- sion Aid System (DAS) that provides degree-day models and pest management recommendations, along with real-time weather information and forecasts. It also provides access to basic information on the biology and identification of pests and natural enemies. It's all part of an effort by WSU scientists to understand how new technologies work—whether pheromones or pesticides—and help the industry to use them properly so growers are able to produce a high-value crop more safely with minimal inputs, Brunner said. A large proportion of Washington growers are using DAS, and all their field horticulturists and consultants are, so 100 percent of the tree fruit growers in the state are benefitting from it. Brunner thinks that, in the long run, the best way to defeat codling moth would be to develop apple variet- ies that are resistant to attack. WSU scientists are already working to identify cultivars that seem less appealing to codling moth and leafrollers. If resistance genes can be identified, there might be a way to more rapidly incorpo- rate resistance into new cultivars without using genetic engineering. "I think resistance is probably the HolyGrail," Brunner said. "It's a very difficult thing to imagine that you would find resistance for all pests. "The biggest concern I have is new and exotic pests where we don't necessarily have controls," he added, noting that global trade increases the risks of insects trav- eling to new destinations, not necessarily on crops, but in shipping materials, for example. The arrival of spotted wing drosophila as a cherry pest in the Pacific Northwest four years ago has forced grow- ers to switch from a soft program for cherry fruit fly, using the GF-120 bait, to more contact pesticides and is adding to their expenses. "The brown marmorated stinkbug's impact on all crops is a similar story, and I think it could really set our IPM programs back many years if we had to revert to using broad-spectrum contact insecticides," he said. "The arrival of new diseases or insects I think will drive a lot of what happens in pest management over the next decades." • Someone who fi ghts for higher yields, giving crops the nutrients they need when they're needed most. Someone who trusts fi eld-proven technologies to more effectively feed crops, save time and boost the bottom line. Be a superhero. Ask your retailer for Wolf Trax Innovative Nutrients. Better nutrition. Better crops. Better farming. EVERY CROP NEEDS A SUPERHERO. ©2014 Wolf Trax ® is a registered trademark of Wolf Trax, Inc. Not all products are registered in all areas. Contact infomaster@wolftrax.com for more information. 22716 GFG wolftrax.com 1-855-237-9653