Government-mandated reductions in organophosphate pesticide use have left orchard owners working to restabilize integrated pest management systems that have been in place for decades in the production of apples, pears and walnuts.
A collaborative project led by WSU scientists is aimed at just that stabilizing the IPM programs in those three high-value tree crops in light of the changes in pesticides available and sanctioned for use. The project specifically focuses on ways to enhance the effectiveness of natural enemies that are at the heart of successful orchard IPM in the western United States.
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Vince Jones |
“Our goal is to make sure that natural enemies are protected,” said Vince Jones, a researcher at the WSU Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center at Wenatchee and project director.
For example, some of the newer pesticides compromise the health and efficacy of the western orchard predatory mite, a natural enemy and control agent for spider mites, which are a key secondary pest in all three crops. Lacewings and syrphid flies, which are generalist predators of pests such as rosy apple aphid or the wooly apple aphid, also have been impacted.
The project includes research on physiological selectivity of pesticides, so that researchers can determine how to minimize impact on natural enemies. The project team also will look at ecological selectivity, such as when and where the pesticides are used.
“We’ll look at times when the natural enemies are present in the orchard, so we can change the timing or location of orchard spray programs to reduce the impacts,” Jones said.
