Northeast Region IPM Grants
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| States: | Massachusetts, Rhode Island |
| Investigators: | Prokopy, Ronald J. and Heather Faubert |
| Institutions: | University of Massachusetts, University of
Rhode Island |
| Project Type: | Research and Extension |
| Award*: | $150,000 |
| Term: | 36 months beginning 04/01/03 |
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Setting: |
apple |
*Award shown is total amount to be used over the course of the project term.
This proposal is entitled "Refinement and Delivery of Bio-Based Approaches to Reducing Insecticide against Two Key Apple Pests" and is submitted as a joint research-extension proposal for $43,355 and $126,730 respectively.
The two key apple pests targeted here are Plum Curculio and Apple Maggot, each of which damages a majority of apples on unmanaged trees and both of which have been ranked by New England growers as arthropod pests of greatest importance to a commodity worth more than 225 million dollars annually in the Northeast. Currently, growers apply 3 organophosphate insecticide sprays in May and June to control plum curculio and 3 such sprays in July and August to control apple maggot.
Through research to be conducted in Massachusetts in 2003, this proposal aims to refine and finalize a simple and effective approach to monitoring plum curculio (an odor-baited trap tree approach) that will substantially reduce sprays for control and a simple and effective approach to directly controlling apple maggot (deployment of odor-baited spheres) that will completely eliminate need for sprays. Through extension to be carried out in Massachusetts and six other Northeastern states in 2004-2005, this proposal aims to validate and demonstrate in 25 commenrcial orchards the economic and environmental value of a trap tree approach to monotoring plum curulio and a sphere-deployment approach to controlling apple maggot. Through planned extension, there will be multiple forms of delivery of information to all apple growers in the seven participating states on the benefit of these new approaches to managing two key apple pests.
Research in 2003 in commercial orchards in MA
For Plum Curculio, optimization of an odor-baited trap tree approach to monitoring PC.
- Determine the distance over which attractive odor (benzaldehyde plus grandisoic acid) placed in a perimeter-row trap tree acts to aggregate PC adults. This in turn will determine how many meters of perimeter-row apple trees can be effectively served by sampling a single perimeter-row trap tree for fresh PC injury.
- Determine the action threshold for spraying perimeter-row apple trees based on percentage of freshly-injured sampled fruit on designated trap trees.
For Apple Maggot, optimization of the pattern of deployment of odor-baited spheres for direct control of AM.
- Determine what distance between perimeter-row traps provides an optimal balance between deploying fewest numbers of traps and achieving effective control. To be accomplished using a ranking system for assigning distance between traps according to the orchard architecture parameters of tree size, tree cultivar and nature of surrounding habitat.
Extension in 2004 and 2005 in commercial orchards in CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, RI and VT.
For Plum Curculio, validation and demonstration in 25 commercial orchards of the effectiveness of an optimal trap tree approach to determining need and timing of insecticide use against PC in comparison with existing approaches based on calendar-driven sprays or heat-unit-accumulation models.
For Apple Maggot, validation and demonstration in 25 commercial orchards of the effectiveness of an orchard-architecture-based ranking system for deploying odor-baited pesticide-treated spheres for direct control of AM in comparison with existing approaches to AM control based on calendar-driven sprays or monitoring-trap-capture-driven sprays. For both plum curculio and apple maggot, delivery of information to all apple growers in these states on advantages of these new approaches compared with existing approaches to management.
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