Dormant Spray Alternatives Calculator

Almond growers can now surf the net to find out how much they spend to control bugs. Or compare new pest control practices to their own program.

The on-line "Dormant Spray Alternatives Calculator" for almonds and other tree crops gives growers and crop advisors a quick, accurate tool to predict pest control costs.

The calculator is the by-product of new research on alternative spray programs by the University of California Integrated Pest Management program.
The site http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/WATER/OPCALC/
is linked to the University of California IPM web page (www.ipm.ucdavis.edu).

At the site, growers or crop advisors can key-in cost data from their own farming operations. The calculator then compares that information to alternative spray programs.

The idea for the site originated with researchers in the UC-IPM program who were working on the recently released report Alternatives To Chlorpyrifos And Diazinon Dormant Sprays. The report authors, Frank Zalom, Michael Oliver, and David Hinton combined efforts with IPM program staff and Cooperative Extension Advisors and Specialists to develop and refine the calculator.

In the report, researchers compared conventional organophosphate dormant treatment costs in almonds, peaches, cherries and prunes to six different options, each with detailed input costs. IPM researchers, wanting to make use of the information after the report was completed, decided to make a web calculator based on their work.

"The site lets growers and consultants make quick comparisons," Oliver said. "If they’re considering a change to an alternative practice, this lays out the parameters and should help them make a more informed decision. It allows them to see other alternatives they might not have considered before."