Purpose:
To evaluate the possibility of managing arthropod pests in almonds with less disruptive pesticides. To demonstrate techniques used to almond farmers, pest control advisors, and those concerned with almond integrated pest management.
Cooperating Personnel:
Members of the Almond Pest Management Alliance (PMA) cooperating in this project include: Roger Duncan, Lonnie Hendricks, Brent Holtz, Joe Grant, Walter Bentley, University of California Cooperative Extension; Frank Zalom, UC Integrated Pest Management Project; pomology consultant Wesley Asai; Chris Heinz, Mark Looker, Almond Board of California; Marcia Gibbs, Community Alliance of Family Farmers; Gene Beach, Almond Hullers and Processors Association.
Objective:
To evaluate the success, environmental impact and profitability of managing arthropod pests with less broadly toxic pesticides. To allow farmers to see the progress of such trials in a producing orchard. To evaluate the results of these comparative practices scientifically.
Plot Design:
A uniform 120-acre almond orchard with Nonpareil as the main cultivator will be selected for the test site. Three treatment categories will be studied and these will be replicated four times. Each plot will be 10 acres in size. The design will be a randomized block.
Pests Considered:
The key focus of this project is on arthropod pest management where pesticide of concern for worker safety and residues are most prevalent. Pests which will be monitored in this study include navel orangeworm, peach twig borer, ants (both pest and beneficial), mites (Pacific mite, brown almond mite, European red mite, and western predator mite), San Jose scale, parasitoids of San Jose scale, European fruit lecanium and associated parasitoids and apple leafhopper.
In addition to pests, winter runoff water will be gathered from these plots to evaluate the movement of pesticides and residues found.
Treatment Criteria:
Three generalized treatment approaches will be used:
1. No broad spectrum insecticide treatments applied for any arthropod pest. A dormant oil will be applied to these plots using high gallonage (400 gpa minimum) with 8 gallons of dormant oil. Sprays applied during the growing season, if needed, will include materials such as Bacillus thuringiensis. Mite materials will include oils, or the selective product Apollo. Ant management will include the use of a bait such as avermectin, if it becomes available. To enhance habitat for beneficials, alternate rows of cover will be mowed during the growing season in this treatment.
2. Treatment 2 will include a dormant organophosphate and oil at standard rate in 400 gpa. In addition, the new biorational insecticides such as spinosad will be used during the growing season for peach twig borer (PTB) control. If miticides are needed selective materials such as Vendex, Abamectin, or Pyramite will be used. If registration of bait materials such as avermectin becomes available it will be used.
3. Treatment 3 will use the historical broad spectrum materials to manage arthropod pests. This treatment will include a dormant pyrethroid (Asana) and oil application in 400 gpa. A spring organophosphate or hullsplit organophosphate will be used to manage both peach twig borer and navel orangeworm. Ants will be managed with a ground application of chlorpyrifos.
Common Treatment:
Decisions for treatments will be based on standard sampling plans, where these are established. In each of the three pest management approaches the practice of winter sanitation and early harvest will be followed. A permanent native vegetation cover will also be present in each of the three treatments. Additionally during late winter mummies will be counted in each plot. A minimum of 20 trees will be counted per plot.
Measurement of stem water potential will be done in the alternate mowed treatment and the historical treatment to detect differences based on mowing schedule at technique.
Nutrients will be applied based on June-July leaf analysis and water analysis in each. Treatment effects can be determined on nutrient availability in the tree.
Temperature records will be recorded on site.
We will attempt to maintain the cost records for activities down in each treatment.
Collection Techniques:
1. Now egg traps, San Jose scale pheromone traps, double sided sticky tapes for San Jose scale crawlers, peach twig borer pheromone traps, ant baiting, presence absence leaf sampling for mites, and leaf sampling for leafhoppers will be done. The pheromone trapping and egg trapping will be done twice per week beginning in March and extending through September. Mite sampling will begin in May and be done twice monthly. Baiting for ants will be done in April, July, and September. Five hundred to 1000 nuts will be collected per plot and evaluated for infestation and damage.
Extension of information:
Under the auspices of the Almond Pest Management Alliance (PMA) information will be dispersed through field days as well as printed material. Timely topics will be presented at each field meeting. We hope to have three field days during the season and a meeting that summarizes the results of the study.
Cooperator:
The cooperating grower has not been determined as yet. We are looking for an orchard that has been well cared for and on good soil, uniform soil. The Nonpareil cultivator will be a requirement and pollinizers such as Butte, Price, or Ruby desirable. Orchard size should be a minimum of 120 acres and the grower should be committed to a minimum of 3 years in the project.