Stanislaus County PMA Project Description

and Budget for FY 2000-2001

Roger Duncan, UCCE Stanislaus County

The Stanislaus County PMA trial will continue with similar treatments and monitoring as in the previous two seasons. Three pest management program treatments are fully replicated three times within the 120 acre Nonpareil:Carmel orchard west of Modesto. Each plot is approximately 13.5 acres in size. The treatments are:

1. Grower’s Standard Practice: This pest management program is fairly common in the Northern San Joaquin Valley. One exception might be that this grower applies a May spray to control worms instead of the more common hull split spray. Specifically, pesticide treatments will include:

• A dormant application of a pyrethroid, oil, & copper
• A May spray with an organophosphate (Lorsban)
• Omite if needed for mites
• Lorsban for ants.

1. Intermediate Program: In these areas, we will use "reduced risk" pesticides. Specifically, pesticide treatments will include:

• A dormant or delayed dormant application of Success, oil, & copper
• A May spray of Success
• Agri-Mek if needed for mites
• Clinch (Abamectin) bait for ants.

1. Soft program: Pesticide treatments will include:

• A dormant application with oil only
• Two bloom applications of Bt
• Two May sprays of Bt
• Potassium nitrate plus oil for mites if needed
• Clinch bait for ants (possibly Esteem if registered).

Mummies will be removed and destroyed in all treatments. Cover crop management, fertilization, and fungicide treatments will not differ between treatments other than no dormant copper will be applied in the "soft" program..

After reviewing harvest data from the 2000 growing season, these treatments may be modified slightly but the general idea of maintaining "standard", "intermediate", and "soft" management strategies will continue. The grower will be encouraged to leave small areas completely untreated as a potential fourth treatment.

Monitoring:

Trees will be examined for San Jose scale adult populations after the 2000 growing season. The number of mummies per tree will be recorded in February, 2001. In early March, peach twig borer pheromone traps will be placed in the orchard to establish biofix. These traps will be monitored twice weekly through the season and will be used with the degree-day phenology model to determine optimal May application timing for peach twig borer. In addition, each plot will have two S.J. Scale pheromone traps, four sticky tape traps for S.J. scale crawlers, and two NOW egg traps for a total of 90 traps in the trial. These traps will be monitored weekly through the season (March through September). In addition, mites and mite predators will be monitored bi-weekly with the presence / absence leaf sampling technique. Ants will be monitored periodically using hotdog bait traps.

At harvest, 1000 Nonpareil nuts per replication will be sampled from the three treatments and examined for damage from peach twig borer, naval orangeworm, and ants. Monetary costs associated with each treatment will be determined and evaluated against crop reject levels.

Information will be dispersed through bi-annual field days, newsletter articles, breakfast meetings, and other grower meetings

Budget for Stanislaus County UCCE:

Field scout:

Lab Assistant II @ 60% for 10 months: $11,440

Benefits @ 33%: $3,775

Sub total: $15,215

Travel: $1200

Supplies: $2,243

Total direct costs: $18,658

UC overhead @ 10%: $1866

Total Project Budget: $20,524