Materials and Met I tods 



Actara 25WG (25% thiamethoxanV. As discussed in 

 the Fall 1999 issue of Fruit Notes and the 2000 March Mes- 

 sage, Actara is a second-generation neonicotinoid compound 

 with a mode of action similar to its cousin, Provado. This 

 material at 4-6 oz. per acre (formulated) is locally systemic 

 and has demonstrated effectiveness against sucking insects 

 (such as leaflioppers, aphids, and pear psylla). Efficacy 

 against tissue-feeding pests (such as leafminer, sawfly, and 

 plum curculio) is under study. As of this writing, Actara has 

 not received a full federal label. 



Surround IVP Crop Protectant ( 100% kaolin clay). As 

 reported in the Summer 1 999 issue of Fruit Notes and the 

 2000 March Message, Surround WP Crop Protectant is a 

 nontoxic, mineral-based, sprayable par- 

 ticle barrier film. A sprayed applica- 

 tion of the clay (25-75 lbs. per acre, de- 

 pending on tree size) physically deters 

 a wide range of pests — at the start of 

 the 2000 growing season, this product 

 was labeled for use against European 

 red mites, rust mites, two-spotted spi- 

 der mites, codling moth, plum curculio, 

 leafminers, lygus bugs, leafrollers, tar- 

 nished plant bug, stink bugs, apple niag- 

 got, tlirips, green fruitwomi, and aphids. 



Test Block (Horticultural Research 

 Center, Belchertown). The test block 

 consisted of a 1-acre planting of 240 

 scab-resistant trees planted in 1988- 



1990 on M26 rootstock. In this block, four scab-resistant 

 varieties were planted in quadrants, 20 trees long x three 

 rows wide (Figure 1). Each treatment was applied to 3-tree 

 plots (distributed randomly within each row of each quad- 

 rant), yielding a total of 12 replicates for each treatment. 

 All treatments (Table la) were applied with an airblast 

 sprayer at 100-240 gallons per acre (depending on treatment). 

 All fruit samples were drawn from the center tree of each 

 treatment. 



Results 



Early-season pests. Beginning at pink bud stage, we 

 evaluated three experimental spray programs (Treatments 

 2, 3, 4 — Table lb) in comparison with both a label standard 



Fruit Notes, Volume 65, 2000 



23 



