A REPORT ON THE 1984 APPLE IPM PROGRAM 



W.M. Coli and R.J. Prokopy, Department of Entomology 

 University of Massachusetts 



n.R. Cooley and W.J. Manning, Department of Plant Pathology 

 University of Massachusetts 



and 



G. Morin and R.A. Spitko, New England Fruit Consultants, 



Lake Pleasant, MA 



Fiscal 198^ saw a continuation of the scaled down Apple IPM program, 

 the focus of which is grower education and electronic information transfer. 

 Grower interest in and support of IPM continued to be excellent. Private 

 sector IPM scout/consultant service continued to expand in response to 

 grower demand, evidence, we believe, of substantial grower commitment to an 

 extension IPM approach. In addition, financial contributions to continua- 

 tion of an apple IPM program and specialist position totalling $2,750 were 

 received from 5 growers, representing about 18% of the state's tree fruit 

 acreage. We wish to thank all contributing growers for their continued 

 support of IPM educational efforts. 



Entomology and Plant Pathology Extension faculty and staff presented 4 

 IPM training sessions in each of 3 regions, bringing growers up to date on 

 new pest monitoring techniques and management strategies. These sessions 

 allowed attendees to receive pesticide applicator recertification credits, 

 and were well attended. Also, Ron Prokopy and Bill Coli presented two 

 grower training sessions in the Hudson Valley of New York, also for recerti- 

 fication credits. 



Program staff performed weekly scouting in 7 orchard blocks in Stowe, 

 Sterling, Wilbraham and Ashfield. Additional orchard visits were performed 

 to address specific insect/mite or disease problems on request. Numerous 

 telephone inquiries relating to pest control were also received and 

 addressed . 



During 1984, Susan Butkewich and Ron Prokopy evaluated fS newly labelled 

 or experimental pesticides for effectiveness against a range of apple or 

 pear insect and mite pests at the Hort. Research Center (HRC). They also 

 studied time of tarnished plant bug (TPB) injury initiation and the most 

 effective time of pesticide application against TPB. Further, they investi- 

 gated plum curculio responses to odor of developing fruit and potential 

 egglaying sites. Tom Green and Ron Prokopy analyzed apple blotch leafminer 

 adult behavior in time and space in nature, while Martin Aluja and Ron 

 Prokopy examined maggot fly responses to interacting synthetic fruit odor 

 and visual trap stimuli. 



Acknowledgements : We wish to thank Ms. Kathleen Leahy for scouting and 

 data-entry assistance, and Dave Lynch, Dana Clark, Jesse and Wayne Rice, 

 Bill Broderick, Rich Smith, Elmer Fitzgerald Jr., Ed. Roberts Sr. and Tony 

 Rossi for their cooperation. 



