Apple Integrated Pest Management in 

 1994: Insects and Mites in Second-level 

 Orchard Blocks 



Jennifer Mason, Ronald Prokopy, Starker Wright, Jonathan Black, 

 Christina Chang, Julie Cook, Sarah Goodall, and Yu Ma 

 Department of Entomology, University of Massachusetts 



Since 1991, the Apple IPM program at the University 

 of Massachusetts has been involved in a pilot project of 

 second-level IPM in commercial Massachusetts apple or- 

 chards. Under second-level IPM, orchard management is 

 integrated across all classes of pests: insects, mites, dis- 

 eases, weeds, and vertebrates, rather than focusing on a 

 single type of pest. Here we report results of the fourth and 

 final year of this pilot project. 



Insect and mite management under second-level IPM 

 practices requires application of three to four selective 

 insecticide sprays from April to early June to manage 

 tarnished plant bug (TPB), European apple sawfly (EAS), 

 plum curculio (PC), green fruitworm (GFW), and the first 

 generations of codling moth (CM), lesser appleworm 

 (LAW), apple blotch leafminer (ABLM), and white apple 

 leafhopper (WALH). Insecticide application to the interior 

 of the block ceases after the final plum curculio spray in 

 early June, hopefully allowing populations of predatory 

 insects and parasitoids to increase to levels sufficient to 

 provide control of summer populations of foliar pests. In 

 full second-level IPM blocks, apple maggot flies (AMF) 

 are controlled by perimeter interception traps. In transi- 

 tional second-level IPM blocks, use of AMF interception 

 traps is replaced by perimeter-row spraying with Guthion'" 

 or Imidan™ every three weeks beginning in early July. In 

 both types of blocks, removal of unmanaged apple and pear 

 trees within 100 yards of each block is intended to reduce 

 immigration of CM and LAW. Removal of drops during 

 and after harvest discourages buildup of within-orchard 

 populations of AMF and CM. 



It is our belief that in-depth studies of biologically based 

 control methods, such as used in our second-level IPM pilot 

 project, hold promise for apple growers facing the challenge 

 of growing fruit in a manner that is both environmentally 

 sound and financially feasible. Benefits could range from 

 a more marketable fruit, due to decreased residue to slower 

 development of insect resistance to pesticide. The main 

 purpose of the pilot project has been to evaluate low-spray 

 control methods to provide effective alternatives to Massa- 

 chusetts apple growers. 



In 1994, we continued work in the same six full second- 

 level and five transitional second-level IPM test blocks used 

 from 1991 to 1993. Each second-level block was matched 

 with a nearby control block that was managed by the grower, 

 using first-level IPM methods. 



Early-Season Fruit-injuring Pests 



For control of early season fruit-injuring pests active up 

 to early June, second-level IPM is dependent on pesticide 

 treatment based on monitoring. Orchards were monitored 

 weekly beginning in mid-April and continuing through 

 mid-June. Five white sticky rectangular traps were hung in 

 early April in each block to monitor for TPB, and were 

 rehung prior to bloom to monitor for EAS. During PC 

 season, scouts examined fruit on perimeter trees for PC 

 injury, but growers were advised to make daily inspections 

 on their own. Recommendations for treatment of the 

 experimental block were made to the grower on the basis of 

 monitoring results. 



Due to a lack of alternatives to pesticidal control of 

 early-season fruit pests, first- and second-level blocks were 

 managed similarly through early June, and therefore had 

 similar insecticide use until that time (Table 1). Combined 

 injury levels from early-season fruit pests at harvest in 1994 

 were similar in both first- and second-level blocks (full and 

 transitional) (Table 2). TPB injury levels were lower than 

 in 1993, while PC injury levels were higher, particularly in 

 the transitional blocks. EAS levels were also greater than 

 in 1993, although they remained lower than TPB and PC 

 levels. Pesticide use was similar to 1993 in all block types. 



Summer Fruit-injuring Pests: 

 Full Second-level IPM 



Odor-baited red sticky spheres were hung every five 

 yards on perimeter apple trees of each full second-level 

 block to intercept immigrating AMF. The spheres were 

 baited with both butyl hexanoate, a synthetic fruit odor 

 deployed in polyethylene vials, and ammonium carbonate, 



Fru/t Notes, Winter, 1995 



