Materials & Methods 



Study site. This study was 

 performed during April-June of 2003 

 in two unsprayed plots of a 

 commercial apple orchard (University 

 of Massachusetts Cold Spring 

 Orchard Research & Education 

 Center, Belchertown, MA) that 

 differed in level of management. For 

 each plot, the perimeter row selected 

 for our expenment had a similar length 

 (about 150 yards) and orientation 

 (west). For each plot there was an 

 alleyway (about 20 yards width) 

 separating penmeter-row trees from 

 woods (which were composed 

 primarily of deciduous trees) (Figure 

 1). These two alleyways were mowed 

 in August, 2002. 



In the first plot (Plot A), 

 fungicides, insecticides, and herbicides 

 were applied throughout 2002. Thus, 

 area beneath tree canopies was 

 devoid of vegetation. At the time of trap deployment in 

 plot A (see below), approximately 120 fruit (from the 

 previous year) were present beneath each tree. The 

 second plot (Plot B) was not managed, with no 

 insecticide, herbicide, or fungicide applied for at least 6 

 years. Thus, there were tall grass and other vegetation 

 growing beneath tree canopies. In this plot, there were 

 fewer fruit present beneath each tree (approximately 

 30) than in Plot A due to low fruit load the previous 

 year (2002). 



Trap deployment. For our study, we used 

 pyramidal emergence traps (depicted in Figure 2) that 

 were 1 . 1 x 1.1 yards at base and were made of PVC 

 and steel screen. Traps were purchased from Pest 

 Management Innovations (Harpers Ferry, WV). A 

 plastic device topping each trap permitted the capture 

 of PCs that, upon emergence from hibernation, walked 

 upward on the interior surface of the trap. 



For each plot, 60 emergence traps were deployed 

 in 12 transects. Each transect consisted of five 

 emergence traps arranged in the following manner: ( 1 ) 

 a trap placed next to the trunk of a perimeter-row tree 

 (denoted perimeter-row trap), (2) a trap placed in the 

 alleyway, in close proximity to the edge of the canopy 

 of a penmeter-row tree (denoted canopy-edge trap). 



Figure 2. Depiction of a pyramidal emergence trap used for the 

 detemiination of PC overwintering within two orchard plots in 

 Massachusetts. Trap dimensions: 1.1 x 1.1 yards at base. Traps 

 were purchased from Pest Management Innovations (Harpers 

 Ferry, WV). 



(3) a trap placed in the alleyway, midway between 

 perimeter-row trees and woods (denoted alleyway trap), 



(4) a trap placed at the edge of woods (denoted woods- 

 edge trap), and (5) a trap placed 6-8 yards inside the 

 woods (denoted woods-interior trap) (see Figure I). 

 Traps were deployed in such a way that no PCs 

 emerging in the area covered by a trap could exit, and 

 no PCs could enter a trap from the outside. 



Traps were deployed on April 15 (at the silver tip 

 stage). Each trap was baited with one PC pheromone 

 dispenser (releasing 1 mg of grandisoic acid per day) 

 to draw PCs towards the capturing device. All traps 

 were inspected for PCs two to three times per week 

 until late June. 



Results 



Figure 3 reveals that for the plot subjected to weed 

 management (plot A), 50% of the total number of PCs 

 was captured by perimeter-row traps, whereas 36% 

 of the total was captured by woods-interior traps. For 

 the unmanaged plot (plot B), 62% of the total number 

 of PCs was captured by perimeter-row traps, whereas 

 25%) of the total was captured by woods-interior traps. 

 For both plots, canopy-edge and woods-edge traps 



Fruit Notes, Volume 69, Winter, 2004 



