Integrated Crop and Pest Management

Contents

Background. 1

Practicing IPM.. 1

IPM Components. 1

IPM Tactics. 1

 

Background

 

Cornell University and Cornell Cooperative Extension actively promote the use of Integrated Crop and Pest Management (IPM) by New York growers in order to address agricultural concerns. In many areas of New York State, there are horticultural, economic, social, and political pressures to reduce the environmental impact and use of pesticides in crop production. Public concerns with nutrient and sediment movement into ground and surface water and pressure against pesticide applications is growing. In other regions, agricultural producers are being asked to submit nutrient and soil management plans to address the offsite impacts of their practices. In addition, the development of pesticide resistance in key pests; registration of fewer and more expensive new chemicals for pest control; loss of existing products; and increased competition from other regions continue to push New York agriculture to look for nonchemical alternatives.

 

IPM requires a combination of long and short term production strategies to maximize net profit while minimizing risks of undesirable environmental impacts of practices. Some of these practices include site selection, crop-specific production strategies, nutrient management, and cover cropping. IPM is a pest control strategy that promotes the use of a variety of tactics including pest-resistant cultivars and biological, cultural, and physical controls. Pesticides are a control tactic employed in IPM, but they are used preferably only when needed. Pesticide use is thus minimized without jeopardizing crop quality or yield. Applying multiple control tactics minimizes the chance that pests will adapt to any one tactic and allows growers to choose the most environmentally sound, efficacious, and economically efficient pest management program for their situation.

This manual provides information and references that will allow New York fruit growers to practice IPM for many of their crops. While information for the proper use of pesticides is a main component of this manual, other information is contained that can help growers reduce their reliance on pesticides and take advantage of alternatives to pesticides that may be less expensive, less environmentally harmful, and more acceptable to the non-agricultural community.

 

Practicing IPM

 

In an IPM program, it is important to accurately identify the pests (vertebrates, diseases, insects, and weeds) and assess pest abundance. See the listing (at the end of this publication) of laboratories at Cornell that do pest and disease diagnosis and soil and tissue analysis for assistance in maintaining crop health and nutrition. It is important to have knowledge of the biology and ecology of the pest(s) attacking the crop and the factors that can influence pest infestations. An understanding of the influence of factors such as weather and natural enemies on pest abundance will aid the choice of management tactics. IPM programs stress suppression of insect and disease populations to levels that do not cause economic damage, rather than total eradication of a pest. In the case of insect pests, it may be important to have at least some pests present to ensure that natural enemies will remain in the crop to suppress subsequent infestations.

 

IPM Components

 

Monitoring (Scouting). Scouting includes detecting, identifying, and determining the level of pest populations on a timely basis. Insect traps can often be used to detect pests and identify times when scouting should be intensified or control measures should be taken. Monitoring individual orchard blocks throughout the season is the most effective way of assessing the insect, disease, and weed situation and, therefore, the need for chemical treatment in that block. Scientifically based, accurate, and efficient monitoring methods are available for many pests on fruit crops in New York. Brief descriptions of the recommended techniques are given in this manual.

 

Forecasting. Weather data and other information helps predict when specific pests will most likely occur. Weather-based pest forecast models for diseases and insects of many crops have been developed in New York. This information will be referred to for the pests that have such models available. Weather forecasts are available through the NYS IPM Program’s Network for Environment and Weather Awareness (NEWA) on a daily basis.

 

Access to a computer network to obtain weather, regional insect, and disease forecasts is useful but not essential. NEWA provides automated local weather information and the results of pest forecasts on a daily basis. Access NEWA online at http://newa.nysaes.cornell.edu. Simple weather recording equipment such as thermometers, hygrometers, and rain gauges placed in orchards will assist the prediction of pest outbreaks. Information on the potential for pest outbreaks generally can also be obtained from local Cooperative Extension offices, newsletters, and regional crop advisors.

 

Thresholds. Use thresholds to determine when pest populations have reached a level that could cause economic damage. Thresholds have been scientifically determined by Cornell researchers. Following the thresholds indicated in this manual has reduced pesticide use by as much as 50%, saving significant money for growers. The term suggested action threshold is used in this publication to denote situations in which the decision to spray or to withhold a spray can be made primarily on the basis of a properly timed visual inspection of the orchard. Where appropriate, this information has been included to serve as a guideline for determining the importance of a given pest’s occurrence. Good judgment should be exercised in applying the general advice to individual orchard situations, and potential problems should be anticipated to avoid pest outbreaks and pesticide waste. The suggested thresholds are not always exact; nonetheless, they represent the best guidelines available to the commercial grower concerned with effective and efficient management of tree-fruit pests. For more detailed information on any aspect of these recommendations, consult your local Cornell Cooperative Extension agent.

 

Management tactics. Appropriate management tactics to control pests include cultural, biological, and physical controls, as well as chemical controls when needed. Taking advantage of some of the simple and relatively inexpensive pest management advice offered in this manual can result in significant savings to growers both in terms of pesticide use and crop loss. Often a thoughtful preventive measure taken before the pest is a problem can result in significant savings of crop-rescue treatment dollars later in the season.

 

Recordkeeping. Records kept from year to year on pest occurrence in orchards can be valuable tools for avoiding pests in the future.

 

IPM Tactics

 

An important aim of an IPM strategy is to integrate the available pest management options. Some pests are endemic and usually require pesticide treatment, applied either preventively or in response to threshold numbers during the season. However, the incidence of these pests and the need for pesticides can often be reduced through a combination of control tactics described below.

 

Pest-resistant varieties. If available, insect and disease resistant or tolerant varieties or rootstocks can reduce losses to pests. Using these varieties can be one of the simplest methods of reducing costly management procedures and negative environmental impacts during the growing season.

Cultural and physical controls. Remove overwintering sites, such as cull piles, mummies, suckers and damaged trees, and alternate hosts, to minimize damage by insects and diseases.

Use techniques that expose pests to natural enemies or environmental stress, or that make the crop less susceptible to insects or diseases.

 

Ensure vigorous crop growth through proper nutrition and weed control to avoid stress that may predispose crops to attack by insects, diseases, or physiological disorders.

 

If irrigating, manage irrigation schedules to avoid long periods of high relative humidity, which encourage diseases to develop

 

Avoid planting trees into areas of known, high pest pressure.

 

Orient orchards to provide maximum air drainage and circulation.

 

Biological control. Conserve natural enemies of insect and mite pests by only using fungicides and insecticides when needed. As much as possible, use pesticides that are most selective to specific pests and least disruptive to beneficial organisms.

Make use of “seeding” releases of predator mites if practical; refer to IPM Pub. 215, Achieving Biological Control of European Red Mite in Northeast Apples: An Implementation Guide for Growers.

 

Chemical control. Only use pesticides if pest pressure, monitoring, economic thresholds, or disease forecasts indicate a need.

Choose pesticides according to efficacy, previous use patterns, the incidence of resistance, and the impact on the environment and natural enemies.

 

Ensure full and uniform spray coverage by using recommended spray rates and accurately calibrated equipment that targets key crop locations that need to be protected.

 

Do not apply pesticides when wind velocity is more than five miles per hour to avoid drift to nontarget sites.

(adapted from M. Hoffmann, C. Petzoldt, and A. Frodsham)

 

For more information, consult the Fruit IPM website at: nysipm.cornell.edu/fruits/