Building a multi-tactic biologically intensive pest management system for washington orchards

Tree fruit production has historically used more "high risk" insecticides than other agricultural systems and therefore has been significantly impacted by implementation of the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996. The key to transforming an agricultural system lies in developing alternative management approaches for key pests. The codling moth (CM), Cydia pomonella L., is a key pest in western apple and pear orchards. In the early 1990s, research demonstrated that pheromones could be used to manage CM. This knowledge led to the establishment of a USDA sponsored project known as the Codling Moth Areawide Management Program (CAMP). CAMP reduced crop losses and use of broad-spectrum pesticides while speeding the adoption of pheromones as a control tactic. Since that time, scientists that were associated with CAMP have been evaluating new technologies for pheromone delivery and other tactics, including soft insecticides, which strive to stabilize pest management systems in orchards. The goal is to maximize biological controls while minimizing impacts on human health and the environment.