PHEROMONE-BASED CODLING MOTH AND NAVEL ORANGEWORM MANAGEMENT IN WALNUTS 2011: YEAR 7

ABS TRACT Essentially a continuation of the Walnut Pest Management Alliance (PMA), this project continued for a seventh year efforts to reduce pesticide inputs in California walnuts and demons trate and increase implementation of pest management strategies based on various formulations of pheromone mating disruption (PMD). Si x long-term, area-wide projects continued in 2011 with aerosol pheromone „puff ers‟ for codling moth (CM) control. Two of these sites, San Joaquin and Glenn, have successfully used puffers for seven years as the primary CM management tool. The majority of the PMD acreage in this project did not need CM insecticide treatments in 2008 or 2009, but in 2010 and 2011 supplemental sprays were required at some sites. Several years of using PMD over a large area demonstrates the benefits of this system including reduced crop damage, reduced CM populations which can be managed using fewer insecticide sprays, reduced broad spectrum insecticide applications, and a move to softer insecticides as supplements for PMD. As PMD becomes better understood, the research and implementation effort shifts focus from managing the primary walnut pest, CM, to managing navel orangeworm (NOW) considered a secondary pest. The success of this program is the result of input from many collaborators including growers, pest control advisors (PCAs), UCCE Farm Advisors, Suterra LLC, Pacific BioControl Corporation, Trece Inc, USDA-ARS, Ca. Dept. of Pesticide Regulation, the UC Integrated Pest Management Program, and the California Walnut Board.