Fundamentals of pest & disease management for the home orchard.

1. Home Orchard Management
Insects & Diseases
Brooke Edmunds, OSU Extension

2. Your goals for pest management:
1. Protect trees and crops from substantial damage
2. Make it simple and easy
3. Make it safe
4. Use methods that enhance natural control factors
Adapted from: http://homeorchard.ucanr.edu/The_Big_Picture/Pests_&_Diseases/
Photo: Flickr user: steve_p2008 CC BY 2.0 https://flic.kr/p/cQ5bYf

3. Question 1
• Think about your own orchard.
• What insect and/or disease issues do you deal with?
• List two methods of pest management that you use.
• Then turn to a neighbor & share

4. Your pest management toolbox
• Proper irrigation & fertilization
• Pruning
• Cultivar resistance
• Sanitation
• Encourage beneficials
• Understand the pest
• Proper ID & life cycle
• Pest monitoring
• Take action:
• Biological control
• Biorational pesticides
• Chemical pesticides

5. Water & Fertilize Properly
• Overwatering encourages root rot
• Overfertilizing can encourage problems
Soil tests are
important!
Photo: http://www.opb.org/images/upload/c_limit,h_1000,q_90,w_640/20151009_soilsample_CF_z5a9yf.jpg

6. Pruning helps by:
• Increased air circulation
• Improved fruit quality
• Better coverage of sprays
Photo: http://www.provident-living-today.com/images/Before-and-After-Pruning-Peach-Tree.jpg

7. Choose disease resistant cultivars
Photo: http://pnwhandbooks.org/plantdisease/sites/default/files/images/apple_scab_box143-005.jpg
Resistant to Scab Susceptible to Scab

9. Question 2:
Understanding cultivar disease susceptibility charts
• Use the Apple Cultivar Susceptibility Chart
• Rank the following four cultivars:
Braeburn, Honeycrisp, Liberty, Red Rome
Scab Powdery mildew
Most resistant
Least resistant

10. Scab Powdery mildew
Most resistant Liberty Liberty
Honeycrisp Red Rome
Braeburn Honeycrisp
Least resistant Red Rome Braeburn
Answer to Question 2
How does this information affect your decision to plant?

11. What about insect susceptibility?
• Stressed plants more susceptible
• Timing of fruit set is important
• Early vs. Late harvest

12. Sanitation
• Remove
diseased/infested
plant material
• Don’t use diseased
leaves as mulch in
the orchard
Photo: http://www.growingmagazine.com/content/GRW/2012/04/A8010_4.jpg

13. ID & Understand the Pest
• Recognize pest & damage it causes
• Understand it’s life cycle
Photo: http://apps.rhs.org.uk/Advice/ACEImages//SCN0000901_757770.jpg
Common problem we see in spring-what is it?

14. Proper ID is key
OSU Extension resources
• Online handbooks
• Catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu
• Lane County Master Gardener
Plant Clinic
Hours: Mon-Thurs
10-1 pm & 2-5 pm
lanemg@oregonstate.edu

15. http://pnwhandbooks.org

17. Practice exercise: Understanding the pest
• Your apples have “worm holes”
• Diagnosed as Codling Moth….now what???
Photo: http://www.zamzows.com/Documents%20and%20Settings/41/Site%20Documents/Garden/codling%20moth%20damage.jpg

18. Life Cycle of Codling Moth
www.clipartbest.com

19. Life Cycle of Codling Moth
www.clipartbest.com

20. Frass from feeding larva
Life Cycle of Codling Moth
www.clipartbest.com

21. Your pest management toolbox
• Proper irrigation & fertilization
• Pruning
• Cultivar resistance
• Sanitation
• Encourage beneficials
• Understand the pest
• Proper ID & life cycle
• Pest monitoring
• Take action:
• Biological control
• Biorational pesticides
• Chemical pesticides

22. Monitoring: Prediction models
• Based on degree days (days above a threshold
temperature) and statistical models
• Utilizes local weather station data
• Approximate prediction of pest/disease activities
http://uspest.org/

24. http://utahpests.usu.edu/ipm/htm/fruits/fruit-insect-disease/codling-moths06

25. Local Monitoring of Insects
Photo: http://utahpests.usu.edu/IPM/images/uploads/factsheet/codling-moth/delta-trap.jpg
Example trap for Codling Moth monitoring
Apple Maggot trap
Apple maggot photo: https://www.ces.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/AM-trap-01.jpg

26. http://utahpests.usu.edu/IPM/images/uploads/factsheet/codling-moth/trap-placement.jpg

27. Physical options for insect management
• Fruit bagging
• Trapping
Stocking photo: http://cdn.territorialseed.com/images/uploads/14794_8283_large.jpg
Paper bag photo: http://www.vegetablegardener.com/assets/uploads/posts/11422/no-spray-organic-apples-4_lg.jpg

28. Pesticides
• Biorational,
organic and
synthetic choices
• Application
timing is very
important

29. Dormant Season Sprays
Photo: http://media.merchantcircle.com/upics/3/1083976/shutterstock_98006159_full.jpeg

30. Examples of dormant season sprays
• Insecticide: Dormant oil
• Fungicide/Bactericide: Copper-based or synthetic
Photo: https://extension.umaine.edu/fruit/wp-content/uploads/sites/62/2011/03/cherryflowerbuds1.jpg

31. Growing season sprays
• Good coverage
• Targeted
Photo: https://mayertreeservice.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/apple-tree-spraying.jpg

32. Remember: Protect beneficial organisms
Photo: http://www.southwestvictorygardens.com/wp-content/uploads/Lady-Bug-Larvae-Feeding-on-Aphids.jpg

33. Practice Exercise
• Use the codling moth life
cycle diagram
• Where should
management interventions
occur?

34. Frass from feeding larva
Example: Codling Moth
When should management occur?
www.clipartbest.com

35. Your homework
• Think about your orchards biggest pest problem
• Investigate when action needs to be taken
• Scouting? Preventative application?
• Put it on your calendar!

36. Resources
Presentation slides & links are posted on my website:
blogs.oregonstate.edu/ediblegardens
brooke.edmunds@oregonstate.edu
541-791-6671