May 1st 2013 Issue

Pear growers surveyed on biological control

Barriers to adopting biological control practices include perceived ineffectiveness, lack of adequate knowledge, and high cost. However, growers who use them find that their input costs and pesticide use decline.

Implementing stable biological control programs requires growers and pest managers to have a much better understanding of management actions against not only pests, but also their natural enemies. Sound management strategies must consider the phenology of both pests and natural enemies, but also optimal timing of management activities and selection of pesticides to result in maximum suppression of the pest, while minimizing the effects on natural enemies. Members of the multistate project “Enhancing Biological Control in Western Orchard Systems” conducted a survey of pear growers in Oregon and Washington. The goals were to measure adoption of biological control; to better […]

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