Pear industry representatives in Oregon and Washington are collaborating to create a Pest Management Strategic Plan for pears. The goal of the project is to document and prioritize the industry’s pest management challenges and identify its needs in terms of education, research, and regulatory issues. Bob Gix, co-chair of the Fresh and Processed Pear Committees’ research subcommittee, said the plan covers pests in the widest sense—insects, diseases, and animals—as well as the inputs that impact them, such as irrigation, tree vigor, economics, and labor. With university, state, and federal research funds being limited, research needs that are well documented and supported […]