May/June 2022 - 32

I
&
TACKLING PEST
MANAGEMENT
National Nut Grower asked two pest management experts - one
from the private sector, and one from University of California
Cooperative Extension (UCCE) - about control plans. Juan Rosales
is the sales manager at Wilbur-Ellis. Kent Daane is an entomologist
and UCCE specialist.
What's a common mistake growers make
when it comes to insect pest or disease
management?
Juan Rosales: Misidentification, and lack of disease identification,
are the biggest problems we see. For example, alternaria is often
misidentified and believed to be localized to a specific area in the
Central Valley (California). Our teams are in constant communication
across the U.S., helping to stay ahead of pressures as they spread. So,
we're watching for alternaria across the entire valley. We know that
when left unchecked, it can cause severe damage.
Kent Daane: One of the main issues is monitoring. For example,
growers have a major concern for navel orangeworm, so they
might have a singular focus because it's an annual problem. Stink
bug and leaffooted bug are sporadic in occurrence. So, there might
not be much of a problem for 3-4 years in a row, then suddenly a
tremendous amount of damage. So, consistency in monitoring.
What's an effective
management
practice that
should be more
utilized?
JR: Technology use is very
underutilized, but can help
growers understand both the
incidence and severity of pest
and disease issues, as well as
utilize our budgets in a way
that isn't wasteful. Weather
station modeling, drone and
high-resolution image data
give growers the ability to
visually monitor and analyze
issues, helping them to make
more educated decisions
that ultimately impact their
bottom line.
What should growers do if they're
struggling to identify a control plan?
JR: First, we recommend growers work with an agronomist or pest
control adviser (PCA) who can accurately identify diseases and have
the diseases analyzed by a plant pathologist. Second, good recordkeeping
of past incidents is a very important tool for growers trying
to establish an intelligent control plan. Lastly, use your resources.
Cooperative Extension advisors, analytics and technologies are
readily available today and not very expensive.
KD: Work with your PCA. Some folks have decades of experience
and are very knowledgeable. A good PCA will meet the needs of a
particular grower. Some growers want no insects at all, and a PCA
can keep growers from overspraying by monitoring. That same PCA
might be able to help an organic grower, too, because of experience
and a wide knowledge of control tools.
KD: I really wish we had
better monitoring tools for
stink bugs and leaffooted
bugs. That would help greatly,
and would be nice to see if
we could manipulate the egg
parasitoids. Whatever you do,
it's not for this season, but
for next season. Parasitism
tends to be at its highest at
the end of the season, but
it's difficult for growers to
consider augmentation or
manipulation at the same
time they're harvesting. But,
definitely something to look at
for the future.
32 MAY/JUNE 2022
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May/June 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May/June 2022
