Solid-set canopy delivery: A novel biological pesticide delivery system for tree fruit production

Upper Midwest tree fruit growers are faced with adapting pest management practices to promote sustainability, decrease pesticide leaching and drift issues affecting non-target organisms, and addressing rising labor and fuel costs. The development of fixed canopy delivery systems for agrochemical applications including insecticides is a logical step in replacing costly tractor-mounted application systems. Recent advances in agrochemical applications via irrigation and canopy delivery systems have demonstrated their ability to provide pest control equivalent to tractor-mounted sprayers. Previous experimental efforts demonstrated that the entomopathogens Beauveria bassiana and Steinernema carpocapsae targeting larval plum curculio (Conotrachelus nenuphar) life stages suppressed adult emergence using conventional application methods. In 2012, we investigated the compatibility of these two entomopathogens applied through a fixed canopy delivery system targeting plum curculio larvae in Michigan. An initial greenhouse experiment determined entomopathogen viability and efficacy towards a highly susceptible host (Galleria mellonella) after application through the canopy delivery system with differing application components including nozzles and spreaders. Subsequent Field assays compared the efficacy of Beauveria bassiana and Steinernema riobrave applied via air blast or canopy delivery towards soil-dwelling plum curculio.