Donn T. Johnson, dtjohnso@uark.edu and Barb A. Lewis, balewis@uark.edu. University of Arkansas, Entomology, 319 Agriculture building, Fayetteville, AR
Several alternative pest management practices are available for tree fruits. Damage was compared in apple trees under either a conventional (included Guthion) or an alternative insecticide program restricted to Calypso (Thiacloprid), Entrust (Spinosad), Cyd-X (codling moth granulosis virus), or Javelin (Bacillus thuringiensis). Percent plum curculio damage was compared in unbaited and baited apple trees (8 lures of benzaldehyde an almond artificial essential oil, and 2 lures of the plum curculio aggregation pheromone grandisoic acid). We evaluated 10 Exosex dispensers per acre (Exosect Ltd., UK) for mating disruption of lepidopterous larvae in grapes and apples. At harvest, the conventional trees had 1.5% damage, deep tunneling and 1.83 larvae per strip whereas the alternative trees had 12% frass, tunneling < 1/8” depth, and 0.24 larvae per strip. In June, the check, Javelin and Cyd-X treated trees had significantly greater Oriental fruit moth fruit damage than trees treated with Guthion, Calypso and Entrust. In August, the check and Javelin treated trees had significantly more codling moth fruit damage and more over wintering larvae than did trees treated with Cyd-X or Cyd-X + Javelin. Small to intermediate-sized baited apple trees had significantly more plum curculio damage than did unbaited trees, but standard-sized trees showed no such treatment difference. On 16 July, one application of Exosex-OFM and Exosex-CM to apples had fruit damage of 4.6% versus 5.4% in the abandoned block. On 27 July, the Exosex-GBM dispensers applied twice to a vineyard had more grape berry moth damage (9.5%) than did the insecticide block (3.1%).