Atanas Atanassov, atanassov@aesop.rutgers.edu and Peter W. Shearer, shearer@aesop.rutgers.edu. Rutgers University, Rutgers Agricultural Research and Extension Center, 121 Northville Road, Bridgeton, NJ
A study was implemented in eight commercially farmed NJ peach blocks to evaluate arthropod management programs designed to exclude organophosphorus (OP) and carbamate insecticide use. The blocks, ranging from 10–30 acres, were divided in two and each portion was assigned one of two treatments: RAMP or conventional. The RAMP program utilized mating disruption and non-OP/carbamate insecticides that were grower-applied based upon our recommendations. Choice of products and timings for arthropod management in the conventional portions were left to the grower’s discretion. Fruit quality was high in both treatments and frequently there were no difference in levels of damage from most pests. However scale insects did reduce fruit quality in several RAMP blocks in 2003. We saw no appreciable increase in natural enemies in the RAMP blocks compared to conventionally managed blocks. The costs of the RAMP programs for NJ peaches were about 2-2.5 times more expensive than conventional arthropod management programs.
Species 1: Lepidoptera Tortricidae
Grapholita molesta (oriental fruit moth)
Species 2: Hemiptera Miridae
Lygus lineolarisKeywords: Mating disruption, peach IPM
Poster (.pdf format, 68.0 kb)