Department of Entomology

Southeastern Apple Production

ENTOMOLOGY

Entomology Department

NC State University Department of Entomology has one faculty member located at the MHCREC to conduct a research and extension program in the area of Integrated Pest Management on fruit and vegetable crops.The program is coordinated by Jim Walgenbach (professor & extension entomologist), and includes one full-time technician (Steve Schoof) and a laboratory technician, plus several seasonal personnel to assist with summer field work. Apple research and extension programs account for about half of the programs focus, with the remainder devoted to vegetable crops (primarily tomato, pepper and cabbage).

Permanent facilities include a primary laboratory in the MHCR&EC, a separate field laboratory on the MHCRS, plus access to modern greenhouse facilities. A 2-acre block of mature Delicious and Golden Delicious trees was recently supplemented with another 2 acres of newly-planted Delicious and Granny Smith for on-site field trials.

Program Focus

The requirements of the 1996 Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) have resulted in the gradual elimination of many insecticides used heavily by the apple industry. This, along with problems of pest resistance, is causing growers to switch to newer 'reduced-risk' chemicals and increasingly rely on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for insect and disease control. A large part of the entomology program’s work involves integrating new pest-control technology into integrated systems, and implementing this at the grower level through cooperation with county extension personnel and various segments of the crop protection industry. Field work is conducted in plots at the MHCRS and in surrounding commercial orchards. In addition, colonies of codling moth, oriental fruit moth and twospotted spider mite are maintained in the laboratory to allow for year-round toxicological and behavioral studies.

Current Apple Research Projects

A major project now underway involves the evaluation of whole-farm use of mating disruption and reduced-risk pesticides for management of the major pest complex, and the impact of these programs on orchard biodiversity. This project is supported by a multistate USDA-RAMP project (cooperating states include Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia).

We are also collaborating on a project to develop a better understanding of the phenology, population dynamics, and management of dogwood borer through the use of semiochemicals. The dogwood borer is an increasingly important pest in the region, and recent identification of its sex pheromone has greatly expanded opportunities for developing novel management strategies.

In recent years the codling moth has developed into the key arthropod pest of apples throughout the eastern US, including the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Insecticide-resistant populations are considered to be a major cause of this problem, and we are now devoting a considerable amount of time to assessing orchard populations from throughout the region for resistance to various insecticides.

The entomology program annually conducts extensive evaluations of new pest control products (insecticides, acaricides, and pheromones for mating disruption) on apples. Most of this work is conducted in small plot studies at the MHCRS, but trials are also conducted in commercial orchards. This aspect of the program helps to assess the efficacy of new insecticides against target pests and their effect on key beneficial arthropods, particularly predatory mites.

Orchard Monitoring

Local insect populations are tracked throughout the growing season using a system of traps, temperature-recording devices, and degree-day models. Typically, at least two traps targeting each of six different insect species are set up in ten to twelve cooperating orchards in Henderson County, with additional orchards in Polk, Lincoln, and Buncombe Counties. Roughly half of these sites are equipped with temperature recorders. Traps and recorders are checked weekly, with results posted on the Current Orchard Conditions and Insect Population Trends page of this site.