A "Greener" Congress and a "Green" Public = Changes Coming in Michigan Apple Production

Dr. Mark Whalon, Professor of Entomology, Michigan State University

Thursday, January 15, 2009, 1-2 pm

Broadcast from Michigan State University

 Functional Ecology - or 'How to' Measure Ecosystem Services in Orchards.  Sounds like alphabet soup, but this is the coming wave for how modern society may be assessing orchard health and orchard products.  A few Michigan fruit growers are already implementing various features of this approach.  One example is using mite predators and pests as indicators of orchard health. Another is monitoring and reporting the natural enemies that reduce pesticide inputs into orchards. In both instances, growers learn in dollars and cents how much they are making from nature in their orchards. This is an up and coming way of marketing "environmentally friendly" production. Also, USD/ NRCS funds (EQUIP, CSP, etc.) are asking growers to prove that their orchards are monitoring and reducing environmental impacts.  Plus, these measurement systems can help growers reduce chemical inputs and their associated costs.

• Reduced Risk Compounds - What's the future?  As OPs are being phased out, Reduced-Risk (RR) and OP-Alternative compounds are taking center stage in orchard pest management.  But Whalon points out that some RR pesticides may have negative natural enemy, intergenerational and area-wide effects that aren't necessarily "reduced risk".  As an example, some RR pesticides may make a one generation pest into a two generation pest! This use may benefit cherry orchards but cause late season injury in apples.  Specific materials will be discussed.

Implementing Biopesticides.  A revolution has occurred across the US and the EU in golf course management. Michigan is no exception.  Once one of the most heavily-sprayed acreage on earth, many are now moving rapidly toward organic and more "environmentally friendly" by using biopesticides to control their worst pests.  These new tools - and others like them - are now moving into the apple orchard.  Learn some of the "softer" biopesticides being tested for common apple insects and see their effectiveness data and photos.This is a big test of all going in.