May the Drones Be with You
The 4th Quarter of 2018 was a busy time for Tree Fruit IPM Extension Specialist Betsy Beers and her team of outreach professionals. Postdoctoral research associate Louie Nottingham and PhD student Jim Hepler presented their research at two separate Science in Our Valley seminars in Wenatchee in November. Also in November, Beers and Nottingham participated in the quarterly Pear IPM Discussion, Bugs & Brews, with collaborators Tianna DuPont and Chris Strohm in Cashmere.
Beers herself gave two presentations at the Washington State Tree Fruit Association meeting in December. lnvasive Species: The New Normal featured brown marmorated stink bug, spotted wing drosophila, and apple clear wing moth, among other pests to which she has dedicated much of her time since 2010. But it may have been her second presentation that stole the show. Reporting on the first year of a three-year sterile insect release (SIR) program to manage codling moths in Okanogan orchards, Beers treated conference attendees to a video of drones in action releasing the sterile moths, complete with Star Wars soundtrack. While, scientifically speaking, Beers is “cautiously optimistic” about SIR and drone deployment, her audience definitely thought the Force was with her. The presentations were featured in articles by the Capital Press and Good Fruit Grower.
Coffee with a Slice of Science
On October 18, Vegetable Horticulture Extension Specialist Carol Miles and her graduate students Pinki Devi and Abigail Attavar participated in a special kind of community outreach at the Anacortes Science Café. Science Cafés are casual presentations on topics relating to science held in community-friendly settings. There are 12 in Washington State. In Anacortes, the Science Café events are held from 4:00-5:00 pm on the third Thursday of the month at Johnny Picasso’s coffee house and art studio.
Armed with the tools of their trade—plant seedlings, sterile gloves, razor blades—the WSU researchers brought the topic of Vegetable Grafting for Biological Disease Management to this laid-back, java-infused atmosphere. About a dozen participants learned how grafting can make plants less susceptible to diseases and got the opportunity to practice the grafting technique hands-on.
Tipworms Tyrannize Tideflats
Cranberry tipworm, Dasineura oxycoccana, is a small midge that significantly reduces the subsequent season production by killing the fruiting bud of the cranberry plant. It is difficult to detect and control.
Pacific County Extension Director Kim Patten works with Washington State cranberry growers to identify and control the key pests impacting their crop production. Over the past few years, cranberry tipworm become the industry’s number one insect pest. Infestation by cranberry tipworm can result in reduced production in the first year and declines in fruiting uprights the second year. Obtaining good insecticide efficacy requires application timings at egg laying and early larva stages, which can be difficult to achieve once generations start to overlap. Patten’s latest recommendations for controlling this and other pests, diseases, and weeds of cranberry can be found in the Cranberry Pest Management Guide and the Pacific Northwest Insect Management Handbook, both of which are updated annually.
Landscape Pros Trained in IPM
Urban IPM Director Carrie Foss held a 2-day training for landscape professionals on October 24 and 25. The training, in cooperation with the Washington State Nursery & Landscape Association (WSNLA), included presentations and hands-on activities to demonstrate over 200 sustainable practices utilizing the ecoPRO Certified Sustainable Landscape Professional paradigm. The training sessions were full to capacity, with 30 individuals attending the intensive, advanced course. Those who met the eligibility requirements had the option of taking the certification exam on October 26th. Eleven landscape professionals became ecoPRO certified.
Fungus Among Us: It’s Good for Bees
Honey Bee Health Specialist Brandon Hopkins and the Honey Bees and Pollinators Team are partnering with Paul Stamets and Fungi Perfecti to protect honey bees and pollinators. The team has developed a research program in cooperaton with beekeepers, scientists, environmentalists, and communities to examine how fungi improve honey bee and pollinator health.
Varroa mites are direct and indirect pests of honey bees. One of the ways they impact honey bee colonies is by introducing detrimental viruses. Certain fungi have been shown to decrease virus levels in infected bee populations. This fall, the bee team introduced beneficial fungi in 320 commercial colonies and provided the beekeepers material to make 3 more applications. Virus levels in the colonies are being monitored. If successful, this might be a major innovation in IPM for honey bees.
Popular Wheat Academy Spreads IPM Message
Small Grains Extension Specialist Drew Lyon and his team conducted their annual Wheat Academy on December 11 and 12 in Pullman. The annual event provides in-depth information and training on a wide variety of production and pest management topics. Topics and presenters specifically relating to IPM this year included:
- Managing Soil Acidification and Interactions of Soil pH with Wheat Diseases, Kurtis Schroeder and Doug Finkelnburg, University of Idaho Agronomist and Extension Educator
- Identifying and Managing Insect Pests on the Farm, Dale Whaley and David Crowder, WSU Entomologist
- Plant Problem Diagnosis, Rachel Bomberger, WSU Plant Diagnostician
- Herbicide Decisions in Integrated Weed Management Systems, Ian Burke, WSU Weed Scientist
Wheat Academy is held annually in December. Registration begins in October and attendance is limited. Additional information on IPM in wheat and small grains, including articles, podcasts, and a calandar of events, can be found on WSU’s Wheat and Small Grains website.
Onion Growers Surveyed re IPM
Regional Vegetable Extension Specialist Tim Waters, in cooperation with Research and Extension Communication Specialist Sally O’Neal and the WSU Social & Economic Sciences Research Center (SESRC), developed and deployed a survey of Washington State onion growers. Conducted as a pretest to evaluate the effectiveness of programs and publications offered by WSU’s IPM extension outreach to onion growers, a follow-up survey will be conducted in 2020 to determine increases in knowledge and actions relating to IPM practices.
The survey, which had a 75% participation rate, quizzed growers on their scouting and management practices for onion thrips, seedcorn maggot, and leafminer. While individual responses remain confidential, results showed that over 85% of onion growers do scout for pests prior to treatment, which is an important component of IPM. Respondents were also asked about their preferred resources for IPM information, and the top four answers, with over 90% of participants indicating they used and learned from them, were:
- Printed materials from WSU Extension,
- Presentations at WSU winter meetings,
- Presentations by WSU at field days, and
- One-on-one conversations with WSU Extension personnel.
Sounds like we’re on the right track! Nice job, Tim!