2022 Quarter 4 Newsletter

Washington State IPM Coordinator and Extension Entomologist Doug Walsh traveled to Melbourne, Australia to make a presentation at the Hemipteran-Plant Interactions Symposium on December 8. The Progression of Grape Mealybug Research in Washington State, USA Vineyards discussed past, present, and possible future interventions against this persistent wine grape pest. Grape mealybugs are the primary vector of Grapevine leafroll-associated virus, the #1 threat to the economic sustainability of Washington State vineyards. As the grower standard neonicotinoids used to combat GM began to fail, Walsh’s laboratory sought alternative management methods, including pheromone-based mating disruption. This presentation, co-authored by current and former Walsh graduate students Brian Bahder, Jonathan O’Hearn, and Stephen Onayemi, discussed the early successes, challenges, and potential future expansion of this promising IPM tactic. Onayemi also presented on this topic at the Entomological Society of America’s joint Annual Meeting in November (see article following).

Closer to home, Walsh gave a recap of 2022 IPM activities to the Washington State Alfalfa Seed Commission on December 13. The Touchet/Lowden area near Walla Walla is a leading national producer of alfalfa seed, due in large part to its specialty pollinator populations: alfalfa leafcutting bee and alkali bee. Balancing pollinator protection with pest management is an ongoing challenge.

Walsh also made presentations to Washington State Commission on Pesticide Registration on December 14-15 on projects involving hops, wine grapes, mint, and alfalfa seed.

Urban IPM Coordinator Carrie Foss was pleased to finalize, in cooperation with Washington State Department of Agriculture Pest Program and WSU CAHNRS Communcations, two educational videos addressing spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula), an invasive urban, agricultural, and forestry pest that is anticipated to impact the Pacific Northwest:

• Meet the Bug – Spotted Lanternfly. See it? Report it! features WSDA’s Joshua Milnes and Cassie Cichorz and WSU’s Doug Walsh discussing identification, damage, and ways to report sightings of SLF.
• Tree of Heaven is an Invasive Weed! Identify it. Report it. helps viewers identify TOH (Ailanthus altissima), a preferred host of SLF. TOH is a Class C weed, meaning it is prevalent throughout the state. This video features WSDA’s Wendy DesCamp, who discusses TOH reporting and management.

Foss’s team conducted IPM training for landscape professionals October 24-28. Curriculum focused on the eight ecoPRO key principles: protect and conserve soils, conserve water, protect water and air quality, protect and create wildlife habitat, conserve energy, sustain healthy plants, use sustainable methods and materials, and protect and enhance human health and well-being. Foss will be partnering with Washington State Nursery and Landscape Association to offer more ecoPRO training in late February 2023.

Vegetable Horticulture Specialist Carol Miles and graduate research assistant Srijana Shrestha released the second issue (pdf) of BDM Update in October. This newsletter discussed emerging research indicating that sweetpotato, a crop traditionally grown in the southern U.S., could be commercially viable in Washington State, particularly by utilizing soil-biodegradable plastic much (BDM) to raise soil temperatures.

Miles and colleague Lisa DeVetter also released the third edition (pdf) of Sustainable Mulch Management in October. This newsletter targets Extension audiences and those interested in sustainable pest management incorporating agricultural plastic mulches and is a joint venture of the WSU Vegetable Horticulture and Small Fruit Horticulture programs. Articles in this edition included:

• A Lesson on Microplastics, by Marife Anunciado of University of California, Davis
• Biodegradation of Mulches, by WSU’s Srijana Shrestha
• That’s A Wrap! BDM Professional Development Project (2019-2022), a summary of a project funded by Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education
• Building A Better Mulching Industry, a Q&A with May Wang by Dakota McFadden, both of whom are former WSU graduate students
• Information about recent publications and upcoming events

Miles and DeVetter invite interested parties to repurpose articles in the newsletter as well as information from their Plastic Mulches website for educational use on their own farm or to share with others.

Extension Viticulturist Michelle Moyer presented Preplant Fumigation for Nematode Control [pdf] at the Washington State Grape Society annual meeting in Grandview in November. IPM presentations by former and current Moyer graduate students included:

• Katherine East, USDA Research Plant Pathologist, on the Influence of Soil on Nematodes in Vineyards (pdf) .
• Bernadette Gagnier on Cover Crops Alternatives for Nematode Management (pdf).
• Alexa (Lexie) McDaniel on Illuminating Ultraviolet-C Light for Grapevine Powdery Mildew (pdf).

Moyer and colleagues explained a new project, Evaluation of Novel Cold Hardy Grape Rootstocks for Use in the Pacific Northwest at the November Northwest Center for Small Fruits Research Conference held in Kennewick November 14-15. Newly funded, this project brings Moyer together with University of Minnesota’s Matt Clark and USDA-ARS’s Inga Zasada to evaluate Minnesota rootstocks’ horticultural attributes (e.g., graft compatibility), survival, and response to PNW pest populations (e.g., nematodes).

Also this quarter, Moyer finished editing the 2023 Pest Management Guide for Grapes in Washington. This 64-page guide, the definitive annual Extension publication on IPM in grapes, is now available for download.

Growers and others seeking information about growing grapes in our region should check out the viticulture events on the WSU Viticulture and Enology website.