Development and Validation of a Web-based System to Provide Tree Fruit Pest Development Predictions and Management Recommendations

<p>NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY:<br/ Apple growers have faced challenges in managing the complex of insects and diseases of apples using conventional pesticides during the last decade because of increasing pesticide regulatory restrictions, public concerns about food safety and environmental quality, and the development of resistance to older materials by key insect and disease pests. Growers are attempting to turn to newer reduced-risk pesticides, but these are more expensive and require more precise use patterns because of their different modes of action. In addition, many current IPM protocols were designed for older conventional materials. The apple industry has traditionally relied on printed tree fruit pest management guidelines and specific recommendations for pest control generated by land grant universities. However, it is becoming increasingly difficult for land grant
universities to generate and deliver this information to the apple industry. Also, stakeholders in the apple industry throughout the US are becoming increasingly interested in having access to more sophisticated information to help them make pest control decisions in "real time" throughout the season. The goal of this project is to develop a Tree Fruit IPM website that will provide stakeholders in humid tree fruit production regions with timely information during the growing season that should optimize pesticide usage, and minimize environmental impacts, because it will be designed to facilitate stakeholders' transition to IPM programs using newer, reduced-risk pesticides and enable them to easily incorporate weather-based forecast models and other IPM tactics. This system will track seasonal development of key insect pests and diseases using degree day and infection risk models, which
will indicate pest status, pest management advice and sampling options, and be linked to an interactive system that helps growers choose appropriate materials when pesticide use is recommended. Candidate models will be tested, validated, and calibrated via through field research and monitoring trials, which will incorporate sampling and monitoring programs to monitor populations of pests at appropriate times to make decisions about necessary control measures or tactics. IPM protocols will be designed based on pest model outputs and monitoring and sampling plans tested by grower cooperators. The impact of the IPM website guidelines on growers' pesticide inputs, pest damage, and economic outcomes of using the website will be compared with those growers using standard practices, to directly estimate potential impact on stakeholders within the state. Data collected from validation
activities, grower and stakeholder surveys, and grower focus groups will be used to modify website parameters for additional testing during subsequent growing seasons. Grower IPM practices will improve because of access to real time pest development models throughout the season and timely recommendations for sampling and monitoring. The website will facilitate the transition of growers from conventional pesticides to newer reduced, risk pesticides that are safer to the environment and less toxic to humans and beneficials.
<p>APPROACH:<br/Obj 1) A major effort of this project will be to compare actual weather data collected from weather stations with forecasts from a NWS National Digital Database, which has a 5-km grid resolution. Output from these ground weather stations will be compared against the forecast weather within the weather station grids. Similar work will compare data from a private company that provides real-time weather forecasts & summaries for pest development models. These comparisons will determine if the different forecasting systems provide accurate weather forecasts for pests, or if algorithms are needed for improved accuracy. Obj 2) New models will be tested during the initial growing season, and during the 2 subsequent seasons: PA's Codling Moth (CM)/Oriental Fruit Moth developmental models, the MSU CM Oviposition model, and a NY San Jose Scale model to predict
summer crawler activity. Data for model testing & validation will include biological & pheromone trap information in commercial orchards near weather stations in all NY apple regions, and data collected from 2 research stations near Geneva & Highland NY. Obj 3) The Fruit Damage Monitoring protocol calls for initially sampling 300 apples after egg hatch of 1st gen CM & OBLR (early July in NY). Then 3 more samples of 100 apples each are taken weekly. Sprays for internal Lepidoptera or OBLR are advised if 1 damaged fruit from either species is found. During the 1st growing season, the insect management protocol will be combined with a web-based disease management protocol; this integrated program will be evaluated in grower orchards. At the end of the season, grower pesticide inputs, harvest damage, sampling & monitoring costs will be compared with those of standard grower practices, to
directly assess the potential impact of the web-based programs on growers' costs, pesticide use, and economic returns. Obj 4) Suggestions for modifications & improvements to the website will be collected from surveys of representative stakeholders who have used the website during the growing season. These will be incorporated into the website before the start of the growing season, and evaluated along with currently operational aspects of the website via user interviews & surveys. Obj 5) All Cornell databases, decision support templates, pest models & DD calculation functions will be shared with interdisciplinary content management teams from each state, who will interact with the Cornell IT specialists to customize the materials for each state's IPM website & weather station networks. Subject matter specialists from each state will input appropriate data to populate databases &
templates for their websites. Each state will decide which models to set up on their IPM websites & will develop a plan for model testing, validation, & calibration. They will also decide which sampling & monitoring programs to use to monitor pest populations at appropriate times for decisions about needed control measures or tactics. After each growing season, data collected from validation activities, grower & stakeholder surveys, & grower focus groups will be used to modify websites for additional testing during subsequent growing seasons.
<p>PROGRESS: 2012/10 TO 2013/09<br/Target Audience: NY tree-fruit industry, including growers, consultants, Cornell Cooperative Extension educators Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Acted as sabbatical host for J. Harper (Agricultural Economist, Penn State Univ) from Sept-Nov 2013, to provide support and consultation in development and construction of the least-cost IPM pesticide selection tool. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? 2013 Extension and Research Presentations - Precision Insect Management Using Developmental Model Predictions. 2013 Eastern Apple Summit on Precision Orchard Management, Geneva, NY. March. Audience: 200 (20 min). - A tool to facilitate economical IPM decision-making for apples using efficacy and pesticide resistance
information. 2013 Cumberland Shenandoah Fruit Workers Meeting, Winchester, VA. December. Audience: 40 (15 min). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? The pest event/DD correlation study will be repeated in some of the same sites as well as in some new sites that may offer a more comparable set of conditions between the ground station and the in-orchard temperature probe settings. Analysis of the 2013 data will continue, to determine whether a reliable correction factor can be applied to NEWA station outputs to more accurately reflect orchard-based event monitoring. Also, we will examine the option of applying either of the DD data sets to currently available dynamic pest developmental models, to see if these can be used to produce more accurate predictions of pest occurrence. Work will continue on development of the least-cost IPM pesticide
selection tool. The output will be streamlined to enable easier comparison of options; ultimately, a grower will be able to construct a farm-specific profile for the entire season's pest control program, reflecting just those pests and timings for which the user has an interest in applying a control measure. IRAC Mode of Action codes will be added to the decision database to provide a basis for minimizing potential resistance development by recommending consecutive sprays having different MOAs at a given site. Also, the choice of insecticides for later summer sprays will take into account pre-harvest intervals.
<p>PROGRESS: 2011/10/01 TO 2012/09/30<br/>OUTPUTS: Apple growers face challenges in managing the complex of insects and diseases of apples using conventional pesticides because of increasing pesticide regulatory restrictions, public concerns about food safety and environmental quality, and the development of resistance to older materials by key insect and disease pests. Growers are attempting to utilize newer reduced-risk (RR) pesticides, but they are more expensive and require more precise use patterns because of their different modes of action. In addition, many current IPM protocols were designed for older conventional materials. In 2012, field validations were conducted on a web-based Apple IPM Decision Support System that delivers relevant, current information on weather data and pest populations to facilitate grower pest management decisions throughout the growing
season. This system tracks seasonal development of key insect pests and diseases using DD and Infection Risk Models. The models indicate pest status, pest management and sampling options, and are linked to an interactive system that helps growers choose appropriate materials when pesticides must be used. The predictive obliquebanded leafroller (OBLR) and apple maggot management aspects of the website were evaluated on 6 orchards owned by two NY apple growers located in the Lake Champlain apple production region (Clinton Co). At each site, a 5-acre planting of apples was monitored for crop and pest status throughout the summer, and a nearby weather station provided daily temperature data for crop and pest developmental predictions. Insect traps were checked weekly to monitor flights, and weekly fruit inspections starting in July assessed larval feeding damage by leafrollers or internal
feeding caterpillars. Apple maggot (AM) traps were deployed in late July. Insect monitoring results were reported weekly to the growers for their use in determining appropriate reduced-risk management decisions in the blocks. Web predictions were compared with population trends observed in the field. Starting in late June, apples were inspected on the tree several times for damage from direct pests; 500 fruits per plot were inspected on a weekly basis during the prime larval feeding period in June and July. Control sprays were recommended whenever treatment thresholds were reached. PARTICIPANTS: PIs A.M. Agnello and W.H. Reissig oversaw setup and maintenance of the website validation and IPM protocol assessment plots, including trapping, monitoring/sampling, and fruit harvest damage evaluations. Collaborating growers: G. Moore and S. Forrence. were responsible for ensuring that
recommended insecticide sprays were applied to the plots. TARGET AUDIENCES: NY tree-fruit industry, including growers, consultants, Cornell Cooperative Extension educators PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
<p>PROGRESS: 2010/10/01 TO 2011/09/30<br/OUTPUTS: Apple growers face challenges in managing the complex of insects and diseases of apples using conventional pesticides because of increasing pesticide regulatory restrictions, public concerns about food safety and environmental quality, and the development of resistance to older materials by key insect and disease pests. Growers are attempting to utilize newer reduced-risk (RR) pesticides, but they are more expensive and require more precise use patterns because of their different modes of action. In addition, many current IPM protocols were designed for older conventional materials. In 2011, field validations were conducted on a web-based Apple IPM Decision Support System that delivers relevant, current information on weather data and pest populations to facilitate grower pest management decisions throughout the growing
season. This system tracks seasonal development of key insect pests and diseases using DD and Infection Risk Models. The models indicate pest status, pest management and sampling options, and are linked to an interactive system that helps growers choose appropriate materials when pesticides must be used. The predictive apple pest management website was "beta-tested" on 27 farms owned by a group of 6 NY apple growers located in the major western NY apple production county (Wayne Co). At each site, a 10-20 A planting of apples was monitored for crop and pest status throughout the season, and a nearby weather station provided daily temperature data for crop and pest developmental predictions. Insect traps were checked weekly to monitor flights, and weekly fruit inspections starting in July assessed larval feeding damage by leafrollers or internal feeding caterpillars. Apple maggot (AM)
traps were deployed in late July. Insect monitoring results were reported weekly to the grower or consultant for their use in determining appropriate reduced-risk management decisions in the blocks. Web predictions were compared with population trends observed in the field for as many of the pest species as was possible. Starting in late June, apples were inspected on the tree weekly for damage from direct pests; 300 fruits per plot were inspected the first week, and 100 per plot each following week. Control sprays were recommended whenever treatment thresholds were reached. PARTICIPANTS: PIs A.M. Agnello and W.H. Reissig oversaw setup and maintenance of the website validation and IPM protocol assessment plots, including trapping, monitoring/sampling, and fruit harvest damage evaluations. Collaborators: Consultant J. Eve and A. Lockwood, EFS Consulting, Naples, NY. Collaborators played a
leading role in the interactions with growers, being responsible for general communication with cooperating growers, and in ensuring that recommended insecticide sprays were applied to the plots. Web Programmers: K. Eggleston, W. Parken, Cornell Univ. TARGET AUDIENCES: NY tree-fruit industry, including growers, consultants, Cornell Cooperative Extension educators PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
<p>PROGRESS: 2009/10/01 TO 2010/09/30<br/OUTPUTS: Field trials were conducted to test advanced IPM control methods for key pests in blocks of commercial orchards. There were 5 orchards in NY (combined with 6 in New England as part of a larger regional project); at each orchard site, there was one Advanced IPM block, 3-5 acres in size, and a comparable Grower Standard control block, for purposes of comparison. For Plum Curculio (PC), trap trees were set up around the orchard perimeter prior to petal fall, on a 50-m spacing; each of these trap trees was baited with 4 vials containing an olfactory attractant (benzaldehyde) plus one pheromone dispenser containing a component of boll weevil aggregation pheromone, which has been shown to be attractive to plum curculio. A full block spray of a Reduced-Risk (RR) material was applied at petal fall; subsequent sprays were applied
to the trap trees only (on a 10-14-day interval, for the duration of plum curculio oviposition, according to a degree day oviposition model). Fruit damage assessments were made in each trap tree and their nearest neighbor trees at harvest. For Obliquebanded Leafroller and Internal Lepidoptera, seasonal on-tree fruit inspections were conducted to optimize insecticide treatments against this class of pests. The start of the weekly fruit inspections was at 550 DD (base 50F) after biofix, to correspond with the projected 50% hatch timing of codling moth. Pheromone trap catch patterns and incidence of damage were used to determine the choice of insecticide materials and the timing of any needed sprays. Detection of one damaged fruit indicated the potential need to spray. For Apple Maggot (AM), the control strategy involved orchard perimeter placement of Pesticide-Treated Spheres (PTS) to
attract and kill immigrating apple maggot females; these were baited with spinosad + sugar. A fruit volatile odor bait was used with each PTS. Unbaited sticky spheres hung in the block interior were checked for "escapes" weekly. The Grower Standard blocks received full block sprays against each of these pests, with each respective grower determining application timing, number of sprays and material choice. Improved and updated information and new knowledge on use of RR tactics was delivered to target audiences through printed and online resources (university guidelines, newsletters, trade journal articles, web-based decision support products), grower fruit schools, field day presentations and twilight meetings, and personal consultation and farm visits. PARTICIPANTS: PIs A.M. Agnello and W.H. Reissig oversaw setup and maintenance of the plots, including trapping, monitoring/sampling, and
fruit harvest damage evaluations. Collaborators: Cornell Univ: P. Jentsch, Entomology Dept; K. Cox., Plant Pathology Dept; Univ Massachusetts: A. Tuttle and D. Cooley, Amherst; USDA-ARS: T. Leskey and S. Wright, Kearneysville, WV. All collaborators played a leading role in the interactions with most growers, being responsible for general communication with cooperating growers, and in ensuring that recommended management sprays were applied to the plots. TARGET AUDIENCES: NY tree-fruit industry, including growers, consultants, Cornell Cooperative Extension, packers, and distributors; crop protectants manufacturers; fruit marketers and consumers. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
<p>PROGRESS: 2008/10/01 TO 2009/09/30<br/OUTPUTS: A demonstration project was conducted to evaluate IPM strategies and control technologies that are effective and economically viable options for reduced-risk (RR) pest management programs in apples, using provisional action thresholds for specific major pests based on previous studies involving reduced-risk tactics. Our primary objective was to determine the effectiveness of whole-farm approaches for managing the arthropod pests of apple orchards that rely on RR and OP-replacement insecticides for pest control. Five growers participated in a full-season RR management program, committing a total of 194 acres (155 acres of which constituted the entire farms of three of the growers). A full-season Reduced Risk (RR) pest management program was implemented on the participants' farms, consisting of sampling and monitoring-based
decision making together with the use of selective pesticides to control arthropod pests. Pheromone traps were maintained for key insect pest species, fruits and foliage were sampled for infestation by pest and predator insects and mites, and fruits were inspected for disease and insect damage at harvest. Each research site received a seasonal program of reduced-risk (RR) selective insecticides, including insect growth regulators, antibiotics, microbials, nicotinoids, and oxadiazines. Where available, a comparison block, which had the same varieties and tree training, was also monitored at each site. These blocks all contained at least one fresh fruit variety such as 'Empire' that might be selected for marketing in Europe or some other market outlet that may eventually demand IPM protocols for market access. Improved and updated information and new knowledge on use of RR tactics was
delivered to target audiences through printed and online resources (university guidelines, newsletters, trade journal articles, web-based decision support products), grower fruit schools, field day presentations and twilight meetings, and personal consultation and farm visits. PARTICIPANTS: PIs A.M. Agnello and W.H. Reissig oversaw setup and maintenance of the full-season RR plots, including trapping, monitoring/sampling, and fruit harvest damage evaluations. Collaborators: Consultants J. Eve, Naples, NY; J. Misiti, Lyndonville, NY; and Cornell Cooperative Extension: D. Breth, Regional Fruit Specialist, Albion, NY; K. Iungerman, Regional Fruit Specialist, Ballston Spa, NY. All collaborators played a leading role in the interactions with most growers, being responsible for general communication with cooperating growers, and in ensuring that recommended insecticide sprays were applied to
the plots. TARGET AUDIENCES: NY tree-fruit industry, including growers, consultants, Cornell Cooperative Extension, packers, and distributors; crop protectants manufacturers; fruit marketers and consumers. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
<p>PROGRESS: 2007/10/01 TO 2008/09/30<br/OUTPUTS: During the last 6 years, severe outbreaks of two species of internal Lepidoptera (worms) have occurred in apple production regions in western NY. These outbreaks have caused severe financial losses to growers throughout this region because numerous loads of apples have been rejected for fresh or processing markets. Initial studies conducted showed that neither the currently available organophosphate-based technology nor programs relying on more selective reduced-risk products can provide adequate, cost-effective control of these pests in high-risk commercial orchards within these outbreak areas. This escalating incidence of severe fruit damage in commercial orchards clearly poses a threat to the continued viability of the industry within the region. To investigate new approaches to managing this pest complex, a
full-season mating disruption (MD) trial was conducted in 5-23-acre plots on five farms, to assess the efficacy of two different pheromone dispensing systems against codling moth (CM), oriental fruit moth (OFM), and lesser appleworm (LAW): Checkmate Puffers (against CM, OFM, and LAW), and SPLAT (against CM, OFM, and LAW). Pheromone treatments were used as a complement to the growers' normal insecticide programs. Both types of dispenser technology suppressed adult catches of oriental fruit moth and lesser appleworm to near-zero levels for the entire season, but at three of the sites, each of the treatments allowed some breakthrough of codling moths during the summer. Possible factors in this finding could have included placement of the CM traps in the tops of the tree canopies, lack of persistence of specific pheromone products, and difficulty in maintaining pheromone sources high enough
in the canopies. Weekly on-tree fruit inspections detected very few damaged fruits in the disrupted treatments until late July. Total fruit damage by the internal-feeding species at harvest ranged from 0.0-1.9% across all sites and pheromone treatments (compared with 0.2-6.4% in the nondisrupted grower standards and 15.4% in one untreated check). In all cases but one (where the pressure was extremely low), damage in the disrupted plots was significantly lower than in the respective nondisrupted grower plots. PARTICIPANTS: Principal Investigators: - Arthur M. Agnello, Dept. of Entomology, NYSAES, Geneva, NY 14456 - W. Harvey Reissig, Dept. of Entomology, NYSAES, Geneva, NY 14456 Jointly responsible for meeting with and identifying grower participants, inspection and setting up of orchard test sites, and overseeing collection of the field data generated during the season. - Jan P. Nyrop,
Dept. of Entomology, NYSAES, Geneva, NY 14456 Responsible for development of sampling protocol used during summer to inspect developing fruits for insect damage. Collaborators: - J.D. Fowler (Wolcott, NY), D. Hartley (Newfield, NY), M. Maloney (Sodus, NY), and D. Oakes (Lyndonville, NY) Apple growers who allowed the trials to be conducted on their farms. - J. Eve (Naples, NY) and J. Misiti (Lyndonville, NY) Private crop consultants, who coordinated the setup and maintenance of the plots and communications with the growers. - Dave Combs, Justin Eveland, Kate Fello, Nicole Gottschall, and James Watt, all in Dept. of Entomology, NYSAES. Field assistance in plot establishment and data collection. - M. Shannon (Suterra LLC); A. Mafra-Neto, A. Getchell & H. Kotula (ISCA Technologies); and S. Zonneville (Winfield Solutions). Cooperation in providing the pheromone products. TARGET AUDIENCES: All
results of the field demonstrations will be publicized in the Lake Ontario Fruit (LOF) Program "Fruit FAX" letter subscribed to by 120 growers, as well as the LOF "Fruit Notes" newsletter that is distributed via email and USPS to 350 growers in the fruit growing region, and will also be shared at the LOF Summer Fruit Tour attended by over 200 growers in the NY and New England fruit industry, and in final report form in New York Fruit Quarterly, a research review magazine mailed to over 600 industry members. Photos of various aspects of the project will be posted on the LOF website (http://www.fruit.cornell.edu/lof/). A series of educational meetings is planned during the winter of each year to inform the New York fruit grower community about the results and challenges of the internal worm management programs in western NY (i.e., Fruit & Vegetable Expo in Syracuse, plus County and
Regional Fruit Team winter meetings). Information obtained during the course of this project will be codified and incorporated into university guidelines in recommendations on implementing mating disruption tactics for CM and OFM control in whole-farm and Area-Wide multi-farm plantings. Cornell Cooperative Extension Area Educators will integrate this pest management approach into their programmatic list of priorities for continued demonstrations, training, and evaluation along with other established IPM tactics, and will explore potential applications of new technological developments in this area as they become available. Outcomes from this project should be applicable to other similar production areas with similar land use patterns and topography; growers in New England, New Jersey and smaller production areas such as the lower midwest could potentially benefit. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS:
Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
<p>PROGRESS: 2006/10/01 TO 2007/09/30<br/During the last 5 years, severe outbreaks of two species of internal Lepidoptera (worms) have occurred in apple production regions in western NY. These outbreaks have caused severe financial losses to growers throughout this region because numerous loads of apples have been rejected for fresh or processing markets. Initial studies conducted have shown that neither the currently available organophosphate-based technology nor programs relying on more selective reduced-risk products can provide adequate, cost-effective control of these pests in high-risk commercial orchards within these outbreak areas. This escalating incidence of severe fruit damage in commercial orchards clearly poses a threat to the continued viability of the industry within the region. To investigate new approaches to managing this pest complex, a full-season
mating disruption trial was conducted in 5-10-acre plots on three farms, to assess the efficacy of three different multi-species pheromone products against codling moth, oriental fruit moth, and lesser appleworm: Isomate CM/OFM TT ties; Checkmate CM-OFM Duel membranes; and Suterra CM/OFM Puffers. Pheromone treatments were used as a complement to the growers' normal insecticide programs. All three dispenser technologies suppressed adult catches of oriental fruit moth and lesser appleworm to near-zero levels for the entire season, but at two of the sites, some or all of the treatments allowed some breakthrough of codling moths in late June. Placement of the CM traps in the tops of the tree canopies could have been a factor in this finding. Weekly on-tree fruit inspections detected very few damaged fruits until mid-August. Total fruit damage at harvest ranged from 0-7% across all sites and
pheromone treatments (compared with 1-8.4% in the nondisrupted grower standards). The Duel plot had lower total damage than the nondisrupted plot at all three sites, as did the Isomate plot at one site. At one site, both of these treatments had lower total damage than in the Puffer plot.
<p>PROGRESS: 2006/01/01 TO 2006/12/31<br/During the last 5 years, severe outbreaks of two species of internal Lepidoptera (worms) have occurred in apple production regions in western NY. These outbreaks have caused severe financial losses to growers throughout this region because numerous loads of apples have been rejected for fresh or processing markets. Initial studies conducted have shown that neither the currently available organophosphate-based technology nor programs relying on more selective reduced-risk products can provide adequate, cost-effective control of these pests in high-risk commercial orchards within these outbreak areas. This escalating incidence of severe fruit damage in commercial orchards clearly poses a threat to the continued viability of the industry within the region. To investigate new approaches to managing this pest complex, three different
pheromone products -- Isomate ties (CM/OFM combo or M-100 plus CTT), MSTRS-OFM packets, and Hercon Disrupt Micro-Flakes (CM and/or OFM) -- plus a sequential fruit sampling procedure were evaluated in codling moth and/or oriental fruit moth management programs in 9 commercial orchards of varying pest pressure. The CM products were included only in the three orchards where codling moth was deemed to be the primary pest, in combination with a 4-spray program of Cyd-X granulosis virus. All pheromone treatments generally suppressed catches of CM, OFM, and lesser appleworm moths to very low levels, although some breakthrough did occur, particularly for codling moth, so trap shutdown was not absolute in all cases. Two sites had notable CM catches, one where the Hercon-CM successfully depressed catch numbers after its application on 7 July, and another where there was a substantial breakthrough
during the first week in August. The fruit sampling procedure, comprising on-tree inspection of at least 100 fruits per plot for each of 7 weeks during July and August, was convenient to implement and appeared to effectively allow detection of low-level infestations at a very early stage, so that the growers could be notified of any extra needed control measures in a timely fashion. If the currently proposed trap catch thresholds of 10 OFM and 5 CM/trap/week had been used as a basis for making control sprays, our management recommendations would have been much less conservative than they were using the evidence of fruit-feeding damage. Fruit damage at harvest was low in all treatments, and statistically comparable to the grower standard program at 6 of the 9 sites. At two sites, the damage was significantly lowest in the Isomate site, and in one site, the Isomate and MSTRS treatments
sustained significantly higher (1.8-2.9 percent) damage than did the grower's standard program (0.1 percent), although proximity to a large bin storage area could have contributed substantially to this result. This is likely a situation where the use of farm-wide mating disruption would have been a potential solution.
<p>PROGRESS: 2005/01/01 TO 2005/12/31<br/>Three different pheromone dispensing products plus a sequential fruit sampling procedure were evaluated for efficacy in management programs of the 2nd and 3rd generations of oriental fruit moth (OFM), Grapholita molesta. This trial was conducted in mixed plantings of fresh and processing apples on 5 commercial farms in Wayne, Orleans and Niagara Counties, NY. Apple varieties included R.I. Greening, Golden Delicious, Monroe, Ida Red, Rome, and Ben Davis. Isomate M-100 ties (CBC America) were applied 17-18 June at a rate of 250/ha (100/acre). The MSTRS treatment, technology (AgBio Inc., Westminster, CO) consisted of food-grade plastic enclosing a 6.4 x 6.4 cm natural fiber pad containing 65.8 g of OFM pheromone, which was deployed in a grid pattern at a spacing of 27.4 m (90 ft) between dispensers, resulting in densities between
11-20 per ha (5-8 per acre). A pole+hoop applicator was used to position the dispensers in the top one-third of the tree canopy; deployment took place from 17-21 June. Disrupt Micro-Flake OFM (Hercon Environmental, Emigsville, PA) was a 3 x 3 mm solid matrix laminate chip impregnated with OFM pheromone, applied at 70.8 g a.i. per ha (28.67 g a.i. per acre), or 852 g of flakes per ha (12.2 oz of flakes per acre) using a modified leaf blower mounted on an ATV travelling at 8-10 mph down the rows; treatments were applied on 7-8 July. Treatment efficacy in depressing adult male trap catch was monitored by using 4 Pherocon IIB traps per plot, each baited with a standard Scentry oriental fruit moth lure, and checked weekly from 9 May to 16 August. The fruit sampling protocol consisted of weekly on-tree fruit inspections conducted from mid-July through August, comprising 300 fruits per plot (20 on each of 15 trees) during the first week and 100 fruits per plot (10 on each of 10 trees) on subsequent weeks, for each of the 2nd and 3rd generations, to detect the initial occurrence of any OFM larval fruit damage in time to curtail further infestation. Whenever an inspection session resulted in detection of at least one damaged fruit, the grower or his consultant was notified so that they could determine whether a special spray of a selective pesticide was needed for control of internal Lepidoptera. All pheromone treatments suppressed moth catches to very low levels, although some breakthrough did occur, so trap shutdown was not absolute in all cases. The fruit sampling procedure was convenient and appeared to effectively allow detection of low-level infestations at a very early stage, so that the growers could be notified of any extra needed control measures in a timely fashion. Fruit damage caused by OFM at harvest was very low in all treatments at 3 of the 5 sites. At a 4th site, the Isomate plot sustained approximately 10 pct fruit damage, although its proximity to a nondisrupted organic planting with a high population could have been a contributing factor. The 5th site, which incurred 7-17 pct damage, was in an organic planting that had previously suffered relatively high fruit damage the previous season. At both of these last two sites, codling moth (CM) may have also been present in numbers high enough to cause fruit damage.

<p>IMPACT: 2005/01/01 TO 2005/12/31
Overall treatment efficacy and efficiency of all of these dispensers appears to be high enough to encourage further investigation of opportunities to integrate these products into future demonstration-research plots involving OFM mating disruption as one management component. The principle of using a low-density, high-yield dispenser to disrupt chemical communication between the sexes incorporates elements of both mechanisms of mating disruption as currently proposed (false trail following by the males as they are attracted up the plumes from the bags, coupled with sex pheromone habituation from exposure to the strong doses) which would serve to arrest them in mid-flight. While this approach may be suitable for a species such as OFM, which is relatively easy to disrupt, other studies have shown that species such as codling moth tend to respond better to higher numbers of pheromone point sources, with perhaps greater concentrations on the block edges. Therefore, the utility of the MSTRS design may be best realized against a selected smaller number of pest species.PROGRESS: 2004/01/01 TO 2004/12/31
A low-density pheromone bag dispenser was compared against two types of twist-tie dispensers for efficacy in suppressing pheromone trap catches of oriental fruit moth (OFM), Grapholita molesta, when applied against the 2nd and 3rd generations of this pest. This trial was conducted in mixed plantings of fresh and processing apples on six commercial farms in Wayne and Ontario Counties, NY. Apple varieties included Gala, R.I. Greening, Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, Monroe, Ida Red, Empire, and McIntosh. The pheromone bag treatment, termed MSTRS technology (Metered Semiochemical Timed Release System, AgBio Inc., Westminster, CO) consisted of food-grade plastic enclosing a 6.4 x 6.4 cm natural fiber pad containing 65.8 g of OFM pheromone (85.4 : 5.5 : 0.9 pct of Z:E8-12:OAc : Z8-12:OH), which was deployed in a grid pattern at a spacing of 22.9 m (75 ft) between dispensers, resulting in densities between 11-20 per ha (5.2-8.0 per acre). A pole+hoop applicator was used to position the dispensers in the top one-third of the tree canopy; deployment took place from 9-13 July. The MSTRS dispensers were compared against the following treatments in single-plot replicates ranging in size from 1.2-2 ha (3-5.0 acres): 1 - Isomate M-100 ties (CBC America), applied 16-18 June at a rate of 250/ha (100/acre) at two of the sites. 2 - Isomate M Rosso ties (CBC America Corp., Commack, NY), applied 16-22 April at a rate of 500/ha (200/acre) at four of the sites. Grower standard blocks were used as check plots at each site, and had no pheromone treatments, but received pesticide sprays according to conventional practice. Treatment efficacy in depressing adult male trap catch was monitored by using 3-4 Pherocon IIB traps per plot, each baited with a standard Scentry oriental fruit moth lure, and checked weekly from 9 July to 16 September. Pheromone trap catches of OFM adult males in the test sites were lower than they might normally have been, owing to unfavorable cool and rainy weather during July and August. Nevertheless, sufficient numbers of moths were caught in the non-disrupted check plots to indicate the degree of effectiveness of the pheromone treatments in the adjacent plantings. Both the Isomate M-100 and Rosso treatments completely suppressed OFM trap catches in their respective plots for the duration of the study; in 4 of the 6 sites, traps in the MSTRS plots caught 1-2 moths on one or two occasions. Time measurements for hand-applied deployment of the twist-tie OFM dispensers taken in parallel studies have averaged approximately 240 ties/hr/person, or 25 min per A (62.5 min per ha) for the Isomate M-100 dispenser, and 50 min per A (125 min per ha) for Isomate Rosso. The MSTRS time requirements ranged from 7.1-12.0 min per A (17.8-30.0 min per ha), which corresponds to a 50-70 pct reduction over the M-100 ties, and 75-85 pct over the Rosso ties.

<p>IMPACT: 2004/01/01 TO 2004/12/31
Overall treatment efficacy and efficiency of this type of dispenser appears to be high enough to encourage further investigation of opportunities to integrate this type of product into future demonstration-research plots involving OFM mating disruption as one management component. The principle of using a low-density, high-yield dispenser to disrupt chemical communication between the sexes incorporates elements of both mechanisms of mating disruption as currently proposed (false trail following by the males as they are attracted up the plumes from the bags, coupled with sex pheromone habituation from exposure to the strong doses) which would serve to arrest them in mid-flight. While this approach may be suitable for a species such as OFM, which is relatively easy to disrupt, other studies have shown that species such as codling moth tend to respond better to higher numbers of pheromone point sources, with perhaps greater concentrations on the block edges. Therefore, the utility of the MSTRS design may be best realized against a selected smaller number of pest species.

<p>PROGRESS: 2003/01/01 TO 2003/12/31<br/>
Work conducted in 2003 addressed the increasing damage being caused by internal Lepidoptera in apple orchards and subsequent loads of apples rejected by processors because of unacceptable infestations of internal worms. To prevent a reversion to frequent spraying of harsh insecticides that could have a detrimental impact on secondary pests and beneficial species and also hasten the development of resistant populations, several seasonal programs were compared in 4 commercial orchards: an organophosphate insecticide (phosmet) standard, a synthetic pyrethroid (cyhalothrin), a selective insecticide (indoxacarb), a sprayable formulation of oriental fruit moth (OFM) pheromone, and indoxacarb augmented with sprayable pheromone applications. A phenology model developed in Pennsylvania was used to time the insecticide treatments after the OFM biofix. Early in the season after petal fall, initial observations indicated that this model was not accurately predicting the seasonal activity of this pest during the 2003 growing season. Therefore, initial sprays of all programs including pheromones were applied about 175-200 DD (base 45F) after trap catch increases in the plots suggested that the flight of OFM had begun. Two pheromone traps were set out in the center of each insecticide plot and in the center of each half of the 10A pheromone treatments during the first week in July prior to the beginning of the second flight of oriental fruit moth. These traps were checked twice weekly throughout the season. A total of 600 fruits per plot was sampled on the trees throughout each block weekly from the last week in June until the last week in August. At harvest, 600 fruits were harvested from each plot (20 fruit on each of 30 trees), and cut to determine if any infestations of larvae were present. Infestation levels in the weekly fruit samples in all of the treatments in most of the blocks remained very low from the end of July until the last sample was taken in August, and there was no particular pattern of increasing or decreasing damage in any of the treatments. The highest damage observed prior to harvest occurred in the last samples taken on August 24. Most of the fruit damage observed at harvest occurred between Labor Day and early October, and was presumably due to late season activity of the OFM. However, even though some infested fruit was observed in most of the treatments, control was generally commercially acceptable except in one phosmet plot, which had almost 16 percent damage, and in the plots receiving only early sprayable pheromone treatments on 2 of the farms. Cyhalothrin was the most effective insecticide treatment in the combined data for all orchards, followed by indoxacarb, and phosmet. The integrated program of phosmet and sprayable pheromones was slightly more effective in protecting fruit than the programs using pheromones alone during the early part of the season.

<p>IMPACT: 2003/01/01 TO 2003/12/31
Most apple growers that had severe infestations of internal worms in 2002 achieved adequate control during 2003. However, many of these growers applied frequent cover sprays of insecticides during the summer and some also used multiple sprays of harsh materials such as synthetic pyrethroids. Even growers who used mating disruption for control of the summer generations of OFM often applied intensive schedules of insecticides almost on a calendar basis throughout the summer. Such schedules were probably necessary to reduce initial high pest populations in severely infested orchards in 2002. However, if growers continue to use these types of control programs, future IPM programs will be compromised. Aside from their expense, the frequent use or even a single application of harsh materials will upset integrated biological control programs and may cause outbreaks of secondary pests. The results of this initial study suggest that western NY growers have several more IPM-compatible options than using pyrethroids for management of OFM and perhaps other species: high rates of conventional organophosphates, indoxacarb and perhaps other newer more selective materials, and integrated management programs of mating disruption supplemented by judicious applications of selective insecticides. Additional work is needed on the optimum timing of insecticides or pheromones, as well as practical monitoring programs to detect fruit infestation during the season, so that orchards could be monitored periodically to determine when and if control measures are necessary.

<p>PROGRESS: 2002/01/01 TO 2002/12/31<br/>
Studies were conducted in 17 commercial orchards to determine the effectiveness of reduced-risk tactics in managing key pests. Each site was a split-plot design in which the entire block received a program of selective insecticides, and a 5-A portion of the block additionally received pheromones for mating disruption of codling moth (CM), oriental fruit moth (OFM), and lesser appleworm (LAW). A comparison block, which had the same varieties and tree training, was also monitored at each site. Pheromone traps for all species were hung in all plots, and from June 21-July 9, pheromone ties were deployed for the 2nd and subsequent broods of CM and OFM. Pheromone traps were checked weekly. Fruits were inspected for disease and insect damage at harvest. Catch trends from the non-disrupted blocks showed codling moth levels to be fairly moderate throughout the season throughout the state; in the most western sites, LAW levels tended to be modest, but OFM pressure was sometimes severe. In the eastern orchards, the opposite trend was seen, with OFM scarcely present, particularly during the latter half of the season, and LAW at reasonably high levels in most of these blocks, particularly towards the end of the season and beyond harvest. In all cases, the pheromone ties appeared to suppress trap catches of not only the two target species (CM and OFM), but also LAW, at levels at or near zero for the remainder of the season. The suppression of LAW is presumed to have occurred because of the similarity of its pheromone blend to that of OFM. Fruit damage at harvest caused by internal Lepidoptera was uniformly low across all blocks and treatments, with no statistically significant differences between the reduced-risk pesticide blocks, with or without pheromones, and the grower standards. Some distinct differences did occur among the stratified samples taken within respective blocks, so that for instance, localized damage of up to 8-13 percent was noted along a specific orchard edge in two cases. Other fruit-feeding insects caused nominal damage in a few cases, including rosy apple aphid, leafrollers, San Jose scale and tarnished plant bug. Management programs will be adjusted in the subsequent years of this study to account for these inadequacies. The orchards used in this trial were assumed to be relatively clean at the initiation of this multi-year project. If the selective pesticide program tested here does exhibit any shortcomings in the control of CM, OFM, or LAW, we would expect to see evidence of this over time as local populations are given the chance to increase beyond levels that are economically acceptable.

<p>IMPACT: 2002/01/01 TO 2002/12/31
Extensive evaluations of insect pest management programs that use organophosphate (OP) insecticides to control plum curculio, CM, OFM and apple maggot have shown the effectiveness of these insecticides. In addition, because some predaceous mites and aphid predators have become resistant to OP's, successful biological control of phytophagous mites and aphids has been possible. However, because OP insecticides are toxic to other natural enemies in orchards, it has been difficult to obtain biological control of foliar pests such as leafhoppers and leafminers. In addition, leafrollers, OFM and leafminers that were formerly of minor importance in orchards, have become resistant to OP's and now must be controlled with other classes of insecticides, many of which are toxic to mite predators. Results from small-plot evaluations of the new more selective, reduced-risk insecticides have shown that these compounds are effective against secondary pests such as aphids, leafhoppers, leafminers, and leafrollers. However, fruit damage from CM, OFM, and apple maggot in plots treated with reduced-risk materials has often been slightly higher than that occurring in plots treated with organophosphates. This project will help determine if selective insecticides alone, and in some cases integrated with mating disruption, can provide adequate control of direct pests of fruit for which there is no allowable tolerance of damage. This study will also help identify potential new pests, as well as natural enemies, that may occur in orchards treated with these new, selective pesticides.

<p>PROGRESS: 2001/01/01 TO 2001/12/31<br/>
Studies were conducted in two semi-commercial research plots to evaluate different types of production systems and the suitability of different types of apples for processing products. Two different IPM-based pesticide programs were compared in the two orchards: (1) A standard pesticide regimen in which the most inexpensive effective materials were applied based on monitoring programs for key pests; (2) A "soft" pesticide program in which materials were selected whenever possible that have either been classified by the EPA as "reduced risk" compounds or are materials that are commonly used in IPM programs because of their low mammalian toxicity, lack of environmental mobility and persistence, and low toxicity to beneficials in orchard IPM systems. Levels of pest infestation in both programs for individual pests and in the overall percentage of clean fruit were not statistically different within each research orchard in either of the different programs, which shows that the "soft" pesticides provided similar levels of control to the standard materials. Control of most of the major insect pests damaging fruit was adequate, except for the obliquebanded leafroller and plum curculio. Both programs provided excellent control of the major fruit disease, apple scab. Two of the summer diseases, fly speck and sooty blotch, were more prevalent at one of the farms, although infestations of these pathogens produce only superficial symptoms on the fruit, and would not normally downgrade fruit used for processing products.

IMPACT: 2001/01/01 TO 2001/12/31
In plantings of apples grown for processing in New York State, growers use minimal amounts of inexpensive miticides, fungicides, and insecticides to reduce pesticide costs because of the relatively low value of the crop. By combining high-yielding varieties with more efficient planting systems and cost-effective sustainable pest management programs, the production of apples for the processing market should become a more profitable alternative than it is currently. If the higher density production systems prove to be more profitable, they could eventually be used to replace older conventional orchards that are currently relatively unprofitable because of low yields, poor fruit quality, and the continuing need for high horticultural inputs to maintain production.

<p>PROGRESS: 2000/01/01 TO 2000/12/31<br/>
Different insect pest management tactics were evaluated in certified organic processing apple orchards in western NY. At one site, automated microsprayers containing the mating pheromones for obliquebanded leafroller, codling moth, and oriental fruit moth were deployed at a rate of 10 per hectare to prevent fruit damage from these species. At a second site, a selective spray program consisting of B.t. and 1% horticultural mineral oil was applied bi-weekly in part of the block after petal fall. This was compared with a kaolin clay program in another part of the orchard, to protect the crop from apple maggot. In an interior row of the remaining trees, whole trees were enclosed after fruit set in fabric bags made of different types of woven material with mesh openings small enough to exclude insects larger than 2-3 mm, but large enough to allow sun and air movement. The pheromone disruption treatment reduced catches of the target species to nearly zero, and fruit damage at harvest ranged from 7-23%, considerably less than in an unsprayed check orchard. The kaolin treatment reduced plum curculio damage to roughly half of the levels seen in the B.t./oil and check plots. The whole-tree cages resulted in significantly higher levels of clean fruit than were seen in any of the other treatments, although they were not successful in excluding all of the direct fruit pests. Injury from internal Lepidoptera, apple maggot, and plum curculio was substantially reduced on these trees compared with the checks, but late-season leafroller damage was not controlled by the cages, and the cage materials had a negative effect on fruit coloring.

IMPACT: 2000/01/01 TO 2000/12/31
Ultimately, it would be desirable to use the most promising insect pest control tactics together with other organic production methods for weed control, fruit thinning, and disease control. This would allow apple growers to take advantage of the increasing market demand for organic fruit, by converting their currently unprofitable processing orchards to produce a specialty product.

<p>PROGRESS: 1999/01/01 TO 1999/12/31<br/>
The effectiveness of two different types of pheromone release systems in disrupting obliquebanded leafroller mating and preventing fruit damage were compared in 1-ha blocks in 3 commercial orchards: (1) Microsprayers (aerosol spray-burst devices), 1 application setup for the summer; (2) Paraffin-based pheromone emulsions, 1 application per summer generation. Each of these treatments was combined with a 3-spray program of spinosad (SpinTor), an IPM-compatible insecticide that is naturally derived. Small sections of each block were left unsprayed to test the effectiveness of pheromones alone. Pheromone dispenser treatments provided generally good trap shutdown throughout both of the summer flights, but less so at one site where moth populations were unusually low. At this same site, the blocks with the pheromone-only treatment had the highest larval infestation (8%). At the other 2 sites, the treatments exhibited statistically comparable infestations between 1-10%. Fruit damage results in early August and at harvest indicate that a combination of pheromones and insecticides could result in a lower percentage of damaged fruit, although these differences were not always statistically significant. At one microsprayer site, 2% fewer damaged fruits resulted from the pheromone+insecticide combination, compared with pheromones alone. Treatment differences were clearest at the second microsprayer site, with 2.3% damage in the combination plots, and 10-11% using either method alone. Further commercialization of either of these dispensers will depend on their effectiveness against problem populations, as well as the economics of employing them either alone or in combination with selective insecticides.

<p>PROGRESS: 1998/01/01 TO 1998/12/31<br/>
The effectiveness of three different types of pheromone release systems in disrupting obliquebanded leafroller mating and preventing fruit damage were compared in 2-ha plots in 2 commercial orchards: (1) Microsprayers (aerosol spray-burst devices), 1 application setup for the summer; (2) Microencapsulated sprayable pheromone, 2 applications applied by the growers per summer generation; and (3) Paraffin-based pheromone emulsions, 1 application per summer generation. Each of these 3 treatments was additionally treated with 3 sprays of either tebufenozide (Confirm) or the growers' standard program. All pheromone dispenser treatments provided good trap shutdown throughout both of the summer flights, although there were some spikes in the sprayable formulation plots, possibly indicating a shorter residual period of efficacy between applications. Larval terminal infestations after one pesticide application were higher in the Confirm plots than in the grower standards, despite starting out as fairly uniform throughout the plots before the sprays. However, fruit damage levels at the end of July were generally equal or less in the Confirm-treated trees. Harvest damage depended on population pressure. Where populations were moderate, none of the pheromone+pesticide treatments gave better control than pesticide alone. However, where population pressure was heavier, all of the pheromone+pesticide combination treatments gave better control of fruit damage than did the grower standard program without pheromones.

<p>PROGRESS: 1997/01/01 TO 1997/12/31<br/>
Chemical control of obliquebanded leafroller (OBLR) was investigated in eight blocks (0.9-1.7 ha in size) of apples at four different sites in Western New York. Plots compared treatments (2-3 applications) of Confirm (tebufenozide) vs. Lorsban (chlorpyrifos). Terminals infested with OBLR larvae during July sampling sessions were generally greater in the Confirm plots. Fruit damage at harvest was significantly higher in the Confirm treatment (14.5 percent) than in the Lorsban treatment (5.5 percent) at one location, and numerically higher in the Confirm plots (3.0-14.5 percent) at all other locations, although ratings were statistically the same as those in the Lorsban plots (1.0-5.5 percent). Furthermore, at two of the sites, significantly more of the damaged fruit fell in the "US No. 1" category in the Confirm- vs. Lorsban-treated plots.

<p>PROGRESS: 1996/01 TO 1996/12<br/>
Pheromone disruption of obliquebanded leafroller (OBLR) using polyethylene twist-tie dispensers was compared & combined with pesticide sprays in a 2.5-ha block of apples in Western New York. Plots compared treatments of pheromone only, or plus Confirm (tebufenozide), or Confirm only, vs. Lorsban only (control). Terminals infested with OBLR larvae during July sampling sessions were greatest in pheromone-treated and Confirm-only plots, and lower in the Lorsban-only treatment. Fruit damage at harvest was significantly higher in the pheromone-only treatment (9.5 percent) than in all the other treatments, which were statistically the same (0.8-1.3 percent). The use of pheromones and confirm together did not provide additive control any greater than that resulting from the confirm-only treatment. Furthermore, significantly more of the damaged fruit fell in the US No. 1 and Cull categories in the pheromone-only treatment than in the other treatments tested.

<p>PROGRESS: 1995/01 TO 1995/12<br/>
Pheromone disruption using two dispenser products was compared and combined withpesticide sprays in two 20-ha blocks of apples in Western New York. Plots compared treatments of pheromone only, or plus Lorsban or B.t., vs. Lorsban only (control). Catches of male moths in 2-tier wing trap units were reduced in all pheromone plots vs. the control, and numbers in one orchard were always greater in the bottom trap; top and bottom catches were similar in the other orchard. Catches in passive traps made of oil-coated plexiglass squares were lower but followed similar trends, and there were low mating levels of female moths tethered to boards placed near the canopy tops. Terminals infested with OBLR larvae were greatest in pheromone-treated plots, and significantly lower in both pheromone+pesticide treatments. Fruit damage at harvest was lowest for pheromone+Lorsban in one orchard and for Lorsban-only in the other. Pheromone+ Lorsban always gave less fruit damage than pheromone+B.t. Pheromone-only plots had the highest fruit damage levels. Tree structure in relation to pheromone dispenser placement appeared to affect pheromone performance. With large orchards of uniform tree planting, pheromone dispensers placed at the very top of the tree canopy resulted in little trap shutdown and high levels of fruit damage. When dispensers were placed near the top of the tree canopy and foliage surrounded the dispenser, much better trap shutdown was observed and fruit damage was similar to conventional treatments.

<p>PROGRESS: 1994/01 TO 1994/12<br/>
Pheromone disruption was compared & combined with pesticide sprays in three 10-acre blocks of apples in Western New York. In the disrupted block, male OBLR behavior was modified & mating decreased. Economic thresholds were exceeded in all treatments, but no differences between treatments were noted. Pre-harvest fruit damage was significantly less in the pheromone+chemical treatment than the chemical or pheromone alone. By harvest damage was similar among treatments. Larval counts & fruit damage were greatest in the top of the tree. Laboratory trials with three Trichogramma spp. indicated that T. minutum & T. platneri consistently parasitize OBLR egg masses. They seem to prefer young eggs, with most parasitism on 24-hr-old masses. Activity was lower when eggs were attached to the leaf surface. Twenty four percent of OBLR egg masses from commercial orchards had detectable parasitism by endemic Trichogramma spp. Overall parasitism of all egg masses collected was less than 25%. Effects of summer pruning & fruit thinning on OBLR fruit damage were tested in a high density planting of 'Jersey Macs'. Hand thinning occurred on 29 June. Summer pruning was done on 30 June, 14 & 28 July. On each pruning date there were treatments that were thinned & unthinned. Summer pruning removed 57% of new terminals. Terminals or fruit clusters were examined for OBLR larvae on 21 July, 5 & 8 August. Only subtle differences were observed among treatments. Fruit were evaluated for OBLR feeding injury, color & quality at.