While this cold, snowy weather seems to keep holding on, the apple growing season will be here before you know it. Now is the time to get your tools ready for an effective IPM program for your orchard.

Don't have a monitoring plan in place yet for your IPM program? Here is a checklist to help you prepare:

  • Refresh your knowledge of identification, biology and monitoring techniques for common insect and disease pests by taking an IPM Training Workshop. OMAFRA specialists offer a series of free IPM workshops starting late April and throughout the month of May. Watch for more information on this and workshops for other crops on the ONfruit blog.
  • If you prefer a more self-directed refresher, check out Ontario AppleIPM. Here you will find interactive online training and information on apple pests and pest management, including scouting calendars, threshold guides, and information on using pheromone and visual traps.
  • Make sure your farm map is up-to-date. In as much detail as you can, outline new plantings or blocks that have been removed including information such as cultivar, planting dates, etc. Circle where pest problem areas have been in the past, such as mite or weed hot spots, or where you've had issues with diseases, such as scab or fire blight. Use your map to develop a reporting template for your scout or workers to quickly identify where they have found problems.
  • Familiarize yourself with using pheromone traps, weather monitoring equipment and degree day models to predict precise timing of pest control strategies. Most registered insecticides are now considered "reduced risk" which means they are highly targeted with short residual activity. It's important to know exactly when these products should be applied in your orchard to ensure optimal efficacy. For many pests, such as codling moth, oriental fruit moth, oblique banded leafroller and San Jose scale, degree day models which predict the life stages of pests have been developed to precisely time products. For example, the application timings of products for first generation codling moth range from 83-138 DDC (base 10°C) and could be a difference of 1-2 weeks, depending on the temperature in any one year. All degree day models used for apple pests are listed in the Apple Calendar in the 2018-2019 Publication 360, Fruit Crop Protection Guide.
  • To use these degree day models, you will need to put up pheromone traps and weather monitoring equipment in your orchard. For guidelines on how to use traps, check out the Scouting section on Ontario AppleIPM. There you will find information on trap type, number, placement and when to install for each pest. Trapping methods and thresholds for other pests such as European apple sawfly, dogwood borer and apple maggot can also be found here.
  • Weather monitoring equipment, including temperature, humidity, rainfall and leaf wetness gauges are also important tools for disease forecasting. This information can be used to determine primary scab infection periods or fire blight infection risk. For more details on using disease forecasting models for apple scab and fire blight, see the Diseases and Disorders section on Ontario AppleIPM.
  • Visit the OMAFRA website for a list of pest monitoring equipment suppliers. Be sure to store all lures in the fridge until you are ready to put them out.
  • Will you have a scout monitoring your orchard this year? Set up a communication plan with the scout to report findings, such as a weekly scouting template or email. Keep the scout up to date on when and what crop protection materials have been applied and when it is safe to re-enter the block.
  • Planning to monitor your orchard on your own? Designate someone on your farm to monitor on a weekly basis. Having this determined before the season starts will help ensure this job doesn't get forgotten when all sorts of other issues are pushing you in different directions.
  • Make up a pest management kit with the right tools for monitoring. This should include a 16–20x hand lens, traps, tapping tray, collection bags and vials, flagging tape, pocket knife, notebook or record sheets, markers, a copy of the farm map and resources on hand, such as Publication 310: Integrated Pest Management for Apples, Publication 360: Fruit Crop Protection Guide and Publication 75B: Guide to Weed Control — Hort Crops.
  • Take another look at CropTracker.com to see how it can help you keep better records. This system provides growers with an innovative, extensive management tool for record keeping and analysis of production events, including tree/block information, food safety and traceability, pest management, crop protection, as well as harvest, storage and shipping event tracking. Now that's being organized! The system is free for all Ontario Apple Grower (OAG) members and each member has their own personal login. Great tutorials are available online. Don't have your login information? Email Matt Deir at matthew.deir@dragonflyit.ca.
  • Stay informed with current pest management topics by subscribing to the OMAFRA fruit blog: ONfruit. To receive the most timely information, subscribe to the blog by entering your email address under "Subscribe by email" and click "Subscribe". You will receive a notification as soon as something new is posted.