Efficacy of peach IPM programs with and without organophosphate insecticides

• Published in: Acta horticulturae no. 5922; pp. 695 - 698
• Main Authors: Mulder, P.G. Jr, Jervis, B, McCraw, B.D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: International Society for Horticultural Science 2002
• Subjects: chemistry; Conotrachelus nenuphar; economic threshold; integrated pest management; orchards; organophosphorus insecticides; peaches; planting; pyrethrins; trees; Oklahoma
• ISSN: 0567-7572
• DOI: 10.17660/ActaHortic.2002.592.97

The purpose of this study was to determine the importance of organophosphate chemistry in a peach integrated pest management (IPM) system. This study was conducted at the Oklahoma Fruit and Nut Research Station in Perkins, Oklahoma during the 1999 and 2000 production seasons using approximately 500 'Jayhaven' and 'Cresthaven' trees planted in 1993. Insecticide was applied in these orchards only as trap economic thresholds dictated. This threshold was generally based on the number of plum curculio, Conotrachelus nenuphar Herbst exceeding 0.1 beetles per pyramid or screen trap per day. Treatments consisted of organophosphate - or synthetic pyrethroid -based chemistries. In both years, peaches treated with organophosphates had less plum curculio damage than those treated with synthetic pyrethroids. 'Jayhaven' fruit had 4.8% and 8.2% total damage by plum curculio in peaches treated with organophosphate and synthetic pyrethroids, respectively. 'Cresthaven' peaches from areas treated with organophosphates and synthetic pyrethroids had 1.4% and 6.0% plum curculio damage, respectively. No significant differences in yield were obtained regardless of the chemistry used in controlling plum curculio. In a concurrent study, contrasting management approaches, comparisons between IPM orchards and non-IPM orchards showed a stark contrast in the number of applications, but the use of a monitoring system for timing treatments for plum curculio did increase spray effectiveness, particularly when using organophosphate-based chemistry.