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Pest Management Strategic Plan Hazelnuts Oregon and Washington

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Pest Management Strategic Plan Hazelnuts Oregon and Washington Pest Management Strategic Plan for Hazelnuts in Oregon and Washington Summary of a workshop held on November 29, 2006 Aurora, Oregon Lead Author: Joe DeFrancesco Editor: Diane Clarke Contact Person: Joe DeFrancesco, Pest Management Specialist Oregon State University 2040 Cordley Hall Corvallis OR 97331‐2915 (541) 737‐0718 [email protected] This project was sponsored by the Western Integrated Pest Management Center, which is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture, Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service. 1 Table of Contents Work Group Members .......................................................................................................3 Summary of Critical Needs ................................................................................................4 Introduction ..........................................................................................................................6 Process for this Pest Management Strategic Plan............................................... 7 Hazelnut Production Overview.............................................................................8 IPM Strategies in Hazelnut Production .............................................................11 Pests and Management Options by Crop Stage Pre‐Plant and Planting ..........................................................................................13 Establishment and Non‐Bearing Orchards ........................................................17 Dormancy ...............................................................................................................17 Bud Break to Fully Formed Leaves .......... ..........................................................19 Nut Maturation .....................................................................................................34 Harvest and Post Harvest ....................................................................................43 Vertebrate Pests and their Management ........................................................................46 References ..........................................................................................................................50 Appendices: Cultural and Pest Management Activities Timelines ......................................52 Seasonal Pest Occurrence Timeline ....................................................................53 Efficacy Tables: Insect and Mite Management ..................................................................54 Disease Management ................................................................................56 Weed Management ...................................................................................57 Toxicity Ratings for Beneficials............................................................................60 2 Work Group Members In Attendance: Clark Firestone, Grower Mark Gibbs, Crop Consultant and member, Oregon Hazelnut Commission Jim Goodpasture, Grower Steve Heesacker, Grower and member, Oregon Hazelnut Commission Doug Herndon, Crop Consultant, Western Ag. Improvement Jeff Koenig, Grower Kurt Kunze, Grower (Oregon and Washington orchards) Jeff Olsen, Oregon State University Extension Service Polly Owen, Executive Director, Oregon Hazelnut Commission Garry Rodakowski, Grower and member, Oregon Hazelnut Commission Jim Todd, Crop Consultant, Willamette Agricultural Consulting Others in Attendance: Joe DeFrancesco, Oregon State University Stephen Flanagan, IR‐4 Western Region Linda Herbst, Associate Director, Western IPM Center Gina Koskela, Oregon State University Workgroup Members Not in Attendance at Workshop: Glenn Fisher, Oregon State University, Research and Extension Entomology Jay Pscheidt, Oregon State University, Research and Extension Plant Pathology Ross Penhallegon, Oregon State University Extension Service Vaughn Walton, Oregon State University, Horticultural Entomologist 3 Summary of Critical Needs (Pest‐specific and crop‐stage‐specific aspects of these needs, as well as additional needs, are listed and discussed throughout the body of the document.) Research: • Cultivar development, with emphasis on resistance to eastern filbert blight disease. Continuation of a robust breeding program is critical for eastern filbert blight disease management and management of other pests that can severely affect the viability of the hazelnut industry in Oregon and Washington. • Development and refinement of management techniques for control of eastern filbert blight disease in existing orchards. This disease is widespread and devastating, reducing yields and eventually causing death in both young and old trees. Management of eastern filbert blight in established orchards with susceptible cultivars is critical. • Continued investigation of the biology, ecology, and management of the filbertworm. Filbertworm is the most serious insect pest in hazelnuts. Feeding reduces nut quality and yield. Filbertworm is a perennial problem and occurs in virtually all hazelnut orchards. • Development of an integrated pest management program that emphasizes the protection of beneficial arthropods that occur naturally in hazelnut orchards. Beneficial arthropods play an important role in the management of insect pests in hazelnut orchards. Learning more about beneficials and how to protect them will help reduce pesticide use and other pest management inputs. • Investigation of the biology, ecology, and management of the filbert weevil. The filbert weevil is a new pest in hazelnut orchards, and much needs to be learned about its behavior and management. It is believed that some of the damage attributed to the filbertworm may be caused by the filbert weevil. 4 Regulatory: • Ensure that regulators and pesticide registrants include hazelnuts in nut group registrations and labels. Tolerances established for almonds and pecans, the representative commodities in EPA Crop Group 14 (Tree Nuts), enables hazelnuts to be included in registrations, but hazelnuts are often overlooked when labels are written. • Retain the registration of chlorpyrifos (Lorsban and other brands), which plays a unique and important role in insect pest management in hazelnut orchards. The fuming action of chlorpyrifos enhances control of insects that are difficult to control due to their habit of protecting themselves in rolled leaves, such as leafroller larvae. • Simplify and streamline the Section 18 process to ensure emergency use of pesticides in a timely manner. Section 18 registrations have in the past been very useful in helping to avert crop and economic losses, but the process is slow and cumbersome. • Add filbert bud mite as a pest on the Envidor (spirodiclofen) label. Spirodiclofen is registered for use in hazelnuts, but the filbert bud mite is not listed on the label. • Continue legislative support for current right‐to‐farm laws. Growers rely on right‐to‐farm laws to help them remain productive as challenges from the rural‐urban interface continue to grow. Education: • Communicate to regulators and legislators the importance and necessity of maintaining the registration of chlorpyrifos, which plays a unique role in a hazelnut IPM program. • Continue to communicate to growers the latest research findings and continue to educate them about pest management strategies that can be used in hazelnut orchards. • Educate growers about best management practices that can be used in their orchards and about how to communicate those practices to neighbors, legislators, and the general public. • The urban‐rural interface is a major issue where hazelnuts are grown. Maintain good communication with neighbors and the community about the best management practices that are used in hazelnut production. 5 Introduction The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has completed the risk assessment required under the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 (FQPA) and is continuing its reregistration process. With the advent of the FQPA and the subsequent risk assessments, several pesticides have been cancelled or now have reduced or more restrictive label uses. In addition to the risk assessments and reregistration efforts of the EPA, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) may also impact the availability or restrict the use of certain pesticides. The ESA requires that any federal agency, including EPA, taking an action that may affect threatened or endangered species must consult with either the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA‐ Fisheries) or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, as appropriate. Lawsuits have been filed against EPA alleging the Agency failed to complete this consultation process. One lawsuit resulted in the establishment of buffers for applications of certain pesticides around salmon‐supporting waters in Washington, Oregon, and California. Threatened and endangered species other than salmon are located throughout hazelnut growing regions, and there are likely to be further requirements for the protection of these species, whether they are court‐ordered or result from the consultation process. Because buffers are not in general use, no one knows their impact on agro‐ ecosystems or the pest complex. Whether planted to crops, planted to vegetation that is habitat for beneficial insects, abandoned to weeds, or managed for other values, buffers have the potential to play either a positive or a negative role in the pest complex in and adjacent to hazelnut orchards. If pest management needs in buffer zones are not addressed or understood, growers may simply
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