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Successful Christmas Tree IPM Program to Continue - December 2005
December 5, 2005
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - A Christmas tree IPM program that aims to manage pests safely and effectively will continue next year following a successful pilot project in which growers were able to substantially reduce their pesticide use.
Christmas and nursery tree sales are an over $41 million per year industry in Pennsylvania, making the state fifth in the nation. Christmas trees are attacked by a number of insect and disease pests. The White Pine Weevil (WPW) is the major insect pest of many of these trees. According to Cathy Thomas, Pennsylvania Integrated Pest Management Coordinator at PDA, the weevil is native to Pennsylvania forests and prefers nurseries because of the large fields planted with a single species. The WPW kills the growing tip, or leader, causing the tree to be misshapen and decreasing its value. "Across the state, WPW causes major financial losses to Christmas tree growers each year," says Thomas. "In order to control the pest, large quantities of typically used
pesticides are applied, which can negatively impact non-target organisms and cause pesticide resistance."
A highly effective alternative to excessive pesticide applications is integrated pest management (IPM). IPM aims to manage pests -- such as insects, diseases, weeds and animals -- by combining physical, biological and chemical tactics that are safe, profitable and environmentally compatible. According to Thomas, growers using an IPM strategy to manage WPW can significantly reduce their pesticide applications usually resulting in better yield and lower production costs.
Thomas and colleagues from Penn State and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture began working with three large Christmas tree growers in Schuylkill County during the 2005 growing season. Thomas says their first step was to educate the growers about the biology and life cycle of WPW for more effective timing of pesticide applications resulting in the need for fewer pesticides.
Thomas' group trained the growers in IPM techniques such as crop scouting, pest trapping, and observation of growing degree-days so that growers were aware of peak pest activity and could synchronize insecticide applications that target the most susceptible life stage. "An IPM specialist met with the growers on a weekly basis to ensure they acquired the scouting skills need to implement and sustain and IPM program," says Thomas.
Program advisors will teach growers how to replace traditional pesticides with "reduced risk" or soft pesticides. According to Thomas, these pesticides offer many benefits. "Soft pesticides are targeted to the pest, so they minimize negative effects on non-targeted, beneficial insects, reduce worker exposure to toxic pesticide residues, and minimize groundwater pollution and spray drift from ground and aerial applications," Thomas explains. "In addition, growers can save money by reducing their chemical costs and subsequent fuel consumption during pesticide spraying."
The pilot program will be expanded into a two-year project, and Thomas says she expects their excellent results to continue. "In addition to reducing their pesticide use, the growers were also able to decrease tree damage by 70 percent. One grower reported that he prevented over $100 thousand in damaged trees and tree loss caused by WPV," says Thomas.
The Christmas tree program is being funded by a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency Region III and the Pennsylvania IPM Program. Educational presentations of the data collected will be available for statewide use and additional training programs. The data will also be available on the Pennsylvania IPM Program's 1-800 PENN IPM hotline and the Penn State Christmas Tree Web site at http://ctrees.cas.psu.edu/. For more information on Christmas tree pests, see PA IPM's Christmas Tree Pest Problem Solver at http://paipm.cas.psu.edu/17.htm ctreeProblSolv.htm. Questions about the project can be directed to Thomas by calling (717) 705-5857 or by e-mail at caththomas@state.pa.us.
The Pennsylvania IPM program is a collaboration between the Pennsylvania State University and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture aimed at promoting integrated pest management in both agricultural and nonagricultural situations. For more information, contact the program at (814) 865-2839, or visit Web site http://paipm.cas.psu.edu/. To view our archived news releases, see Web site http://paipm.cas.psu.edu/10.htm.