Accomplishments

Written Materials

Major sections of the Raspberry IPM Manual have been written. This includes scouting and decision-making guidelines focused around key pests and organized by seasonal stages of crop development. This manual will re-format and consolidate existing pest information from numerous sources into a single, practical booklet which will serve as a major reference for raspberry growers and will compliment the annually updated"Pest Management Guide for Small Fruits", WSU Extension Bulletin EB 1491. A decision-making matrix listing key pests, biology, scouting methods, and action thresholds has been completed as a component of this manual. Key pest fact sheets and insect and disease identification sheets are being created from WSU and Nooksack IPM slides through a computer slide scanning process as anothermajor component of this manual. Completed portions of this manual are being field tested this season as part of the IPM Mentoring program(described below).

Four monthly issues of the seasonal newsletter, "Pest Notes From the Field", have been sent to 150 plus farmers and farm related businesses from April through July of this year. This is the primary method of communicating research findings, meeting notices and pest activity to a broader grower audience.

Electronic Materials

Written materials and on-farm research project results which have been completed under this project to date are being formatted for and included in the WSU Whatcom County Cooperative Extension Home Page, which is expected to go on-line in July, 1997.

Phone Recording

The weekly updated phone recording has been expanded this season to serve raspberry growers as well as apple growers. Recordings began on April 14 and will continue through early September.

Plans

Continue to work on the Raspberry IPM Manual and other educational activities as identified in the 1997 (year 3) work plan.

Accomplishments

WSU Satellite Research Station

The Nooksack IPM Project has continued to work closely with the WSU Satellite Research Station, which was funded for the second time, serving raspberry growers this season. We have cooperated by helping them identify sites for research trials, linking them with grower cooperators, and sharing lab equipment. They have contributed as well to this project by attending IPM Forum breakfast meetings and providing updates on their activities in this forum as well as in the monthly "Pest Notes" newsletter.

On-Farm Research Projects

We are currently supporting several farmer-driven research projects. We have just completed a release of predatory mites as a biological control tactic to help raspberry growers control spider mites. This builds on knowledge gained from a similar project conducted in 1996. Raspberry grower/cooperators received a Western Region S.A.R.E. grant this season to continue to evaluate this tactic. Our role is to provide technical assistance in the design and evaluation of this experiment, which is being conducted on four farms this season. We are training a field scout in sampling and laboratory work. This scout is also employed part time by the Nooksack IPM Project as a field technician to support other on-farm research projects.

Other on-farm research projects include:

Evaluation of timing and rate adjustments of liquid lime sulfur applications on phytoxicity and cane diseases in raspberries. Use of temperature loggers and pheromone traps to assist apple growers in managing codling moth - based on the CODLMOTH program described in Extension Buletin 1072. Mapping anthracnose canker disease incidence with cooperation from an area orchardist and a Simon Fraser University plant pathologist, Dr. Jim Rahe. Evaluation of mite populations with cooperating apple growers.

Plans

Continue research efforts underway as described and communicate findings to growers through the IPM Forum and winter professional meetings as appropriate. Findings will be integrated into crop-specific IPM manuals this winter. Assist growers this fall in reviewing research to date and in prioritizing and commmunicating research needs to research institutions and commodity commissions as outlined in the 1997 work plan. Continue to work with apple growers to gain their support for a research proposal being submitted by Dr. Jim Rahe, Simon Fraser University, BC, Canada. This proposed experiment addresses infection timing and disease development of anthracnose canker, a major threat to area apple orchards in Whatcom County.

Accomplishments

Separate monthly breakfast meetings have been held in April, May and June of this year for raspberry and apple growers. This continues to be a very useful forum to discuss timely pest management strategies and current season pest activity. Those who attend these meetings now receive credit towards their Washington State Pesticide Licenses. These meetings are attended by research technicians from the WSU Satellite Research Station, growers from Washington and British Columbia, and farm supply representatives. It is evident from comments in these meetings that IPM is gaining support particularly from the farm suppliers, who welcome a more educated grower willing to learn more about the complex of pests in their crop and who is then better equipped to assume responsibility for pest management decision-making. This is a big step forward for acceptance of IPM. Growers who have been selected as IPM Mentors are asked to contribute at these meetings by commenting on their experiences with the Nooksack IPM Mentoring task of this project.

Plans

Breakfast meetings will be held monthly through September. Later meetings may be called if necessary to address research needs as mentioned above.

Accomplishments

Six temperature loggers (Optic StowAways) are now in place in area orchards and raspberry fields. These loggers combined with pheromone trap catch information support the codling moth degree day program which allows orchardists to fine-tune their pesticide application needs and timing. We are correlating obliquebanded leafroller(raspberry pest) flight to loggers as well this season as a step towards developing a predictive model for this insect.

Plans

Loggers will be maintained this season and relevant information will be incorporated into crop-specific manuals. We will attempt to transfer this technology to orchardists so that it can be carried on after completion of the Nooksack IPM Project.

Accomplishments

This phase of the project has been formally designed and initiated this season as a result of the recommendations from the Advisory Committee in October, 1996. We are working closely with three raspberry growers and with three apple growers this season. Fields are being scouted with cooperating growers approximately every two weeks beginning in mid-April and continuing through the growing season. This exposes growers to systematic sampling procedures, data collection and record keeping which supports their decisions regarding need for and timing of pesticide applications. This also provides us with an opportunity to "field-test" the Raspberry IPM Manual in progress. They then communicate their experience to a broader group of growers at the IPM Forum breakfast meetings, serving as mentors to other growers. Some of their comments from the most recent breakfast meeting are summarized below:

One raspberry grower applied two sprays for western raspberry fruitworm last year, but was able to control the insect with a single spray this year. This was due to the increased knowledge gained from scouting with a beating tray to determine when fruitworm beetles were present. This same grower now has a better grasp of both insect and disease identification, which comes through regular scouting in the field.

Another grower commented that his fields continue to come up " clean" for insect pests which reinforces his belief that it doesn't pay to spray by calendar.

A third raspberry grower expanded and intensified the scouting to the rest of his acreage in order to make more informed decisions about clay-colored weevil, raspberry fruitworm, and yellow rust management. This investment of about three hours of scouting paid off by allowing him to identify blocks which required treatment and those which did not.

Apple growers comments were along the same lines. One reported that the scouting report serves as a record that can be used to compare pest populations from one year to the next and that spending 45 minutes to an hour to systematically scout a block is time well spent. Another grower felt that scouting is helpful because it gets her out through the orchard in a short period of time and in a systematic way, which provides a clearer picture of pest incidence and distribution through the entire orchard.

Plans

Continue this program through late summer. Organize IPM mentors to contribute by sharing their experience with other growers at winter meetings as part of an IPM panel.

Accomplishments

The grower survey will be repeated during the winter of 1997-1998 as one component of this task of the project. Key findings from the survey were discussed with the Advisory Committee in October, 1996. This will be discussed further prior to re-surveying in order to insure that it most accurately evaluates changes in IPM knowledge and practices.

There has been an increased interest in this project this season, particularly by raspberry growers and farm supply representatives. This is illustrated by increased attendance at breakfast meetings, supportive comments from farm supply representatives, and requests from growers to use IPM sampling tools which they have been aware of but have not requested until this season. This new interest is being expressed by industry leaders and it indicates that change is underway. It is very difficult to quantify this change but it is noticeably coming about in the farm community.

Apple growers have continued to utilize information presented to them through this program. Most growers have increased their scouting efforts and now use tools they were exposed to through this program(hand lenses, beating trays). Most growers used weather data and codling moth traps last season to determine the need for and timing of codling moth sprays in their orchards and they are continuing to make use of this program this year.

Plans

Solicit additional input from Advisory Committee in Fall,1997 on possible changes to RaspberryIPM Survey.

Continue to document changes in people involvement, attitudes, and practices among growers and farm supply representatives as described in levels 3-6 of the Bennet Heirarchy. Project Evaluation is a major task for Year 3 which will get more attention after the 1997 growing season activities are completed.