Posts Tagged: IPM

National invasive species awareness week was February 27 – March 3, 2017.

Invasive species are plants, animals, fungi or microbes that are not native to an area, but can quickly establish, multiply, and become pests. These species can hurt the environment, agricultural production, and even human health in some instances (e.g. the mosquito Aedes aegypti). According to the USDA, invasive species are responsible for $137 billion per year in economic losses in the United States. 

In agricultural systems, invasive species may reduce yields, render crops unmarketable, or make rangeland unfavorable to livestock. In natural areas, they may squeeze out native species, change soil quality, and increase the frequency or intensity of wildfires. 

Some of these species have been introduced intentionally (e.g., yellow sweetclover, which was originally imported from Europe as a forage species for livestock), while others arrived by accident (e.g., the glassy-winged sharpshooter which came to California inadvertently through nursery stock shipments). 

Just one species can be detrimental to crop production and revenues. The invasion of spotted-wing drosophila, for example, caused conventional raspberry growers in California to lose $36.4 million in revenue between 2009 and 2014, and would have reduced California raspberry yields by as much as 50% without control efforts. 

The spread of invasive pests has become more prevalent in recent decades, and is linked to several factors, including global travel, produce trade, and climate change. Many invasive pests spread by human movement—medusahead, for example, has long awns on its seeds that easily attach to clothing and animal fur, to be carried to other locations. A recent study by UC scientists also determined that due to climate change, invasive weeds are shifting their ranges at a faster rate than native plants, and will likely cause more problems in agriculture and natural resources in the future. The yellow starthistle, an invasive plant that dries out soil and degrades rangelands, is one of the pests that will expand its range further north in California (and beyond) due to climate change. 

While invasive pests can be a major challenge to growers and land managers, there are successful stories of stopping exotic pest invasions with well-coordinated eradication efforts. Recently, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) declared the European Grapevine Moth eradicated from California after no moths were found in the state from 2015 to 2016. This was due to a rapid response, largely by the UC Cooperative Extension scientists after the moth was discovered in Napa vineyards in 2008. 

Here's what you can do to keep from introducing or spreading invasive species:

• Fully cooperate with agricultural inspections at the California state border and in your fields. When coming into California from another state, declare any plant or animal material that you have in your vehicle. Inspectors will thoroughly examine your materials or crops to make sure that they do not hold any invasive pests. This greatly reduces the chance that your activities will spread harmful invasive species.
• Check and clean your clothes, shoes, and equipment before you move from one location to another. For example, thoroughly cleaning your shoes with water and a disinfectant after hiking through an area known to have sudden oak death will prevent you from tracking the pathogen into uncontaminated areas. Similarly, checking your clothes or shoes for weed seeds before leaving an area will keep you from spreading invasive weeds. 
• “Burn it where you buy it.” Burn firewood in the same place you purchased it, rather than buying it and transporting it elsewhere. If you must transport firewood, be sure to declare it at the border and have it inspected, as described above.
• Report invasive pests in your area. CDFA has a tool for reporting pests, but you can also contact your agricultural commissioner or UC Cooperative Extension to do so.

To learn more about invasive species, visit the UC IPM website. You will find a list of invasive insects, plants, diseases, and vertebrates in California, as well as links to other organizations and regulatory agencies that are also working to reduce their numbers.

UC ANR IPM academic coordinator is based at Kearney.

UC ANR IPM academic coordinator is based at Kearney.

Lori Berger is the new academic coordinator for the Pests, Pesticides and IPM Project. Berger joined ANR in 2014 to coordinate a program to identify and manage critical uses of chlorpyrifos in almonds, citrus, cotton and alfalfa. Berger has worked extensively with the regulatory community in developing science-based approaches to pest management and agricultural production, sharing her expertise on pest management, pollinator protection, international MRLs, water quality and soil health.

Based at the Kearney Agricultural Research and Education Center in Parlier, Berger holds a Ph.D. in entomology and is a licensed pest control adviser as well as a certified crop adviser. Read more.

New UC IPM online course provides 2 CEU in laws and regulations.

Do you need some more laws and regulations continuing education units for your license renewal? A new online course from UC IPM can help you get those units as well as help growers prevent illegal pesticide residues.

The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) runs the most extensive Pesticide Residue Monitoring Program in the nation and is hard at work ensuring that the fruit and vegetables we purchase and consume are free from illegal pesticide residues.  Just last month, DPR detected residues of a pesticide not registered for use on grapes and fined the grower $10,000 for using a pesticide in violation of the label and for packing and attempting to sell the tainted produce.

Cases like this are rare in California but remind growers how important it is to apply pesticides correctly by following all pesticide label directions.  Understanding and following label instructions is the focus of a new online course developed by the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program (UC IPM).

Proper Pesticide Use to Avoid Illegal Residues is targeted to those who apply pesticides or make pesticide recommendations.  It explains what pesticide residues are, how they are monitored, and highlights important residue-related information from several sections of pesticide labels.  In addition, the course identifies the following as the most important factors leading to illegal residues:

• Using a pesticide on a crop or against a pest for which it is not registered
• Applying pesticides at an incorrect rate
• Ignoring preharvest intervals, re-treatment intervals, or plantback restrictions

Course participants are presented with several real-life scenarios.  They must search through actual pesticide labels to determine if the scenario illustrates proper use of pesticides or if the described situation could potentially lead to illegal residues. 

The overall goal of this course is to have participants follow pesticide label instructions when they return to the field.  Following the label can eliminate incidences of illegal pesticide use. 

Proper Pesticide Use to Avoid Illegal Residues is published just in time for pest control advisers and pesticide applicators who are still a few units short to renew their licenses or certificates with DPR.  The course has been approved for 2 hours of Pesticide Laws and Regulations continuing education units (CEUs) from DPR and costs $40.  If you don't need CEUs, but are still interested in viewing the course content, check it out for free on YouTube. 

DPR recommends that renewal packets be submitted before November 1 in order to receive your renewed license or certificate by December 31, as the processing time can take up to 60 days.  For additional online courses that UC IPM offers, visit the online training page.

UC IPM online courses offer continuing education units for pest control applicators and advisors.

Are you looking for continuing education units (CEUs) to complete your renewal application this year for the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR)?  The UC Statewide IPM Program has several online courses available that can help you get those last few needed credits. 

DPR license and certificate holders with last names beginning with M – Z renew this year.  Renewal packets must be submitted to DPR before November 19^th to ensure that licenses are renewed by January 1, 2016.  After that, applications may take up to 45 calendar days to process. 

The online courses available from UC IPM that offer units for DPR license renewal include: 

• Providing Integrated Pest Management Services in Schools and Child Care Settings (1 unit Laws and Regulations and 1 unit Other)
• Pesticide Resistance (2 units Other)
• Pesticide Application Equipment and Calibration (1.5 units Other)
• IPM – A Solution for Reducing Pesticides/Water Quality: Pesticide Properties (1 unit Other) 
• The Impact of Pesticides on Water Quality/Mitigating Urban Pesticide Runoff (1 unit Other)
• Water Quality and Mitigation:  Bifenthrin and Fipronil (1 unit Other)
• Herbicides and Water Quality (1 unit Other)

CEUs from the Structural Pest Control Board are also available for most of these courses. 

For a list of other approved online or in-person courses, visit the DPR website.  UC IPM plans to add additional online courses for 2016, including those available for Laws and Regulations units.  For more information about the courses UC IPM offers as well as additional training opportunities and pest management information, see the UC IPM web site.

New videos from UC IPM help stone fruit growers and PCAs tackle pest problems.

Spider mites, fruit moth and twig borer larvae, aphids, and bark cankers are just a few pests that can wreak havoc on stone fruit trees. With spring well underway and trees in full bloom and beginning to develop fruit, it's time to monitor and take action before these pests get out of hand.  

UC IPM teamed up with UC farm advisors to develop a series of how-to videos that can help growers and pest control advisers monitor for pests and damage and determine if and when treatment is needed. 

In one video, Sacramento Area IPM Advisor Emily Symmes gives a brief overview of how to monitor for webspinning spider mites. Spider mites build up in stone fruit trees as the weather warms up. Late spring through summer is the ideal time to monitor for mites and their damage, which includes leaf stippling and webbing. If mites build up too much, leaves can drop, fruit may not fully develop, and branches and fruit can be exposed to sunburn.  

Shoot strikes, or dead drooping leaf tips, are often seen on young peach and nectarine trees. In a second video, UC Sutter and Yuba County Farm Advisor Janine Hasey explains how to monitor for shoot strikes and how to distinguish the culprits, oriental fruit moth and peach twig borer. Although Oriental fruit moth and peach twig borer can bore into both foliage and fruit, they cause the most devastating damage by feeding on fruit. Early season monitoring and treatment can prevent future fruit loss. 

In plum and prune orchards, leaf curl aphids and mealy plum aphids cause leaves to curl and become distorted. Aphids produce honeydew, which can lead to the development of sooty mold, causing fruit to crack and blacken. Aphids are often present when leaves start to grow. In his video, Rick Buchner, UC farm advisor for Tehama County, discusses how to monitor for aphids and explains how to decide when treatment is warranted. 

In a final video, UC Sacramento County Farm Advisor Chuck Ingels teaches how to distinguish Phytophthora root and crown rot from bacterial canker. The two diseases are often confused because they both cause bark cankers.  Phytophthora root and crown rot is confined to the lower trunk, but when a bacterial canker infection occurs in the tree trunk, the diseases can often be confused. Bacterial canker can be confirmed by cutting away the outer bark and looking for characteristic red flecks on the inner bark. Correct identification of these diseases will help in choosing a management strategy.

You can find all of these how-to videos on the UC IPM video library page. For specific information about managing pests in stone fruits or other crops, see the Pest Management Guidelines.

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