NOW pressure that normally require two or three hull split treatments for effective control may be able to eliminate one application while also reducing NOW damage.
a range of orchards between five and 40 acres, growers within the project area self-identify their orchards and their desire to implement MD on the project’s website map. Parcels containing almonds or walnuts are both eligible to participate, given that both crops can harbor NOW. When adjacent orchards enroll in the program creating a sufficient number of contiguous acres for effective MD, the landowners are notified of their neighbor’s desire to participate. The participating growers are then free to work through their Pest Control Advisors to successfully implement MD within their orchards. Growers within the project area have self-identified nearly 150 parcels in which they are already employing or wish to employ Mating Disruption in the 2023 growing season. It is anticipated that the program will be open to all growers statewide at the end of the pilot project.
Dr. Rijal noted that while mating disruption has been proven effective in orchards of 40 acres and larger, smaller orchards have proven to be more problematic. This has inspired the creation of a pilot project designed to prove MD effectiveness in smaller orchards by creating blocks of sufficient size for effective MD implementation. Implemented as a voluntary pilot project in an area of Stanislaus County containing
Dr. Rijal
33
NOVEMBER–DECEMBER 2022
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker