Getting Ready for the 2021 Season!
It’s time to dust off my keyboard and keep the Milk Pail customers in the know about the farm.
What’s been happening over the past few months….
I met with Entomologists from the Long Island Horticultural Research and Extension Center (LIHREC – Long Island Horticultural Research and Extension Center (LIHREC) | Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station ) as I do every winter. Each year I join their insect scouting program where they set out traps and monitor insect pests in the orchard throughout the spring and summer. Every week the traps are checked and I’m updated on the levels of each insect. In September 3,000 to 5,000 apples from all over the orchard are examined for insect damage. A report is compiled and I meet with the Entomologists during the winter to go over the plan for the next season.
In past seasons we saw an increase in San Jose Scale, but in 2020 due to the use of oil and crop protectants in the Spring I was able to reduce the population. Yippee!!! That means less crop protectants to be used this year!!
Dogwood Borer seems to have been eliminated from the orchard by using my mating disruption ties (instead of trunk sprays), so we are eliminating the use of those ties (check out my blog about mating disruption: Mating Disruption – AgriGirlGetstotheCore ) this year.
Obliquebanded Leafroller has made a minor comeback over the past two years after a hiatus so we will have to be back on track for those, but if next year’s report shows progress I will be able to eliminate those crop protectants as well. There is a lot of ebb and flow in the orchard, and with amazing monitoring I am able to reduce the use of crop protectants.
Also, I’ve renewed my subscription to RIMpro Cloud Service once again, which is a forecasting model from the Netherlands used to monitor and predict Apple Scab infections. As stated on their website, www.rimpro.eu, “RIMpro Cloud Service is an interactive Decision Support System (DSS) for pest and disease management in fruit and wine grape production. For many growers and consultants RIMpro is their essential tool for effective crop protection.”
I’ve used RIMpro for the past three years to help me predict when Apple Scab infections will occur and how bad the infection will be. It helps me time my crop protectant applications extremely efficiently and also helps me reduce the amount of crop protectants used. RIMpro provides real time data from our orchard because it is directly connected to the weather station located in the middle of the orchard. With live data and forecasting models I’m able to strategize against apple scab, which can be a major problem in apple orchards. This program has helped eliminate the guessing of when ascospores are released, how many will be released, and the extent of the possible damage.
It is extremely important to control apple scab in the spring to prevent leaf infection which will ultimately lead to fruit infection. Much of the apple scab control is done during the spring and early summer before the fruit is even close to harvest.
Unfortunately, with the damp climate in the Northeast and insect populations that like to inhabit apple trees it is necessary to use some crop protectants. All of what you have just read about is part of our IPM (Integrated Pest Management) Program. Defining IPM | New York State Integrated Pest Management (cornell.edu)
Click here for a clear picture of what IPM is all about: Think IPM (cornell.edu)
As you can see from the photos these insects and fungus cause extensive damage to the tree and fruit. Without some control I will not be able to produce an edible crop. Technology and research has helped reduce the “guessing game” of growing a crop dramatically. With all of this great information we are able to grow crops safely while be sustainable. The greatest thing is I keep learning about new technology and research every year, which makes growing crops safer and safer.