THE CHALLENGES OF IMPLEMENTING A SUCCESSFUL IPM PROGRAM IN PEAR

The Southern Oregon Research & Extension Center has been developing and refining an integrated pest management (IPM) program in pear for many years. A five year, multi-state areawide IPM project, the Codling Moth Areawide Management Program (1995-99), demonstrated that with the use of mating disruption for control of codling moth growers could significantly reduce their synthetic pesticide use and lower pesticide costs. By 2000, an estimated 50% of the pear hectareage in southern Oregon was using this IPM approach. In 2001 and 2002 new projects were initiated with the goal of stabilizing and extending the codling moth mating disruption system to 75% of pome fruit hectareage. Blocks as small as 8 hectares were used to demonstrate the utility of codling moth mating disruption at that scale. However, in 2002 and 2003 the use of mating disruption declined to less than 40% of the pear hectareage in southern Oregon due to a combination of economic pressure and the perceived increased risk of pest problems in the IPM program. Our results from 2001-2003 show that IPM continues to be effective when properly managed, both at large and small scales. The perception that the IPM program involves greater risk is primarily due to the fact that inadequate monitoring can lead to increased pest problems. Our IPM approach has proven to be successful and easily implemented on cultivars such as ‘Bosc’ and ‘Comice’ but more intensive management is needed on ‘Bartlett’ owing to that cultivar’s greater susceptibility to codling moth.