Efficacy and Nontarget Effects of Net Exclusion Enclosures on Apple Pest Management

Marshall, Adrian T.; Beers, E. H.

doi:10.1093/jee/toab094

Cited by 13 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Hail netting has gained popularity in pome fruit orchards worldwide to exclude and protect against insect pests ( 17 – 19 ). Over the last 20 years, the suppression effect of exclusion netting used in pear and apple orchards for codling moth and brown marmorated stink bug ( Halyomorpha halys ) has been well documented in French and Italian orchards ( 20 , 21 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Quebec, Canada, a 5-year study documented the effectiveness of a single row, complete exclusion netting system that prevented damage from the apple maggot, codling moth, and the tarnished plant bug ( Lygus lineolaris ) ( 27 , 28 ). A study in Washington found that codling moth could be excluded by using net cages placed around large orchard blocks ( 19 , 29 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Hail netting: an economically competitive IPM alternative to insecticides for Midwest apple production

DiGiacomo,

Nelson,

Jacobson

et al. 2023

Front. Insect Sci.

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Apple orchards are highly managed agricultural ecosystems where growers typically rely on insecticides to minimize the risk of pest-related fruit losses. Apple growers practicing integrated pest management require cost-effective alternatives to conventional insecticides for control of major pests such as codling moth (Cydia pomonella L.) and apple maggot (Rhagoletis pomonella Walsh). Exclusion netting has been shown to effectively control multiple insect pest species, limit fruit damage and reduce the use of insecticides while also conferring consumer and environmental benefits. In this study, partial budgeting was applied to explore the financial efficacy of using a hail netting (DrapeNet®) system as a sustainable pest management strategy for Midwest U.S. apple (Malus x domestica). The cost of the hail netting was compared to a common Midwest insecticide spray regimen for apples using yield and quality data from a field study at two Minnesota apple orchards in 2021-2022. The PB analysis indicated that the netting system was an economically competitive alternative to conventional insecticide applications. The economic results were robust across a range of apple prices and yields suggesting that Minnesota apple growers can benefit economically from the application of hail netting for sustainable pest management.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hail netting: an economically competitive IPM alternative to insecticides for Midwest apple production

DiGiacomo,

Nelson,

Jacobson

et al. 2023

Front. Insect Sci.

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“…It is a cosmopolitan species and has been a major pest of pome fruit in North America for over two and a half centuries (Barnes, 1991;Slingerland, 1898). The economically important life stage is the larva as it penetrates the skin and feeds towards the centre of the fruit, and if left untreated can cause over 50% fruit loss in an orchard (Beers et al, 1993;Marshall & Beers, 2021). Insecticides have remained the dominant tool to control codling moth and continual use of various classes of chemicals have made resistance management and natural enemy conservation the primary focus of current codling moth management (Beers et al, 2016a(Beers et al, , 2016b.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Full block enclosures are being used in certain growing regions due to the benefits of keeping the orchard equipment accessible, and reducing wind, sunburn and heat stress (Castellano et al, 2008;Manja & Aoun, 2019). Previous studies in Washington (Marshall & Beers, 2021) found that full enclosures could reduce, but not eliminate codling moth damage, even though combined with insecticides. The cages in that study enclosed mature, infested trees, so that net permeability (to immigrating moths) was confounded by a pre-existing, reproducing population.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Net enclosures disrupt codling moth dispersal not establishment

Marshall

Beers

2022

Agri and Forest Entomology

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1. Apple growers have pursued the use of exclusion netting to reduce pesticide inputs and maintain control of codling moth.2. It is uncertain if these nets provide a physical or behavioural behaviour, and if they prevent codling moth establishment.3. To address this, we conducted field trials testing the ability of commercial netting to exclude codling moth using small (3 trees) and large (48 trees) cages. Experiments were conducted to evaluate both the permeability by releasing marked sterile moths either inside or outside the small cages, and the establishment of wild codling moth in the large cages.4. Results from the small cage study showed that netting reduced codling moth movement out of the netted plots, but virtually prevented codling moth dispersal into the plots. Codling moth capture inside the large cage plots was significantly less than in uncaged plots, but no differences were found in codling moth damage at harvest. 5. These results indicate that the netting is physically permeable to codling moth adults; however, it acts as a behavioural barrier to moth immigration. These outcomes agree with existing literature that net enclosures can provide a noninsecticidal tool to improve codling moth management, although it may not be a stand-alone technique.

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“…Netting systems are widely used to protect crops against frugivorous bats and birds, hail, wind, frost, and sunburn (Lloyd et al 2005). Their efficiency has driven the global expansion of their use against a broad range of insect pests of horticultural and fruit crops, including Lepidoptera, Diptera, and Hemiptera (Chouinard et al 2017;Marshall and Beers 2016), among which Rhagoletis cerasi (Brand et al 2013) and psyllas (Romet et al 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Single-row exclusion nets: an alternative pest control method with no detectable impact on breeding bird assemblages in orchards bordered by hedgerows

Bouvier

Boivin

Lavigne

2022

Agron. Sustain. Dev.

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Agricultural intensification has led to dramatic declines in bird populations. In particular, the acknowledged role of synthetic pesticides on direct bird intoxication or food resource depletion urges us to seek alternative crop protection methods. Pest exclusion netting systems have recently gained popularity among fruit growers as an efficient means of reducing pest attacks, allowing their transition to organic farming. Single-row exclusion nets, which only cover fruit trees and leave uncovered both the inter-row grassy strips and the hedges, are increasingly being used in apple orchards of Southern Europe. However, net-induced effects on wildlife remain unknown. This study is the first to assess the impacts of single-row exclusion nets on breeding bird communities. We hypothesized that the exclusion net effects would be weaker than those associated with synthetic pesticide use, except for bird species that forage in the tree canopy. We monitored breeding bird abundance, and species richness in 46 commercial apple orchards managed using integrated pest management (IPM) or organic standards with or without exclusion nets. We counted 705 birds belonging to 32 different species. Total bird abundance, the number of observed species, and the Chao1 estimate of species richness were influenced by orchard management strategy. Breeding bird assemblages in organic orchards were as numerous and diverse in both the presence and absence of exclusion nets. In contrast, both bird abundance and species richness were significantly decreased in IPM orchards. The abundance and species richness of bird assemblages and the abundance of a few individual species also increased with the number of hedgerows bordering the orchards. Our results demonstrate that single-row netting systems for organic farming represent an effective pest control strategy with no significant impact on bird communities and highlight the importance of hedgerows along the orchards’ edges.

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Efficacy and Nontarget Effects of Net Exclusion Enclosures on Apple Pest Management

Cited by 13 publications

References 35 publications

Hail netting: an economically competitive IPM alternative to insecticides for Midwest apple production

Hail netting: an economically competitive IPM alternative to insecticides for Midwest apple production

Net enclosures disrupt codling moth dispersal not establishment

Single-row exclusion nets: an alternative pest control method with no detectable impact on breeding bird assemblages in orchards bordered by hedgerows

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