Organic Fruit Production Needs and Pest Management Practices in the Southeastern United States

Advances and Trends in Organic Fruit and Vegetable Farming Research

“…However, control of rust disease (Tranzschelia pruni-spinosae) was inadequate, constituting a major challenge for this fruit crop. Granulosis virus, Spinosad insecticide, and B. thuringiensis were reported to be efficient pest control agents (Aselage and Johnson 2009;Johnson et al 2010). Interactions between biopesticides and entomopathogens such as Beauveria bassiana were also studied for organic production systems (Ribeiro et al 2012), as were strategies such as mass trapping with a mixture of pheromones and pheromone-based mating disruption to control fruit pests (Johnson et al 2010;Arroyo et al 2012).…”

“…Granulosis virus, Spinosad insecticide, and B. thuringiensis were reported to be efficient pest control agents (Aselage and Johnson 2009;Johnson et al 2010). Interactions between biopesticides and entomopathogens such as Beauveria bassiana were also studied for organic production systems (Ribeiro et al 2012), as were strategies such as mass trapping with a mixture of pheromones and pheromone-based mating disruption to control fruit pests (Johnson et al 2010;Arroyo et al 2012). For organic production of onion, the entomopathogens Metarhizium anisopliae, Verticillium lecanii, and Beauveria bassiana and the entomophilic nematode Steinernema carpocapsae considerably reduced the thrips (Thrips tabaci) population, resulting in a higher yield (Visalakshy and Krishnamoorthy 2012).…”

An Assessment of Organic Apple Production in Kentucky

“…Recent organic apple production studies in Michigan (Stefanelli et al, 2009), New York (Peck et al, 2010), Iowa (Delate and Friedrich, 2004;Delate et al, 2008;Friedrich et al, 2003), Vermont (Berkett et al, 2012), and Arkansas (Aselage and Johnson, 2009;Johnson et al, 2010) have identified some of the major problems confronting organic apple production in the eastern United States. In Iowa, less than 25% of the leaves and fruit of apple scab-resistant cultivars exhibited disease or insect injury in a certified organic apple orchard.…”

“…Lepidoptera, including codling moth, and the sooty blotch/ flyspeck disease complex were the most significant problems noted, though not in all seasons. The results of several pest management studies in Arkansas suggested that current Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI)-approved materials (OMRI, 2014) may be sufficient for control of insect injury (Aselage and Johnson, 2009;Johnson et al, 2010).…”