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Integrated Control of Potato Leafhopper (Empoasca fabae Harris) on Apple (Malus x domestics) in New England during a Fire Blight (Erwinia amylovora Burrill and Winslow) Outbreak
Executive Summary
The goal of this project is to devise and promote an IPM strategy for potato leafhopper control during a fire blight outbreak in New England. Monitoring, economic thresholds, and low-input control would replace high-rate, broad-spectrum, prophylactic organophosphate sprays on acreage impacted by a fire blight outbreak. This project is a collaboration between researchers at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a private IPM consultant. The field work will be done at the Cold Spring Orchard in Belchertown, MA. This proposal meets the eligibility requirements for this fimding opportunity.
This work would apply to all apple acreage in New England, a total of nearly 10,000 acres. Use of toxic compounds could potentially be reduced to zero in the context of a fire blight outbreak; at the minimum, because of rate reduction, insecticide use directed at controlling fire blight insects could be reduced by 75% in outbreak years.
Results of this project, as well as progress reports during the course of the project, will be presented to the growers at monthly twilight meetings and annual research update meetings. In addition, information will be provided to individual growers by Polaris Orchard Management and the Massachusetts Fruit Growers' Association and made available as web-based content. A fact sheet will be developed with detailed photographs of potato leafhopper injury and its relationship to fire blight initiation.
Managing fire blight is a critical concern for growers of apples, pears, and quinces in areas susceptible to outbreaks. Currently, fire blight management recommendations suggest that growers control a broad range of insects in the event of a fire blight outbreak, without specific information on which insects may be involved. A growing body of evidence suggests that one insect, the potato leafhopper (Empoasca fabae Harris) is responsible for much of the spread of the disease on apple during the summer months. Solidifying this evidence for disease facilitation by potato leafhoppers would be of great practical use to apple growers. Since potato leafhoppers are readily susceptible to integrated control methods, focusing on this one species would allow growers to improve control of fire blight with modest insecticidal inputs instead of the full-rate, broad-spectrum sprays that are currently used for insect control in a fire blight outbreak. Results of this study will be communicated to other Extension researchers and educators in the region so that they can be incorporated into new fire blight control guidelines.