NE503: Development of an Improved Management Program for the Internal Lepidoptera Pest Complex Attacking Apples in the Northeastern United States
Statement of Issues and Justification
Apple in the eastern United States is a high value crop, approaching an annual farm-gate value of $450 million with production on 6,582 farms. Apples are grown for both fresh and processing markets, and are an important component in the diets of infants and children. Apple production is a cornerstone of the regions agriculture that provides a large quantity of fresh fruit and fruit products, contributes to agri-tourism, and offers bucolic amenities to an increasingly urban and suburban landscape. During the last several years, fruit growers in New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey have suffered severe financial losses because infestations by internal fruit feeding Lepidoptera have led to numerous loads of apples being rejected by fresh fruit markets and processing plants. The escalating incidence of severe fruit damage in commercial apple orchards caused by internal fruit feeding Lepidoptera clearly poses a threat to the continued viability of this industry. Growers in the northeastern United States are already threatened by future changes in the availability of broad spectrum, relatively inexpensive, effective insecticides such as organophosphates, because of changes resulting from the implementation of the Food Quality Protection Act. In addition, they are faced with low commodity prices because of increased domestic and foreign competition, and higher production costs. If this new pest control crisis is not solved quickly, it could hasten the decline of this already beleaguered, important regional agricultural industry. Furthermore, if growers are forced to use harsh insecticides, such as synthetic pyrethroids, to control these infestations, more than 30 years of IPM research and implementation may be subverted.
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