A new study led by the Lamm Lab investigated pest issues, the needs for Integrated Pest Management (IPM) research, and preferred communication methods among apple and peach growers in the Eastern United States. Titled “Assessing Eastern U.S. Tree Fruit Growers’ Pest Issues, Practices, and Preferences to Inform Effective IPM Communication”, the research was recently published in the Journal of Integrated Pest Management. You can find the full article here.
The study was authored by Funmi Ajiferuke in the Lamm Lab. Co-authors are all working on a collaborative project to improve IPM strategies for eastern tree fruit growers in the U.S. funded by the USDA Specialty Crop Research Initiative (#2024-51181-43213). The team included Alexa Lamm, Chin-Ling Lee, Allison Byrd, Jaime Pinero, Gigi DiGiacomo, Brett R Blaauw, Monique Rivera, Julianna Wilson, Christelle Guedot, Stephen Schoof, David Biddinger, Greg Krawczyk, James Walgenbach, Anne Nielsen, David Shapiro-Ilan, and Tracy Leskey.
Why Pest Management Is Challenging in the Eastern U.S.
In the eastern United States, tree fruit growers face complex pest management challenges when compared to those in the west. This is due to higher insect and disease pressures resulting from humid conditions, nearby mixed landscapes with alternative plant hosts, a broader range of insect pests, and an increasing number of invasive species. For decades, many eastern growers have used IPM strategies to enhance sustainability by carefully applying pesticides that protect natural enemies and pollinators. However, rising costs, changing regulations, unpredictable weather, and new invasive pests threaten these agroecosystems and impact pest management choices, requiring IPM programs to adapt continually.
Research Purpose and Approach
The study is part of a broader multistate initiative aimed at guiding the development and retooling of IPM strategies for peach and apple growers in the eastern U.S. To do this, 7 focus groups with 82 participants were conducted with growers from 12 eastern states who primarily identified as peach and/or apple growers. Many of them managed diversified operations with additional crops. The research objectives were to identify emerging pest issues among tree fruit growers, document the IPM strategies they currently employ, and create a plan to effectively communicate new or improved IPM strategies.
Key Findings
- Codling moth (CM), San Jose scale (SJS), and plum curculio (PC) appeared problematic across all studied states, while other challenging pests varied among them.
- The currently used IPM strategies varied by state, reflecting a lack of consistency in adoption across the eastern United States and reliance on various crop-specific approaches in different regions.
- Research priorities the growers identified included alternative management tactics for CM and OFM, including mating disruption and entomopathogenic nematodes, and for SJS, including mating disruption and entomopathogenic fungi,
- Growers preferred a mix of communication methods, including receiving emails, attending webinars, watching short- and long-form videos on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube (the most popular), listening to podcasts, reading land-grant university blogs, reading printed or online manuals and magazines, and communicating directly with crop consultants, local extension agents, and state extension specialists. Others preferred face-to-face gatherings, such as conferences, which offer the opportunity to connect directly with experts and other producers.
What Does This Mean?
Addressing the pest management challenges faced by growers will require ongoing research to improve current methods and create new approaches, along with coordinated extension efforts. Growers emphasized that information should be widely shared through various communication channels to enable quick and effective adoption and integration of new IPM strategies.
Additionally, they highlighted the importance of collaboration and continuous coordination among researchers, extension specialists, consultants, and growers to develop IPM systems that balance economic viability with ecological resilience. For communication, they advised researchers to employ multiple methods to share research findings. They also recommended evaluating which approaches are most effective in terms of geographic reach and promoting strategy adoption.
