[compost_tea] Re: PLUM CURCULIO ?

From: Steve Diver <steved_at_ncatark.uark.edu>
Date: Sat, 03 Jan 2004 18:08:02 -0000

Plum curculio was labeled the "Achilles Heel"
of organic orcharding by Organic Gardening from
Rodale Press a few years back.

This, from Rodale, after dozens and dozens
commercial organic farmers tried and *failed*
to produce organic apples in the Eastern U.S.

Plum curculio migrates in from
surrounding tree cover. It is present
from the Atlantic Coast to a line
that runs North and South roughly
along the I-35 corridor from Texas to
Minnesota, inhabitating tree cover
and woodlands.

Ron Prokopy at UMass has published
extensively on plum curculio ecological
behavior and low-input approaches to
its control.

ATTRA has passed along a mountain of
advice on organic and low-spray orcharding,
with plum curculio highlights.

Elaine mentioned Beauvaria bassiana
as a potential soil-applied entomopahogenic
fungi, since PC does have a soil life cycle.
That idea was proposed years ago; not sure
what research has been done. It could be a
good research project, integrated with CT's.

Sophisticated CT might evolve for specific
pests like PC. It will require further research
to tweak recipes and understand specific
microbial antagonists, beyond the "general" CT approach.

In the meantime, I don't see CT as a reliable
control. In the meantime, farmers need to
control PC.

Surround WP, derived from processed kaolin
clay, is the only organic control that has
emerged as very effective for PC. In fact,
particle film technology has been labeled
a revolution in pest management.

Well, the largest organic apple orchard
in the East is probably Turkey Ridge Orchard
in Michigan, with close to 100 acres. 90%
of the crop goes to apple cider, 5% to
fresh market quality apples.

In my view, organic orcharding in the
Eastern US requires Sophisticated Organics
that includes biorationals like Surround WP
as well as CT for foliar disease management,
accompanied with ecofarming crop monitoring
techniques (Brix, EC, pH tissue testing),
Reams tests, Albrecht tests, orchard
ecology through permacultural style
planning, and liberal use of energetic
approaches such as radionics, field
broadcasters from Hugh Lovel, and the
herz life meter from Bruce Tainio.

By contrast, organic orcharding in the
Arid West is much more feasible and practical,
as the large acreage under management indicates.
PC is not present in the West, and arid climatic
conditions alleviate rampant diseases.

Steve Diver


--- In compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com, "dakesian1" <dakesian_at_s...> wrote:
> Sorry to say Elaine that two years of ACT haven't solved the plum
> curculio problem. I use actual compost that has a lot of
> fungal "threads" present. I use alot of ACT and other organic
> amendments that are friendly to the soil biology. However, the plum
> curculio is still present. It might be that they migrate from other
> places because I only have a "backyard" sized area. But, who knows,
> maybe using more ACT will reduce the populations over the years?
>



 

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Received on Sat Jan 03 2004 - 14:04:20 EST

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