1 Presentation notes working draft – D10 Fullers Rose Weevil in‐field management guide Steven Falivene (NSW DPI), 26 November 2013 Notes from PowerPoint presentation D10 Summary • Monitor blocks with a monitoring mat to assess the need for trunk band spraying (TBS) • If required start TBS in December and apply every 6 weeks to harvest • Use a well designed TBS applicator and use kaolin clay with TBS to check for effective application • Maintain high skirts for effective TBS, disease control and minimising overspray • Quarantine FRW free blocks by controlling people and machinery entering the orchard Introduction Some countries are quarantine sensitive to Fullers Rose Weevil (FRW). These importing countries differ in their orchard protocols to manage Fullers Rose Weevil. Regardless of how extensive or minimal the requirements are for each country it is the grower’s responsibility to control FRW so as to present export compliant fruit. If detections occur significant costs can be incurred in redirecting or dumping fruit and the whole Australian export program can be placed at risk. FRW is a pest of citrus orchards in the southern citrus regions of Australia so managing FRW requires a long term approach to continually suppress levels throughout the season with a targeted control program. FRW is a hardy pest with a long emergence period and is not adequately controlled by foliar insecticide programs. It may take a couple of seasons of multiple control measures and strategies to bring FRW down to acceptable levels and an ongoing program to maintain low levels. There are a number of strategies to reduce and manage FRW in orchards. These strategies include: • monitoring • FRW detection history • trunk band spraying • skirting and weed control • farm/block quarantining. Important: If you are considering participating in an export program it is highly recommended to discuss your strategies with your packinghouse before December to ensure you receive the most up to date advice and meet their prescribed protocol requirements. The following document is only a guide to help growers make better management decisions for the control of FRW. Blocks will have differing levels of FRW over time and as such will require different intensities of control strategies to be effective, efficient, economic and compatible with integrated pest management (IPM) programs.
Transcript
1 Presentation notes working draft – D10
Fullers Rose Weevil in‐field management guide Steven Falivene (NSW DPI), 26 November 2013
Notes from PowerPoint presentation D10
Summary• Monitor blocks with a monitoring
mat to assess the need for trunk band spraying (TBS)
• If required start TBS in December and apply every 6 weeks to harvest
• Use a well designed TBS applicator and use kaolin clay with TBS to check for effective application
• Maintain high skirts for effective TBS, disease control and minimising overspray
• Quarantine FRW free blocks by controlling people and machinery entering the orchard
IntroductionSome countries are quarantine sensitive to Fullers Rose Weevil (FRW). These importing countries differ in their orchard protocols to manage Fullers Rose Weevil. Regardless of how extensive or minimal the requirements are for each country it is the grower’s responsibility to control FRW so as to present export compliant fruit. If detections occur significant costs can be incurred in redirecting or dumping fruit and the whole Australian export program can be placed at risk. FRW is a pest of citrus orchards in the southern citrus regions of Australia so managing FRW requires a long term approach to continually suppress levels throughout the season with a targeted control program. FRW is a hardy pest with a long emergence
period and is not adequately controlled by foliar insecticide programs. It may take a couple of seasons of multiple control measures and strategies to bring FRW down to acceptable levels and an ongoing program to maintain low levels. There are a number of strategies to reduce and manage FRW in orchards. These strategies include: • monitoring • FRW detection history • trunk band spraying • skirting and weed control • farm/block quarantining. Important: If you are considering participating in an export program it is highly recommended to discuss your strategies with your packinghouse before December to ensure you receive the most up to date advice and meet their prescribed protocol requirements. The following document is only a guide to help growers make better management decisions for the control of FRW. Blocks will have differing levels of FRW over time and as such will require different intensities of control strategies to be effective, efficient, economic and compatible with integrated pest management (IPM) programs.
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Figure 4: Look for trees with signs of FRW feeding. Immediately kneel down and look for any signs of FRW adults. Sometimes the FRW can remain still for a short while and look like a small piece of bark debris (figure 6).
Figure 5: Firmly hold the branch and shake it vigorously six times.
Figure 6: Left – FRW adult may appear still on the mat, Right ‐ note their size as compared to a match stick head. More information on the integrated pest monitoring of FRW and other pests of quarantine concern, including
pest identification pictures and descriptions are available from: • “Australian citrus to Korea, China
and Thailand Integrated Pest Management and packing house controls” manual available from Citrus Australia.
• NSW DPI Asian Export Grower IPM Field Guide
• NSW DPI YouTube® FRW branch shaking video
FRWmonitoringtimingThree optional monitoring periods are:
• Pre December • Pre‐export registration • Pre harvest
However a higher degree of confidence can be achieving by monitoring on a monthly basis from December to harvest. Although it is difficult to confidently assess the presence and prevalence of FRW in a block during early summer, it is recommended to conduct the first monitoring in early December as an early warning to a potential problem (i.e. enough time to initiate trunk band spraying). Nil levels at this time do not indicate a clean block, only a potentially clean block. FRW populations in the canopy are highest in late summer to autumn because the majority of FRW adults emerge from the soil from February to May. Therefore monitoring at this time will give the best indication of numbers in an orchard. This monitoring period is also very important for potential blocks that will enter the program for the first time in the following season. Although most FRW emerge from late summer to
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autumn some will emerge and be present in trees throughout the year and can overwinter in the canopy. Monitor just before you register your block for export (i.e. January) to identify problem areas and exclude them from the program. Conducting your own FRW monitoring in autumn and prior to harvest can help to increase confidence that you and the industry will not suffer from in‐country quarantine pest detections.
FRWblockhistoryFRW control is a long term management program and a block’s history of FRW levels will impact on the next seasons export program and selection of control strategies. If FRW is detected and a block is suspended, management measures should continue to increase the chances of the block re‐entering the program in future years.
FirsttimeblockA block that has never been monitored for FRW should be considered as a high risk block and managed accordingly. Intensive mat monitoring should be conducted by a skilled pest monitor (i.e. pest scout or Registered Crop Monitor) to provide a preliminary assessment. The presence of leaf feeding on the lower parts of the canopy is an indicator to the presence of FRW, but inability to detect signs of feeding does not indicate that FRW is not present.
Skirting&weedcontrolAs FRW emerge from the soil they need to climb into the canopy to feed
on leaves and lay eggs. Tree skirting (figure 7) limits the opportunity of FRW to climb into the canopy and it is also a prerequisite for successful TBS. Skirting is a good management practice that should be adopted by all export blocks because it reduces the risk of fruit becoming diseased from soil borne pathogens and herbicides becoming in contact with fruit. Weeds connecting to the canopy are also a pathway for FWR into the canopy and should be kept under control throughout the season. Weed control is critical if using trunk band spraying.
Figure 7: Mechanical tree skirting is a very cost effective best management practice.
TrunkbandsprayingTrunk band spraying (TBS) is the most effective method for controlling FRW. Foliar insecticidal control is not effective. Foliar insecticides might knock the FRW out of the tree, but many may recover after a number of days (detoxification). Also due to the extended emergence period, multiple canopy sprays would be required creating residue and secondary pest issues. Research (SARDI) has demonstrated that TBS will repel most
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FRW and kill those that walk over insecticide sprayed bark. TBS requires a registered chemical insecticide to be sprayed onto the trunk of the tree (contact your chemical reseller and packinghouse for an up to date list of registered sprays and rates). Check the label for application information and mixing rates (different for each chemical). Per hectare pricing can vary significantly between chemicals. The insecticide remains active for up to six weeks, therefore re‐application every six weeks is critical to ensure continuous control. Block that have significant FRW levels at the beginning of a TBS program can be sprayed with an insecticide to drop the FRW out the canopy forcing them to cross the insecticide sprayed trunk. Some commercial trunk banding spray arms are available. However many growers have made their own units using electrical solenoids and spring loaded tractor mounted spray arms (figure 10). It is important to use at least two spray heads at least 50cm apart and angled inwards (45o‐60o) to ensure total coverage of a 20‐30 cm band around the tree. Some growers have achieved better spray coverage by installing an extra two nozzles (four head sprayer, 75cm wide) and reducing the spray pressure from 30 psi to 20 psi to reduce drift. They have also angled the heads slightly downwards to reduce the incidence of spray contacting low lying fruit. The middle nozzles are angled inwards at about 15‐25o. The extra nozzles also enable the spray rig to travel faster without compromising coverage.
Adjustable metal spray nozzles (figure 11) allow the spray pattern to be altered to a coarse droplet size that provides better trunk coverage and minimises spray drift.
Figure 8: SARDI automated TBS rig. Ultrasonic technology is used to detect the tree trunk and automatically activate the spray solenoid.
Figure 9: Close up of the SARDI ultrasonic spray head.
Figure 10: Spray rig developed by a grower using simple spray equipment. The nozzles are not separated sufficiently and are not angled correctly for effective coverage.
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Since FRW eggs rafts laid in mid‐summer under fruit calyces can remain intact until harvest, it is critical to start the TBS program in early December.
Figure 11: Adjustable metal spray nozzle. It is advisable to add kaolin clay (can use half rate) to the spray mixture (figure 12). The white clay allows you to inspect the coverage of the tree trunk and to ensure you are not getting overspray onto fruit.
Figure 12: Kaolin clay can help indicate the effective coverage of TBS. This trunk was sprayed too high placing low level fruit at risk of spray contact. Persistent TBS overspray onto leaves and fruit pose a MRL risk and should result in spray machinery adjustment and/or higher skirting of trees. Although TBS is more integrated pest management (IPM) compatible than foliar spray programs, it can lead to the development of secondary pests such as cottony cushion scale, mealy
bug, soft scales and mites. Secondary pests are at highest risk in blocks that have a previous history of these pests. Therefore TBS should be used as a management strategy in parts of the orchard (blocks or hot spots), with persistent levels of FRW. To date these secondary pest have not reached alarming levels or have been controlled by other methods such as a well time oil spray and/or distribution of predatory/natural enemy insects (e.g. lacewings, Aphytis, Persimilis mites and Cryptolaemus ladybird). Growers can start TBS on “suspicious” blocks early in the season. However TBS can cease in autumn after intensive FRW “mat monitoring”, inspection for dead FRW at the base of the trunk and inspection for FRW leaf eating indicate negligible FRW levels. Industry recognises the shortfalls of TBS and is looking for alternative in‐field and post‐harvest control methods.
Figure 13: Natural enemies like the lacewing can be purchased and released into the orchard to combat secondary pests. To help maintain low FRW prevalence in TBS treated blocks, the first few rows of surrounding blocks can also be treated to provide a small buffer from reinfestation.
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Further information on TBS is available from the SARDI “Field management of Fuller’s Rose Weevil in Citrus”.
Farm/blockQuarantineFRW are flightless and are generally spread long distances by adult FRW hitchhiking on people and machinery travelling between blocks. Segregating clean blocks, or parts of the orchard, from infected blocks can be a good method to reduce its spread. Some options to consider are: • Do not allow pickers to move from
an infested section of the orchard to a clean part within the day.
• If pickers or machinery need to move from infested to clean blocks, make sure machinery is not harbouring FRW (i.e. blow down with high pressure air or pressure water sprayer ) and ensure that pickers shake out all picking bags and pat/brush down their bodies and hair. Make sure jumpers and jackets are taken off and shaken.
• Check if visitors have attended other orchards on the same day and walked through the orchard. If so ask them the brush/pat themselves down and inspect vehicles.
• Place signage and provide induction training to indicate your requirements for visitors and workers entering the farm and/or block.
• Do not move bins between infested and clean blocks. Ensure any bins entering the farm have been properly washed down at the packinghouse.
Figure 14: Pat or brush down clothes when moving from a FRW infested block to a clean block.
Figure 15: Shake out all picking bags and any other type of loose clothing or equipment.
Figure 16: Machinery that is in contact with the canopy poses the highest risk to spread FRW.
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Figure 17: Install appropriate signage to control entry to your orchard.
Figure 18: The movement of bins into and around the orchard should be appropriately managed.
AcknowledgementsDr Peter Crisp, Greg Baker (SARDI) and Dr Jianhua Mo (NSW DPI) are acknowledged for their research and information in the understanding and control strategies of Fullers Rose Weevil. Field services staff from the Mildura Fruit Company (Bill Robinson & Tony Filippi) are also acknowledged for their in‐ field work of FRW management and control strategies. David Daniels (Citrus Australia) is acknowledged for editorial work.
