- Author: Larry J Bettiga
The wait for the Third Edition of Grape Pest Management is over. The new edition of this popular resource, first published in 1981, consolidates knowledge of the biology and management of pests that affect California wine, raisin, and table grape vineyards, in one comprehensive, highly readable source. Grape production in California had a farm gate value of $4.4 billion in 2012. Because grape pests affect both the quantity and the quality of grapes, the goal of grape pest management is to minimize economic losses through pest management practices.
At nearly 650 pages, the third edition of Grape Pest Management was written to help growers and pest control advisors apply the principles of Integrated Pest Management (IPM). IPM is an integrated pest-management approach that combines methods that work better together than when applied separately; thus it remains the most effective, long-term strategy for managing pests. Grape Pest Management can assist growers in implementing the best possible management practices.
|
Publishing Stats: Title: Grape Pest Management Third Edition Chapters: Nine Sections Photographs: 766; Illustrations: 49 Bug Boxes: 45 Pages: 623 Format: Soft cover Price: $100 Available online at: anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu |
 |
- Author: Larry J Bettiga
Brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) (Halyomorpha halys (Stål)) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), is an invasive insect native to East Asia that has been introduced into North America. The first official North American detection of this pest occurred in Pennsylvania in 2001, but it is possible that it had been introduced as early as 1996. As of 2012 this insect has been identified in 38 states, including California. Large populations are now established in several eastern states, where they have become significant agricultural and nuisance pests. BMSB can feed on a wide range of plant hosts. It can be a significant pest of tree fruits, including apples, pears, peaches, and cherries; small fruits, including grapes; fruiting vegetables, including corn, tomatoes, peppers, and legumes; and field crops, including field corn and soybeans.
Adult brown marmorated stink bug (top) and a fifth instar nymph. (Photo by Stephen Ausmus, USDA APHIS).
BMSB has become a pest of both commercial agriculture and urban gardens were populations are established. It has also been a nuisance pest on the east coast when high populations of the overwintering adults seek refuge in homes. It can be transported long distances in vehicles or as stowaways when furniture and home items are being moved during the winter months from infested areas. As a result, most new infestations are found in urban areas. This insect is currently established in Los Angeles area of southern California and has been intercepted at California agricultural border inspection stations.
BMSB is not a federal or state actionable pest. CDFA has assigned this insect a “B” rating, leaving all regulatory actions at the discretion of the local agricultural commissioner.
UC IPM has produced a pest alert card for BMSB. We have a limited quantity at the Monterey County UC Cooperative Extension office. It can also be viewed or downloaded at: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PDF/pestalert/brownmarmoratedstinkbug.pdf
A Spanish language version is also available at: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PDF/pestalert/brownmarmoratedstinkbugsp.pdf
If you find a stink bug you suspect might be BMSB, place it in a sealed container and record when and where you collected it. Take the container to your local UC cooperative Extension office or county agricultural commissioner for identification.
Additional information links for BMSB
- Author: Jian Long Bi
The seedcorn maggot (Delia platura) is a pest of many vegetable crops such as cabbage, broccoli, turnip, radish, onion, beet, spinach, pepper, potato, beans and peas. Maggots usually feed on germinating seeds, roots or stems, resulting in reduction of seedling stands and contamination of the crop. They also occasionally feed on head lettuce to make it unmarketable (the maggots damaging spring head lettuce were officially identified as seedcorn maggots. For more information, please visit http://ucanr.org/blogs/SalinasValleyAgriculture/index.cfm?start=16, Spring Head Lettuce Crop Affected by Insect, Thursday April 29 2010). The damage is especially severe during cool and wet winter or spring, and in fields with high organic matter. The feeding damage often causes secondary infections by pathogen.
The seedcorn maggot overwinters as pupa in soil. The adult emerges in early spring and a female can lay an average of 270 eggs in the soil near plant stems. The female prefers to lay eggs in fresh-tilled soil with high moisture and organic matter. The eggs hatch in a few days and the maggots feed for 1 to 3 weeks on decaying organic matter or their host plants before pupation in soil.
Prevention is the best management strategy for this pest. Any cultural practice to speed up seed germination and plant growth will help to reduce crop loss. Attach drag chains behind the planter during seeding can reduce egg laying in the seed row. Fields with heavy manure or cover crop should be plowed at least 2 weeks before planting. Fields with a history of seedcorn maggot problem may apply an insecticidal seed treatment at planting. After damage is observed on the crop, rescue treatments are usually not effective. Prompt resetting or replanting of the damaged crop may be necessary if stand loss is severe.
