Poverty Lane Orchards, 98 Poverty Lane, Lebanon, NH 03766 (snow or shine)
Registration ends on March 23, 2023, at 12 noon. Space is limited, so be sure to register online early! If having trouble registering, you may call the Merrimack County Extension office between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. (Mon-Fri) at 603-255-3556. Contact Jeremy DeLisle with workshop questions at jeremy.delisle@unh.edu.
What to bring:
- Grafting knife (well-sharpened). There will be a number of grafting knives available for participants to use if they do not have one.
- Handheld pruning shears
- All other materials will be provided.
4 Pesticide Recertification Credits are available
The University of New Hampshire Extension and UMass Stockbridge School of Agriculture are teaming up to offer a 1 day-long workshop aimed at providing apple growers with IPM tools to control plum curculio and apple maggot fly. Emphasis will be on grower-friendly approaches to prevention and management including organic pest management options. Workshop participants will be provided with free educational materials and supplies to implement IPM on their farms.
This in-person workshop will feature a combination of research presentations and hands-on grafting activities. Commercial grafters Raul and Mary Godinez, along with New Hampshire orchardist Steve Wood of Poverty Lane Orchards in Lebanon and Extension specialists will deliver instruction on grafting techniques. Participants will practice grafting, learn by doing, and participate in group education on important aspects of successfully grafting onto existing trees. Weather permitting, there will be an opportunity to go out into the orchard to practice after the indoor portion of the workshop is completed.
Grafting additional cultivars onto existing apple trees in the orchard offers many advantages. In this case, there is a larger initiative at play. Research has shown that select cultivars are particularly attractive to plum curculio (PC) and apple maggot fly (AMF). Grafted trees can serve as trap trees attractive to PC and AMF, where they can be controlled, significantly reducing the need for insecticide applications to the remainder of the orchard block. More information about this initiative will be shared at the workshop. UMass Extension Entomologist, Dr. Jaime Piñero, along with his graduate student, Mateo Rull-Garza, will deliver presentations on a variety of innovative IPM strategies for apple producers to consider. Jeremy DeLisle and Steve Wood will add to the discussion and share updates on the grafting project progress to date.
As orchardists know, it takes two full growing seasons for an apple branch to produce flowers and fruit. Since the fruit of these selected cultivars are the main attractant for PC and AMF, the sooner orchardists start grafting trees in their orchards, the sooner they will be able to benefit from this practice. Come join us for an interactive day of learning and walk away with knowledge of IPM practices that can be implemented immediately on your farm.
This workshop is made possible through the collaborative efforts of individual orchardists, NH Fruit Growers Association, UMass Extension, NH Department of Agriculture Markets and Food IPM Grant Program, and UNH Extension.
Agenda
9:30 - 10:00 a.m. Introductions and workshop overview / Steve Wood & Jeremy DeLisle
10:00 - 10:40 a.m. What's new and what works: 'Attract and kill' innovations for plum curculio control
Jaime Pinero and Jeremy DeLisle
Use of attractive lures to monitor and control plum curculio in a reduced pesticide spray environment.
10:40 - 11:20 a.m. Controlling apple maggot fly with perimeter-row insecticide sprays
Jaime Pinero, Steve Wood, and Jeremy DeLisle
Grower-friendly IPM strategy developed based on a 3-year study that assessed the level of AMF control achieved in commercial orchard blocks using synthetic lures deployed in perimeter-row trees in combination with insecticide sprays with 3% sugar added to the tank mix.
11:20 - 11:35 a.m. Coffee Break
11:35 - 12:00 p.m. Entomopathogenic nematodes for plum curculio and apple maggot control
Jaime Pinero & Mateo Rull-Garza
Biological control options for two key apple pests involving soil applications of insect-killing nematodes.
12:00 - 12:15 p.m. Grafting project: overview and main findings / Jeremy DeLisle
Luring insect pests from a cash crop such as apples, and keeping them away, is the goal of every attract-and-kill pest management system. Ideally, the system would lure multiple pests simultaneously, would do so every year in a simple and inexpensive manner and would improve pest monitoring.
12:15 - 1:00 p.m. Lunch - Will be provided
1:00 - 4:00 p.m. Hands-on grafting / Steve Wood and Team
Tools, techniques, practices, one-on-one and group instruction
4:00 - 4:30 p.m. Wrap-up and handout free materials
Jeremy DeLisle, Steve Wood, J. Pinero
Materials (Scion wood, Methyl salicylate lures, AMF lures) and PAT recertification credits distributed.
For persons with disabilities requiring special accommodations, please contact jeremy.delisle@unh.edu or call 603-255-3592 a week prior to the event. Given ample time, we will make any reasonable effort to make accommodations. The University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension is an equal opportunity educator and employer. UNH, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, and New Hampshire counties cooperating.
