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Organic
pears are a viable opportunity for Michigan growers
With the
help of MSU researchers, Michigan fruit growers may soon be able to supply
food processors with organic pears.
The
opportunity to grow organic pears will provide producers with a more diversified
market and help improve their market returns. Baby food processors will
account for the majority of sales. A smaller percentage will be sold in
the fresh market.
Photo
source: Kurt Stepnitz
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Organic
pear production became possible recently, when a kaolin-based clay
product, called Surround was approved to control pear psylla. "Organic
pear production was never an option for Michigan growers in the past
because no organic products were available to adequately control this
insect pest," says Gary Thornton, MSU Extension fruit IPM agent. |
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At left, Thornton
exams an organic pear with Chris Garthe, a consultant in the Northport,
Michigan area.
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The
pear psylla feeds on the foliage and weakens the tree. In the process,
the insect excretes honeydew onto the fruit and leaves. The sooty mold
that develops on the honeydew blackens the fruit and foliage, reducing
the crop's market value. Surround controls pear psylla by thwarting egg
laying activity by adults during the early spring. It also covers the
immature insect causing it to die, apparently from stress.
In
the past, growers realized up to a 40 percent higher price differential
between organically and conventionally produced pears delivered for processing.
Although organic pear production appears promising, researchers still
face challenges like weed control and thinning. Thornton advises to proceed
cautiously as overproduction is occurring in some markets.
"Market
opportunities are available for fresh organic pears if growers take time
to develop them," he notes, "but growers need to look at the big picture
and proceed with caution."
Organic
pears will be available commercially as early as fall 2002 and no later
than fall 2003. (Source: Sara Long, GREEEN) 
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New
IPM coordinator announced
MSU
is pleased to announce that Michael J. Brewer has agreed to be MSU's new
IPM Coordinator. Brewer, an associate professor of entomology at the University
of Wyoming, accepted the position in February 2002 and will begin his
new assignment in July 2002. He has a background of studying biological,
chemical, and cultural controls including host plant resistance and the
effects of control agents on beneficial and other non-target organisms.
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"I
emphasize development of IPM tactics that are compatible, have good
likelihood of long-term stability and are complementary to agronomic
practices," Brewer said.
The
MSU IPM program is a joint program of the Center for Integrated
Plant Systems and MSU Extension. Brewer will be leading the staff
in activities that link MSU Extension field staff and campus faculty
with growers, consultants, public agencies and private organizations.
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Brewer
will also continue his research in sustainable control of insects in cropping
systems using beneficial organisms. "I look forward to continuing
to address how landscape and cropping system diversity can be utilized
to control pests of field and vegetable crops," Brewer said.
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Meet
the 2002 MSU IPM Program Staff
| On
the MSU campus |
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Interim
IPM Coordinator: Larry Olsen
Dr.
Olsen, director of the North Central Pest Management Center, has
served as interim coordinator for the IPM Program since Spring 2001.
As interim director he has been a liaison between commodity, university,
and other stakeholders to coordinate the development and implementation
of IPM programs.
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Communications/Publications
Specialist, and Interim Assistant IPM Coordinator: Joy Neumann Landis
Joy
Landis is responsible for publications and other communication resources
produced by the IPM Program. She is the editor and program coordinator
of the Crop Advisory Team (CAT) Alert newsletters. Her work includes
producing educational resources both in print and on the Internet,
including management of the Program's web site. She is sharing some
administrative responsibilities with Dr. Olsen involving organization,
reporting, and public relations.
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Tree
Fruit IPM Integrator: David Epstein
David
Epstein coordinates activities related to IPM extension and demonstration,
and participates in applied research projects. He also serves as
a liaison for commodity, university, and other stakeholders interested
in advancing IPM for Michigan's tree fruit growers. David is an
editor of A Pocket Guide for
IPM Scouting in Michigan Apples and a co-coordinator of the
Michigan Apple IPM Implementation Project.
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Nursery
and Landscape IPM Integrator: Diane Brown-Rytlewski
Diane
Brown-Rytlewski coordinates various IPM extension and demonstration
projects and participates in applied research. She works to strengthen
the connections among commodity groups, the university, and other
stakeholders who are advocates for increased use of IPM in Michigan's
nursery and landscape industry. Some of her resources can be viewed
at: http://www.cips.msu.edu/landscape/index.htm
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Publications/Internet
Specialist: Rebecca Thompson
Rebecca
Thompson helps with print publishing and promotional materials for
the IPM program. She is the assistant editor for the CAT Alert newsletters and is also webmaster
for a program associated with the IPM Program, the Pesticide Education
Program.
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Secretary:
Jennifer Patterson
Jennifer
Patterson provides support for IPM administrators and staff, processes
employee paperwork and forms. She also performs bookkeeping and
maintenance of account ledgers and is responsible for inventory
and supply requisitions. She maintains files and records and supervises
student office workers. Jennifer has frequent interactions with
MSU faculty, staff, sales representatives, federal agencies and
commodity groups.
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| At
MSU Agricultural Experiment and Extension stations |
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District
Field Crops IPM Agent: Dale Mutch
Dr.
Mutch is located at the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station where his
area of specialty is cover crops. He teams with local agents to
coordinate field crop IPM activities in Southwest Michigan as well
as statewide demonstrations and educational opportunities in IPM.
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District
Fruit IPM Agent: Gary Thornton
Gary
Thornton, who is based at the Northwest Michigan Horticultural Research
Station in Traverse City, coordinates fruit IPM activities in the
northwest region of the state. He is course coordinator for the
annual MSU IPM Tree Fruit school, occasional small fruit schools
and in-season field update sessions.
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Integrated
Crop Management (ICM) agents in the field
The MSU
IPM Program is associated with the following ICM agents funded through
Project GREEEN.
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District
Vegetable ICM Agent: Jim Breinling
Jim
Breinling works out of the Newaygo County Extension Office in Fremont,
the center of a major vegetable producing area in west central Michigan.
Jim coordinates with growers, agents and campus specialists to conduct
integrated crop management projects on a number of vegetable crops.
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District
Fruit ICM Agent: Amy Irish-Brown
Amy
Irish-Brown is based at the Clarksville Horticultural Experiment
Station in Clarksville, 18 miles east of Grand Rapids. She organizes
fruit integrated crop management activities in the west region of
the state, covering 14 counties.
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District
Floriculture/Greenhouse ICM Agent: Dean M. Krauskopf
Dr.
Dean Krauskopf is located at the Wayne County MSU Extension Office
in Detroit. He works with the greenhouse industry implementing integrated
crop management activities and techniques in the 10 southeastern
counties of Michigan. He also works with the sod production industry
across the state on ICM topics.
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Statewide
Christmas Tree ICM Agent: Jill O'Donnell
Jill
O'Donnell works with Christmas tree growers out of the Wexford County
MSU Extension Office in Cadillac. Currently, Michigan harvests 3.2
million trees annually and grows over nine different species of
trees for Christmas tree production. Jill coordinates integrated
crop management programs related to this production throughout Michigan.
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Pocket
scouting guides become popular resource
Pockets
are a useful part of everyone's wardrobe. With this in mind, MSU's IPM
Program has come up with pocket-sized scouting guides to fit into that
handy compartment. These plastic-coated resources are convenient for use
in the orchard, field or landscape.
"The
pocket guides are great because they are not a large book. You can carry
it with you and it has excellent pictures. Emphasis is not on text, but
rather the pictures. The guide also has up-to-date information that scouts
need. Some of the information is not available in older publications,"
says David Epstein of the Michigan Apple IPM Implementation Project.
Contents
of the pocket guides include descriptions and good color pictures of different
life stages of major insect pests, pictures of disease pests, pictures
of damage typically inflicted by various pests, pictures of disease symptoms
on plants, and short text discussions. Currently, there are several pocket
guides being developed to add to the already published apple guide. Epstein
is teaming up with faculty to develop guides for grape and stone fruit
IPM. Diane Brown-Rytlewski, IPM integrator for nursery and landscape,
is working with cooperators to develop a woody landscape plants guide.
There are also future plans for one on scouting herbaceous perennials
and another for field and container nursery stock.
Epstein
also comments that, "It can take years to develop the new skills and expertise
needed for today's agriculture. So, with the scouting guides, people don't
have to memorize things like degree days, it's right there. They can just
look it up. It also explains terminology and gives them basic information."
Look
for many of the new guides later in 2002. You can also purchase A
Pocket Guide for IPM Scouting in Michigan Apples through the MSU Extension
bulletin office at (517) 355-0240 or print an order form and view sample
pages on the web at:
http://www.ipm.msu.edu/ApplePocketForm.htm
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Greenhouse
Alert
begins second year of Internet publishing
The Greenhouse
Alert is in its second season, which began in December 2001, and will
continue to publish articles through May 2002. Composed of timely recommendations
from MSU Extension and Diagnostic Services, the Greenhouse Alert's articles
cover new tactics and products for insect and disease management. The
Greenhouse Alert Team meets twice a month to discuss current greenhouse
conditions and identify topics for articles. The articles feature timely
reminders of cultural and pest management practices intended to help growers
keep ahead of potential problems. Team members include Horticulturist
Erik Runkle; Entomologist Dave Smitley; Plant Pathologist Mary Hausbeck;
Diagnostician Jan Byrne; and MSUE Agents Tom Dudek, Dean Krauskopf, Jim
Kalishek, and Jeanne Himmelein. For more information on the Greenhouse
Alert, please visit our web site at:
http://www.ipm.msu.edu/greenhouseAlert.htm
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Updated
2/12/03. Contact J.N. Landis
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