1997 Annual Report for FW97-030
Project Type: Farmer/Rancher
Funds awarded in 1997: $5,000.00
Projected End Date: 12/31/1999
Matching Non-Federal Funds: $1,340.00
Region: Western
State: California
Principal Investigator:
Pheromone Foggers for Pesticide Replacement
Summary
Using battery-powered foggers to spread natural codling moth pheromones in apple orchards, this project hopes to reduce moth damage to organic orchards sufficiently to make them competitive. Current losses from the moths range from 40 percent to 98 percent in organic orchards, compared to 10 percent in pesticide-treated ones. Use of pheromones, which disrupt mating behavior, may reduce pest counts as much as 95 percent.