Project Overview
Annual Reports
Commodities
- Fruits: apples, cherries, pears, berries (strawberries), general tree fruits
- Additional Plants: native plants
Practices
- Education and Training: demonstration, extension, on-farm/ranch research
- Natural Resources/Environment: habitat enhancement, hedgerows, riparian buffers, hedges - woody
- Pest Management: biological control, integrated pest management
Abstract:
Easily sustainable rose/strawberry gardens near orchards provide an alternate host (Ancylis comptana) for a parasitoid (Colpoclypeus florus) of pest leafrollers that can dramatically stimulate parasitism in adjacent orchards. Parasitism of the pest leafroller OBLR by C. florus in apple orchards near rose gardens was high in the spring and summer larval generations at several study sites during 2004-2006. In gardens, strawberries better foster the Ancylis leafroller, but Ancylis is more reliably parasitized on roses. Seven presentations to grower and pest manager groups were made since 2004 and a grower-targeted paper was published and web page on gardens was created.
Project objectives:
1. Evaluate the impact of large gardens of Rosa woodsii and wild strawberry harboring the strawberry leafroller, Ancylis comptana (SLR), which supports C. florus overwintering and enhances parasitism of OBLR and PLR in adjacent orchards.
2. Disseminate information on how to establish, maintain and benefit from these alternate habitats through traditional presentations, grower magazines, a web site and consultation.
3. Develop greater understanding of the ecology of this system, particularly how far into orchards parasitoids disperse from gardens and the stability of the beneficial community in gardens with rose alone versus strawberry alone and rose plus strawberry.