Indirect regulation of aphids in organic stone fruit orchards with natural enemies

Aphids can be regulated without or with fewer plant protection applications, thanks to natural enemies. Practical recommendations Indirect regulation with natural enemies The following natural enemies are effective in regulating the stone fruit aphids, e.g., the black cherry aphid: • Hoverflies: Larvae feed on aphids (Picture 2). Adults need to feed on nectar and pollen (Picture 4). • Ladybug: Larvae and adults feed on aphids (Picture 6, 7). Adults of some ladybug species also need pollen. • Parasitic wasps: Adults lay their eggs within the aphids. The aspect of the parasitised aphid (aphid mum-my) is typical for each parasitoid (Pictures 9, 10, 11). Adults feed on nectar. • Lacewings: Larvae feed on aphids (Picture 14). Adults feed on nectar, pollen, and honeydew (Picture 16). These natural enemies can be released early in the season (March/April) and/or promoted by implementing flower strips around and within the orchard

Use of mason bees for pollination in covered organic orchards

Using mason bees can ensure optimal pollination in intensive fruit orchards when naturally occurring pollinators are not (yet) present or are too few. Practical recommendations The two most important managed wild bees for fruit crops pollination are the European orchard bee (Osmia cornuta) and the Red mason bee (Osmia bicornis), both mason bees (life cycle: see Picture 1). Release mason bees • Place one or more nesting boxes (Picture 2) on the inner edge and within the orchard (1 m above ground) so that they face the tree rows and can easily reach the flowers, possibly oriented south or southeast. • Mason bees fly in a perimeter of 50-200 m, so adapt the number and placing of the nesting boxes accordingly. Around 2000 cocoons (2-3 nesting boxes) are needed to pollinate a low-stem fruit orchard of 1 ha. • Place the overwintered cocoons in the nesting box so they are protected but can also fly out (e.g., a carton box with exit holes). Where to get mason bees • Subscription to mason bee rental service (check online if there is a mason bee rental service for your country, e.g., www.pollinature.net), or • Maintain and propagate mason bees yourself

Indirect regulation of aphids in organic stone fruit orchards with natural enemies (BIOFRUITNET Practice Abstract)

Aphids can be regulated without or with fewer plant protection applications, thanks to natural enemies. Practical recommendations Indirect regulation with natural enemies The following natural enemies are effective in regulating the stone fruit aphids, e.g., the black cherry aphid: • Hoverflies: Larvae feed on aphids (Picture 2). Adults need to feed on nectar and pollen (Picture 4). • Ladybug: Larvae and adults feed on aphids (Picture 6, 7). Adults of some ladybug species also need pollen. • Parasitic wasps: Adults lay their eggs within the aphids. The aspect of the parasitised aphid (aphid mum-my) is typical for each parasitoid (Pictures 9, 10, 11). Adults feed on nectar. • Lacewings: Larvae feed on aphids (Picture 14). Adults feed on nectar, pollen, and honeydew (Picture 16). These natural enemies can be released early in the season (March/April) and/or promoted by implementing flower strips around and within the orchard

Autumn kaolin treatments and early spring oil treatments against Myzus cerasi in Sweet cherries

The black cherry aphid Myzus cerasi FABRICIUS (Hemiptera: Aphididae) is a major pest in low‐stem cherry orchards with rain protective covering and hail nets. In autumn, winged aphids migrate from their secondary hosts back to the cherry orchards. We applied kaolin (Surround ® WP) in the autumn of 2019 (three applications) and 2020 (two applications) to young cherry trees to prevent the immigration and establishment of aphids, with the aim to reduce the number of fundatrices in the following spring. We compared the kaolin treatment with paraffin oil sprayed in spring, a combination of both treatments and an untreated control. In autumn 2019 with a denser kaolin residue and a higher assessment frequency than in autumn 2020, there were significantly less unwinged and winged aphids on trees treated with kaolin than control trees, whereas there was no significant difference in 2020. However, kaolin significantly reduced the number of aphid colonies in the following spring in both 2020 (95 %) and 2021 (77 %). Five days after the application, paraffin oil showed no significant effect in both years, but further assessments in 2021 revealed increasing efficacy up to 83% 25 days after application. The combination of kaolin applications in autumn with a paraffin oil application in spring had an efficacy of 86-99 % and prolonged the effect of kaolin. As the white residue on leaves in autumn does not harm photosynthesis, assimilation or transpiration and since kaolin is not toxic to beneficial arthropods, kaolin applied in autumn is a promising tool to control M. cerasi in organic cherry production

Management strategies for the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB)

Increase in quantity and quality of marketable fruit. Practical recommendation • Monitoring/detection: visual monitoring, beat sampling or baited traps. Most reliable results from traps with pheromones and vibrational signals. Place traps outside of the orchard to avoid increased damages through trap spill over. Follow recommendations of extension officers for first plant protection measures. • Exclusion nets: Fine exclusion nets hinder BSMB from entering the orchard and can lower damages. Nets need to be closed early in the spring. • Natural enemies: Experimental releases of parasitoid wasps in several European countries. Other natural enemies that prey on BMSB eggs are among others ground beetles (Carabidae), earwigs (Forficulidae), jumping spiders (Salticidae), and crickets (Gryllidae). They can be promoted by enhancing biodiversity, for example through inter-row perennial flower strips. • Direct control • Mass trapping with sticky traps in combination with pheromones has limited influence on BMSB population. Bycatch can be reduced by using black sticky traps instead of yellow, as they are more attractive. • Plant protection products: Ready-to-use plant products have a low efficacy against adult BMSB, young stages need to get in direct contact with the product. Products include: • Pyrethrin (when allowed), • Spinosad (when allowed), and • Apply Kaolin (when allowed) to prevent damage: Trees need to be kept white starting at the time of fruit formation

Krankheits- und Schädlingsregulierung im Bioapfelanbau mit Einzelreihen-Abdeckung

Wie kann der Einsatz von Pflanzenschutzmitteln in intensiven Bioobstanlagen weiter reduziert werden? Ein Lösungsansatz sind Abdecksysteme, welche die Bäume gegen Regen und Schädlinge schützen

Direct regulation of the black cherry aphid in organic table cherry production

Minimisation of tree damage and fruit losses due to black sooty fungi growing on aphid honeydew (Picture 2). Practical recommendations Direct regulation • Apply kaolin (Picture 4) in autumn to reduce the immigration of winged aphids from the secondary host back to the cherry tree (Picture 3). • Apply paraffin oil in spring prior to bud break when fundatrices (or founding mothers) hatch from the winter eggs to further reduce the starting population in spring (Picture 5). • Apply pyrethrum + soap or azadirachtin after bloom

List of varieties suited for organic table apple production in Central Europe (BIOFRUITNET Practice Abstract)

The use of robust apple cultivars can contribute to the reduction of plant protection applications. Practical recommendations How to choose a variety? Ask yourself the following questions to choose a suited variety for your production context: • Do I want to produce table apples or cider apples? (this PA is only relevant for table apples) • Do I want to reach a certain yield? • How intensively do I want to practice plant protection? o Which diseases are most common in my orchard? o Which pests are most common in my orchard? • Do I want to sell the apples to a retailer or via direct marketing? If you want to sell to a retailer, you have to check which varieties they accept before planting. If you want to directly market your apples, you might consider having a broad palette of varieties covering all taste groups and a longer selling period. o Which palette of varieties regarding the taste do I want to offer? o Which harvesting periods do I want to cover? o Do I have storage capacities

Drosophila suzukii control: Preventive measures in organic stone fruit orchards

The combination of preventive measures and intervention measures can reduce D. suzukii puncture and/or the development of larvae inside the fruits, and therefore minimise fruit and economical losses. Practical recommendation • Monitoring: Once the fruits begin to change colour from yellow to red until harvest, monitor D. suzukii presence weekly using bait traps. Mount monitoring traps in shady, protected places and check weekly during the flight season from April until the end of the harvest. Males can be identified by dark wing spots visible to the naked eye. In females, the large, curved ovipositor with well-developed, dark saw teeth can be seen with a magnifying glass. • Fruit inspection: Inspect 50 externally intact random fruits with a magnifying glass. Check for egg deposition and puncture holes, and egg deposition with typical egg filaments that stand out from the fruit. • Orchard management (+++): D. suzukii likes humid, shady, wind-protected locations. Dry and hot weather is unfavourable. Implement measures that lead to a dry orchard climate. Choose pruning sys-tems that ensure a well-aerated, rapidly drying stand; mulch the undergrowth frequently or lay black mulch film; adjust irrigation intensity to avoid puddles. • Hygiene and harvest (++): In case of high infestation pressure, harvest all cherries in one cycle (and dispose of the unripe fruits), as the second harvest cycle is usually heavily infested and often no longer marketable. Completely harvest early varieties, remove and destroy overripe and damaged fruit (put them in an airtight container) to avoid a D. suzukii proliferation. Immediately cool the harvested fruit to 0-3 °C to stop larval development. Keep the cold chain until delivery to consumers. • Choice of cultivar (+): There are some cultivar differences for apricots and plums, while with cherries all varieties are attractive

Die schwarze Kirschenblattlaus – ein bedeutender Schädling im Bio-Kirschenanbau unter Witterungsschutz

Die schwarze Kirschenblattlaus ist einer der Hauptschädlinge in Niederstammkirschen mit Witterungsschutz und seitlicher Einnetzung. Unter den günstigen mikroklimatischen Bedingungen und dem eingeschränkten Zugang von Nützlingen können sich große Blattlauskolonien aus wenigen Stammmüttern entwickeln. Daher ist eine frühzeitige Blattlausbekämpfung entscheidend. Beim direkten Pflanzenschutz kann bereits im Herbst mittels Kaolin-Applikationen die Blattlauspopulation der folgenden Saison reduziert werden. Kombiniert mit einer Paraffinöl-Applikation im Frühjahr wird eine fast 100-prozentige Reduktion der Blattlaus-Kolonien erreicht