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Pheromone-dispensing puffers, around for a decade, have
an extensive reach in California where they are used for
mating disruption in a variety of tree fruit crops.
Though usage in the Pacific Northwest has lagged behind,
it now is growing, fueled in part by the technology's
labor-savings potential.
During the International Fruit Tree Association's field
tours held recently in California's San Joaquin Valley,
it was observed that puffers were commonly used by apple
growers, perhaps more so than in other tree-fruit-growing
regions. The Puffer CM, manufactured by Suterra for
codling moth control, sprays repeated pheromone doses on
a 12- or 24-hour schedule from a canister housed in a
plastic cabinet. The puffers are strategically located in
the orchard, hung on tree branches. One or two puffers
per acre are typically used. Suterra makes pheromone in
canisters for codling moth, oriental fruit moth, navel
orangeworm, and artichoke plume moth.
Suterra representative Hector Absi estimated that the
Puffer CM is used in about 40,000 acres of tree crops in
California and in 10,000 acres in the Northwest, along
with acreage in Michigan, and the East Coast. He
attributed California's higher use to oriental fruit
moth, a widespread pest in California's orchards but one
that has responded very well to mating disruption
technology.
Dr. Alan Knight, U.S. Department of Agriculture
entomologist in Yakima, Washington, began working with
the puffer technology in 1998, comparing hand-applied
pheromone dispensers for leafrollers with pheromone
released from the puffers. Knight's research led to the
current usage pattern for codling moth, one that
integrates hand-applied pheromone around the perimeter of
an orchard with puffer canisters placed on a grid system
inside the orchard.
Lots of people were skeptical about the concept in the
beginning, he said, and no wonder. The initial cabinet
that housed the canister of pheromone was made for
bathrooms and indoor use, not to withstand outdoor
weather elements. Malfunction of the spray mechanism was
also an issue in the early models.
"Suterra had to innovate and develop the cabinet as they
went along," Absi said, noting that the current version
represents the fifth generation of cabinets. The
durability of the cabinets has improved through the years
as well as the technology. Today, the cabinets are
designed to last three years in the orchard, and there is
less than a 1 percent failure rate, he said.
Labor savings
Randy Brown of Gebbers Farms in Brewster, Washington,
said that Gebbers is expanding their use of the puffers
and will have close to 1,500 acres of apples under the
puffers this season. Brown has used the puffers in
orchards with low to moderate pest pressure and in
locations with varying elevation due to hills and
draws.
The labor-savings potential is what drew Brown to try out
the puffers. "Labor is a big thing," he said. "If we can
get something to work as well as hand-applied pheromones,
but with less labor, I'm all for it."
They are using the puffers at a rate of 1 to 1.5 per
acre, following a grid system for placement of puffers
inside the orchard, and combining them with hand-applied
pheromone around orchard perimeters. In some areas with
low pressure, they've gone to one puffer for every two
acres.
"I'm still working on building up my comfort zone with
the puffers," Brown said. "I'm gaining more confidence
with them every year."
He has several orchards with moderate to high pressure
where he will evaluate use of the puffers in the future.
Thus far, the technology has worked well, he noted.
"My concern about the product is just from lack of
experience," he said. "It's about knowing your orchard,
terrain, and pest pressures when you switch over."
Pears
In Medford, Oregon, Loys Hawkins has used puffers for
codling moth control in pears at Bear Creek Orchards,
Inc., since 2006. Bear Creek Orchards is a sister company
to the mail-order fruit giant Harry and David. In the
first year, they tried the technology in 250 acres,
adding another 900 acres in 2007. This year, puffers will
be used in more than 1,400 acres of pears, and, for the
first time, they will use puffers to control oriental
fruit moth in their peach orchards.
Hawkins, who is responsible for orchard pest control for
Bear Creek, has compared the labor savings from hanging
one to two puffers per acre to attaching 200 hand-applied
pheromone dispensers per acre. She analyzed the time
needed during the season to administer three mating
disruption products for codling
moth�Puffer CM, Checkmate CM, and
Disrupt CM�and observed the
following:
� Puffer
CM�0.7 hours per acre to
administer
� Disrupt
CM�1.9 hours per acre to
administer
� Checkmate
CM�2.2 hours per acre to
administer
Using Hawkins's analysis, in a 40-acre block, paying
workers $8.50 per hour, Puffer CM would cost $238 to
apply, ÂDisrupt CM would cost $646, and
ÂCheckmate CM $748. "The labor savings are a
real consideration for Bear Creek," Hawkins said.
Mating disruption dispensers must be applied during
bloom, a very busy time for Bear Creek, she said, noting
that several orchard activities are going on at the same
time, such as peach thinning, heating orchards for frost
control, and spraying fungicides for disease control.
"It's hard for us to find additional workers at that
time, and it's hard to pull labor from these other
important tasks to work on mating disruption."
She said it takes six people to hang the puffers in their
1,400 acres. Because the canisters have enough pheromone
to last for the entire season, they started hanging them
in the trees in early April�before
biofix�so they can spread out the
work and get it done with fewer people.
Being able to better manage their work force is a really
important aspect, Hawkins said.
This year, they plan try the puffers in an orchard that
is particularly windy.
"We tested the puffers for two seasons, and the efficacy
has been there for us, so we felt we could expand as we
have," she said. "In our situation, it works."
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