Grant ID Number: LNE09-288
Grant Recipient: Greg Krawczyk, Penn State University, Biglerville PA
Apples and peaches are economically important to the region, and need protection from a range of pests, including wood borers. Current controls tend to rely heavily on organophosphate insecticides, and to a lesser extent on mating disruption. The project manager will explore whether using entomopathogenic nematodes and mating disruption can replace insecticides, and will recruit participating farmers to adopt and refine the techniques. Effective, economically viable control programs will become part of an education and outreach effort to reduce chemical use. As a result of the project, at least 30 growers will incorporate mating disruption and entomopathogenic nematodes as primary tools for wood borer control.
