The purpose of this document is to consolidate current Ohio information on integrated approaches to pest management. One of the intended results is to form a general working definition of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices on specific crops. The second intention is to develop a system of assessing how far growers are along the IPM continuum, and if their operation has adopted enough core practices to qualify them as IPM practitioners under these guidelines.

Growers can use this document and its six sub headings (Educational IPM Considerations, Soil and Nutrient Management and Cultural Practices, Pesticides and Pesticide Records, Disease Management, Arthropod Management (insects and mites), and Weed Management as a checklist of possible IPM practices. There is a point value associated with every IPM practice; the higher the number, the more important the practice. Growers should count only the points of activities they perform on a crop. The goal is to accumulate 80% of the points in each of the six areas and/or 80% of the total points available, which is simply the sum of the scores from each section (comprehensive).

This document is intended to help growers identify areas in their production system that possess strong IPM qualities and also point out areas for improvement. Growers should attempt to incorporate the majority of these specific techniques into their usual production practices, especially in areas where they fall short of the 80% goal.

Major Pests of Ohio Cherries - Primary concerns are insects, mites, diseases, and weeds

Insects	Mites	Diseases	Weeds
Plum curculio	European red mite	Bacterial canker	Annual grasses
Cherry fruit fly	Twospotted spider mite	Brown rot	Perennial grasses
Black cherry fruit fly		Leaf spot	Annual broadleaf weeds
Peachtree borer		Powdery mildew	Perennial broadleaf weeds
Lesser peachtree borer		Phytophthora root and crown rot	Yellow nutsedge
Black cherry aphid		Crown gall
Leafrollers		X-disease
American plum borer
San Jose scale

Educational IPM Considerations

Education	Activity	Points
	Join Ohio Fruit Growers Society, read the periodic newsletter "Today's Grower"and out-of-state newsletter, and attend Fruit Growers meetings around the state.	2
	Attend the Ohio Fruit and Vegetable Growers Congress annually to meet and exchange information with other growers. Attend current pest management informational / research presentations.	2
	Obtain the latest Ohio Commercial Tree Fruit Spray Guide, The Midwest Tree Fruit Pest Management Handbook, and other commodity specific reports / production guides.	2
	Access the University fruit web sites.	2
	Access the weekly Ohio Fruit ICM News via e-mail, web, or mail subscription for updates on disease, insect, mite, and weed development, plus management options during the growing season.	2
	Implement on limited acreage an IPM practice not currently used on your farm; gauge its success.	2
	Research alternative markets that may encourage less pesticide use through specific use reduction requirements (either organic, eco-, or IPM labeling).	2

Marginal adoption					Full adoption
0 pts			11.2 pts Goal		14 pts

Soil and Nutrient Management and Cultural Practices

Management	Activity	Points
Conservation	Use a water quality and placement plan that minimizes disease development, optimizes water use, and minimizes erosion and runoff.	2
Irrigation	Install micro-irrigation at orchard establishment (to prevent water other than rain from wetting fruit) and irrigate the orchard from bloom through harvest. Monitor soil moisture with tensiometers set at 12 and 18 inches deep. Maintain soil moisture (12 inch depth) at 20 to 25 centibars from bloom to August 15th.	2
Fertility	Soil test; fertilize as needed according to recommendations. Maintain soil pH 6.0 - 6.8.	2
	Balance nitrogen with tree growth without promoting rapid growth and prolonged succulence - (Choose one). a. Conduct soil and leaf analysis every year b. Conduct soil and leaf analysis every 2 or 3 years	2 or 1
	Utilize fertigation rates at 50% less than soil applications.	2
Cultural	Prune to promote rapid drying of foliage, spray penetration, and reduced brown rot. Dormant pruning should be done just prior to bloom. Summer pruning two weeks before harvest increases flower buds and fruit color.	4

Marginal adoption					Full adoption
0 pts			11.2 pts Goal		14 pts

Pesticides and Pesticide Records

Only pesticides registered in the state and approved for the target pest and crop will be used. Records of applications including applicators name, date, block identification, targeted pest, climatological conditions, pesticide name and EPA number, formulation, rate, equipment used, and number of acres treated.

Management	Activity	Points
	Calibrate orchard sprayer(s) at least once a year.	2
	Calibrate herbicide sprayer at least once a year.	2
	Maintain and organize spray records.	2
	Analyze spray records to determine Environmental Impact Quotient.	2
	Among pesticides of comparable efficacy, select the one with the lowest Environmental Impact Quotient.	2

Marginal adoption					Full adoption
0 pts			8 pts Goal		10 pts

Disease Management

Management	Activity	Points
Fungicide Use	Use well-timed applications of fungicide to control brown rot, scab and powdery mildew.	1
	Use combinations or alternations of different fungicide chemistries to prevent or delay the development of resistant strains of pathogenic fungi.	2
Predictive Measures	Base the application of disease control chemicals for leaf spot on disease models or predictive systems that consider environmental conditions (temperature-wetness) and/or disease pressure.	2
	Use weather forecasts (principally for rain) to adjust (shorten or extend) fungicide spray intervals.	2
Cultivar and Site Selection	When selecting new cultivars for planting, consider susceptibility to bacterial canker.	2
	Select planting sites with excellent soil drainage to prevent problems with Phytophthora collar or root rot, or improve soil drainage with tile or by planting on ridges.	3
Sanitation	Remove brown rot mummies from the orchard (trees and ground) annually.	3
	Remove infected leaves from the orchard floor annually, or use other practices to reduce cherry leaf spot inoculum.	3
Irrigation	Micro-irrigation is installed at orchard establishment and the orchard is irrigated from bloom through harvest (to prevent water other than rain from wetting fruit). Soil moisture is monitored with tensiometers set at 12 to 18 inches deep. Soil moisture is maintained (12 inch depth) at 20 to 25 centibars from bloom to August 15th.	3
Fertility	Soil test; fertilize as needed according to recommendations. Maintain soil pH 6.0 - 6.8.	0*
	Balance nitrogen with tree growth without promoting rapid growth and prolonged succulence -(Choose one). a. Soil and leaf analysis conducted every year b. Soil and leaf analysis conducted every 2 or 3 years	0* 0*
Sprayer Calibration	Calibrate sprayer annually prior to first use and inspect coverage to insure complete coverage of all susceptible plant parts.	0**
Cultural Practices Pruning	Prune annually to open the canopy and promote rapid drying of foliage, for increased spray penetration, and reduced brown rot.	0*
	Control perennial canker by combining cultural practices that promote winter hardiness and rapid wound healing with orchard sanitation.	3
Air Circulation and Spray Coverage	Thin fruit, especially in clusters, to insure faster drying and complete fungicide coverage.	2
	Plant rows in the direction of prevailing winds to promote better air circulation, faster drying, and improved spray penetration.	2
Eradication for X-disease	Remove chokecherry bushes from surrounding areas (alternate host for X-disease) to aid in control of X-disease.	2

* see Soil and Nutrient Management and Cultural Practices section for scoring
** see Pesticides and Pesticide Records section for scoring

Marginal adoption					Full adoption
0 pts			24 pts Goal		30 pts

Arthropod Management (Insects and mites)

Management	Activity	Points
Temperature model	Currently there are no methods to accurately predict when plum curculio damage will occur. Begin plum curculio sprays at petal fall and end 340 degree days later (base 50) in blocks where plum curculio has been a problem. Normally, this timing will be the equivalent of up to three sprays; petal fall, shuck-fall, and first cover.	4
Scouting	Sample terminals for black cherry aphid and apply sprays only as needed.	3
Trapping	Use yellow sticky cards baited with ammonium acetate to monitor cherry fruit fly populations. Apply sprays after the first fly is caught. After an appropriate interval, clean traps and apply a second spray only if additional flies are caught.	4
	Identify and monitor other troublesome pests (American plum borer, lesser peachtree borer, peachtree borer, obliquebanded leafroller, etc.). Apply appropriate controls using Extension recommendations.	6

Marginal adoption					Full adoption
0 pts			13.6 pts Goal		17 pts

Weed Management

Management	Activity	Points
New orchards	Eradicate perennial weeds and reduce the soil weed seed bank the year prior to planting by using herbicides, cultivation, and cover crops.	7	X
	Establish a non-competitive grass between tree rows prior to planting.	4	X
	Use a herbicide to establish planting strips in established sod.	4	X
Established orchards	Identify and list problem weeds and locations to tailor herbicide and floor management practices. If herbicides are needed, product choice, rate, and area to be treated are based on identified weed species and locations.	X	7
	If needed, apply soil active herbicide prior to weed emergence. Do not use herbicides of the same class in successive years.	X	4
	If perennial weeds are present, time herbicide applications to weed growth stage as specified on the product label.	X	4

Marginal adoption					Full adoption
0 pts			12 pts Goal		15 pts

Comprehensive IPM Score
(Add scores of previous 6 sections)

Marginal adoption					Full adoption
0 pts			80 pts Goal		100 pts