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 Plums - Primary concerns are insects, mites, diseases, and weeds

Insects	Mites	Diseases	Weeds
Oriental fruit moth	European red mite	Brown rot	Annual grasses
Plum curculio	Twospotted spider mite	Black knot	Perennial grasses
Peachtree borer		Leaf spot	Annual broadleaf weeds
Lesser peachtree borer		Phytophthora crown and root rot	Perennial broadleaf weeds
Green peach aphid		Yellow nutsedge
Plant bugs
San Jose scale
Leafrollers
Japanese beetle

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.	2

Marginal adoption					Full adoption
0 pts			9.6 pts Goal		12 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	Apply a single fungicide spray in fall after leaves drop or in the spring before bud swell to control plum pockets, if disease is present.	3
	Use well-timed applications of fungicide to control brown rot and powdery mildew.	2
	Use combinations or alternations of different fungicide chemistries to prevent or delay the development of resistant strains of pathogenic fungi.	2
Cultivar and Site Selection	When selecting new cultivars for planting, consider resistance to bacterial spot and 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
	Prune out all black knots during the dormant period with cuts made 6 to 8 inches below any knots. Remove the prunings from the orchard and destroy.	4
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.	0*
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. Conduct soil and leaf analysis every year b. Conduct soil and leaf analysis 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, increase 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 are in the direction of prevailing winds to promote better air circulation and faster drying in the orchard.	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			20.8 pts Goal		26 pts

Arthropod Management (Insects and mites)

Management	Activity	Points
Trapping	Place lesser peachtree borer pheromone traps by petal fall to monitor moth emergence and to aid in the proper timing of spray applications.	3
	Monitor peachtree borer with pheromone traps for the proper timing of spray applications.	3
	Hang pheromone traps April to monitor Oriental fruit moth. Time spray applications six days after peak flight of the first generation. Apply spray 3 days after the peak flight of the second generation.	4
Mating Disruption	Mating disruption can be used to manage Oriental fruit moth, peachtree borer, and lesser peachtree borer in conjunction with pheromone traps. Consult Michigan Fruit Spraying Calendar 2000 for details.	3
Scouting	Survey European red mite populations on a weekly basis during the summer months and apply miticides only when populations exceed thresholds.	2
	Green peach aphid is difficult to control. Inspect trees weekly from petal fall until terminals are hardened off. Apply sprays if more than one colony per tree is found.	2
Beating	Monitor plant bug and stink bug populations with the use of beating sheets. When necessary, use well-timed spray applications during the early season.	3
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.	2

Marginal adoption					Full adoption
0 pts			17.6 pts Goal		22 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.	5	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	5
	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			12.8 pts Goal		16 pts

Comprehensive IPM Score
(Add scores of previous 6 sections)

Marginal adoption					Full adoption
0 pts			80 pts Goal		100 pts