Navel orangeworm (NOW) is a difficult pest that growers are working to address in a variety of crops. The NOW Neighborhood Management program seeks to bring industry members together to coordinate mitigation efforts. Principal Analyst for the Almond Board of California (ABC), Jesse Roseman said the program is an effort to deploy mating disruption over larger areas.
“We know that [mating disruption] is more effective at scale,” Roseman noted. “When the original research was done by Cooperative Extension it showed as much as a 50 percent reduction in damage in parcels that are 40 acres or more and as much as a 78 percent reduction in damage in parcels that are 100 acres or more.”
The cooperative nature of the program is to allow smaller growers to more successfully participate in mating disruption approaches. A pilot project of the NOW Neighborhood Management program was completed in cooperation with Blue Diamond Growers and Cooperative Extension in Modesto. Industry members are being encouraged to interact with the online tool in order to determine where the next project will be developed.
“This online tool, AgNeighbors.com, passcode NOWMD, is available for almond, walnut, or pistachio growers or PCAs,” said Roseman. “We’re looking to connect smaller growers, whether it’s a bunch of five, or 10, or 20-acre blocks, that as a contiguous area are going to cover 40 acres or more. Then that’s really how we’re going to make a difference for those growers is by building those connections and doing mating disruption.”
Growers and PCAs can use the online tool to indicate if they are already using mating disruption or if they are interested in the practice. The online portal will close sometime in April to give project coordinators time to analyze the information. Once a field site is selected, outreach meetings will be coordinated to organize implementation among the parcels.
Listen to Roseman’s interview below.
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