Navel orangeworm (NOW) was a significant issue for growers this past season. NOW damage reached critical levels in many orchards. Vice President of Member Relations for Blue Diamond, Mel Machado said it was a staggering year, describing it as a “meltdown.”
“I’m thinking about the poor guys that I know that disrupted and sprayed three times and still got mugged with navel orangeworm: 15, 20, 25 percent,” Machado explained. “What’s really interesting, too, is just the variation in damage. From people who have no issues whatsoever and they’re wondering what all the noise is, to guys that just got mugged.”
There were several contributing factors to the levels of damage experienced this season, including a large number of abandoned orchards and a prolonged hull split timeframe. Machado emphasized that NOW management is an ongoing journey rather than a one-time action. A critical component of management is proper sanitation. Inclement weather hindered growers’ ability to access orchards and implement sanitation programs last season, further underscoring the importance of sanitation efforts in preventing NOW damage. “If you take that in conjunction with a neighbor who may have cut corners, you had an aerial assault of navel orangeworm moths floating through the valley,” said Machado.
Another important component for managing NOW populations is mating disruption. The practice is proven to be effective, particularly when deployed in a large contiguous area. To encourage a wider adoption of mating disruption, the Ag Neighbors program was developed. The online resource seeks to bring neighboring orchards together to make mating disruption more successful.
“It notifies everybody and says ‘You and your neighbors have said you’re interested in disrupting. Go forth and disrupt,’” Machado noted. “We’re agnostic on the tool. We don’t care what you do. We’re just saying, here’s a means to put people together, to play nice with each other and get disruption done.”
The Almond Board of California also has resources available to help growers manage NOW in orchards.
Listen to the segment below.
Brian German
Ag News Director / AgNet West