Control Measures

Management Measures

Despite the presence of beneficial organisms in orchards it is necessary for us to use additional means of controlling pests to provide a profitable product. Typically, in conventional orchards broad-spectrum sprays are used to manage pests. These sprays wipe out beneficial organisms as well as pests and replace the natural regulating mechanisms present in orchards. In organic orchards, we attempt to sustain these natural regulating mechanisms by using pest-specific sprays or other sustainable forms of management. Monitoring and modeling are used for timing these sprays.

INVERTEBRATES	There are various organic sprays that can be applied to orchards in order to protect them from invertebrates. Some of the sprays used at Clarksville are: Kaolin clay, Pyrethrum, Bacillus Thuringiensis, Neem, and Spinosad. Mating Disruption is also a method of controlling invertebrates.
VERTEBRATES	The vertebrate control methods used at Clarksville are: soap bars, mylar tape, and mouse guards. In addition, growers may remove habitat, using chemical repellents such as hot sauce or toxic chemicals, enclose the orchard with deer fencing, or use electric fencing.
PLANTS	Among the strategies used for plant control in orchards are mulching, cover cropping, mowing, flaming and organic herbicides (i.e. clove oil, phytophthora palmivora fungus, vinegar, citric acid and garlic). We are currently testing apples on three rootstocks of increasing vigor with four ground floor management strategies (natural vegetation, flaming, mulching, Swiss Sandwich) to determine possible recommendations for organic production. The Swiss Sandwich System combines tilling and flaming to maintain a weed free zone along the length of the tree rows to reduce water and nutrient competition from weeds and ground cover vegetation
MICROBIALS	Many different substances can be sprayed for disease control. Some of the most common are: sulfur, lime sulfur, copper, Bacillus Subtilis, and Streptomycin, are often used to control microbial pests. Pest nematodes can also be controlled through sprays if necessary.

HOME