October 2016 • Country Life in BC
Pest management strategies about to get easier Adapting Washington web-based program for BC farmers
byTOM WALKER
KELOWNA – A collaborative effort across the tree fruit industry has brought a web- based program to BC that will help fruit growers with their pest management practices. The Decision Aid System (DAS) is a computer-modeling program developed by the University of Washington to support that state’s fruit industry. DAS links real time weather data and forecasting with pest, disease and horticulture models to recommend the timing and type of intervention strategies that growers can use for pest management.
“It really speaks to the co-operation across the industry that we have been able to bring in this program in just ten months,” says Melissa Tesche, acting general manager of the Okanagan- Kootenay Sterile Insect Release Program (SIR).
The idea came from Okanagan stakeholder meetings of the Climate Action Initiative begun in December 2015.
“Pest management was seen as the number two issue for climate adaptation, behind water,” explains Tesche. “I took a look at what I thought the effects of climate change on pest management would be and looked at how other people had addressed the problem and found this Washington system. DAS was referred to as the Cadillac of decision-aid systems,” says Tesche. “When I spoke with industry leaders, we realized that it could work through collaboration, each individual group putting in their own part.”
The BC Fruit Growers Association, BC Tree Fruits Co-op and their field service staff, grape growers, cattlemen, private consultants, as well as personnel from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the BC Ministry of Agriculture worked together.
“All these parts came together in less than a year,” she says.
When an operator logs into the DAS (it’s tablet and cell phone friendly) and they search a particular pest, a screen comes up with real time data on weather, degree days, current conditions/ stages of the pest and recommended practices at that stage. A list of
interventions can be brought up, including recommended sprays (both conventional and
organic) and their timing, as well as a description of how those interventions will affect beneficials in the orchard. The program incorporates weather forecasts to make predictions to highlight issues that may be coming in the next week or so. Tesche says adapting the Washington tool makes a lot of sense.
“First of all, we are getting a model that is the closest to our own Okanagan climate,” she points out. Indeed, BC Tree Fruits field services horticulturist Lyndsay Hainstock has an account and has been using information from Oroville, Washington, just across the border from Osoyoos, to help her advise growers.
The University of
Washington has been building and operating the program since 2008.
“They have full time
programmers on the project and are constantly fixing bugs and updating the website to make it grower friendly,” says Tesche. “We’ve been able to buy a yearly subscription that allows us to access their staff without having to become experts in the program ourselves.”
“We will have to adapt it to Canadian and BC models and practices,” Tesche point out. First off, BC weather stations will need to be linked into the system.
“We are going to use the models that are in there, but we need to have our Canadian scientists and industry personnel look at them and make sure they hold true for this area,” she adds. Management
recommendations from the BC Tree Fruits’ Production Guide will be uploaded. Intervention recommendations will have to correspond with Canadian regulations.
“Some of the chemical products from the US are not approved for use in Canada,” Tesche notes.
Funding of $90,000 will be provided by a Climate Action Committee grant as one of the projects for the Okanagan. That money will go towards creating and testing a Canadian version. BC will provide the data and DAS programmers will work to adapt the system.
“The SIR board saw the value of this project to support our codling moth program and they have agreed to fund the subscription costs for the next three years, which are around $40,000 US each year,” says Tesche. “And they’ll provide some money for adapting the model to Canadian standards.” “We hope to have a version available for initial beta testing with a small group of growers and personnel sometime during the 2017 growing season.”
2017 Tree Fruit Replant Program ANNOUNCEMENT:
Application forms and the updated requirements of the 2017 Tree Fruit Replant Program are now available on the BCFGA website,
www.bcfga.com, and on the BC Ministry of Agriculture website,
http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/ content/industry/agriculture-seafood/programs/treefruit-replant-program.
Project applications (along with the required Replant Plan) will be received between August 1 and October 31, 2016. Please avoid the last minute rush and get your application in early.
An horticultural advisor is required to help prepare and sign individual applications for the 2017 Tree Fruit Replant Program. The following information will be provided to assist growers in completing applications.
a. A list of qualified advisors. b. Information on project grading. c. Program operational policies. d. A series of reports on replanting and variety performance and selection are available and should be referenced when preparing a Tree Fruit Replant Program Application.
The Tree Fruit Replant Program provides funding for quality projects. Applications will be rated by a committee of horticultural experts. The rating of individual applications will be based on meeting the program requirements and on the quality of the Replant Plan. Projects will be placed in order of rating for projects, and the top-rated projects will be approved until all funding is utilized.
The Tree Fruit Replant Program is a 7 year, $9.4 million program, funded by the Province of BC.
BC FRUIT GROWERS’ ASSOCIATION 1-800-619-9022 (ext 1) email:
info@bcfga.com www.bcfga.com
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Hank Markgraf, grower services manager at BC Tree Fruits, and Melissa Tesche, acting general manager of the Okanagan Kootenay Sterile Insect Release Program, log into the Decision Aide System, a pest management tool developed by the University of Washington newly acquired to support BC fruit tree growers. (Tom Walker photo)
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