Cranberry Project > IPM Guidelines: Cranberry

Introduction
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a systematic approach to pest management that considers all factors affecting crop health, including plant nutrition, horticultural practices, and all suitable means of pest suppression. IPM programs are based on information obtained by sampling and monitoring, and this information is used to make management decisions. Pest management tactics may include biological, chemical, mechanical, and cultural methods. An IPM program for a given crop will include some essential elements, but some practices will not be appropriate in all situations: designing a farm-specific IPM program requires flexibility.

The Massachusetts IPM Guidelines are a list of best management practices, developed cooperatively by growers, university faculty and extension specialists, and private IPM consultants. Additional input was solicited from commodity associations and participants in IPM verification programs and IPM courses. Practices have been evaluated for their practicality and assigned points based on their importance to IPM and/or their difficulty. The guidelines for most crops have been tested and adjusted through the USDA Farm Service Agency ICM cost-share program and through the Partners with Nature program. While these guidelines represent the best management options currently available, they will evolve as new IPM technologies are developed.

IPM Guidelines can be used in a number of ways: 1.) As a checklist for farmers to evaluate their on-farm pest management programs and identify areas where management can be improved; 2.) To verify and document that IPM is practiced on the farm; 3.) As an educational tool which describes the scope and complexity of IPM to farmers, government officials, community groups and the general public.

Definitions
The followings terms are used in calculating points in the IPM guidelines:

Category or Grand Total Practice Points
Refers to the sum of all possible practice points described within a category or individual crop guideline. For example, if a grower used every practice in the guideline, all points would apply.

Adjusted Category or Grand Total Practice Points
Refers to the sum of all practice points appropriate for the crop, within a category or guideline. Because some practices may not apply to the site being assessed, the points associated with that practice may be deducted from the Total Practice Points. Such practices are marked with an asterisk (*) within each guideline.

Bonus Points
Refers to points associated with practices which are of potential value to an IPM system, and are worthy of trial, but are experimental or require exceptional effort. Point values associated with these practices do not contribute to the Total Practice Points but, if the practice is completed, the points are added when calculating Grand Total Practice Points. Bonus points are labeled as such within the guidelines.

Cranberry

By Hilary Sandler

Soil Nutrient Management and Cultural Practices

1. Bog and ditch areas are properly managed to maximize drainage. All areas of the
   bog are capable of being flooded for proper winter protection. 20 pts
2. Trash is removed yearly from the bog by flooding. 10 pts
3. Trash from border areas is removed to prevent spread of plant disease. 10 pts
4. Bog is sanded at regular intervals. 10 pts
5. Bog is periodically held under a late water flood as an alternative strategy to
   reduce fruit rot or infestations of mites, Gypsy moths, false armyworm or
   cranberry fruitworm. 10 pts
6. Flumes are maintained to maximize tightness and minimize leakage. 10 pts
7. Bog has been managed to reduce overgrowth and to promote air circulation. 10 pts
8. Leaf tissue analysis, including nitrogen, is performed at least every two years. 5 pts
9. Fertilizers are applied utilizing the previous year's leaf tissue analysis as well as
   other appropriate crop and weather related factors. 5 pts
10. Records of fertilizer applications are kept. Abnormalities and response applications
    are noted as needed. 10 pts
11. Fertilizers are applied in a program using approved materials in accordance to their
    respective uptake and mobility properties. 10 pts

Category Total 110 pts
Adjusted Total ______ pts

1. If a scout or consultant is employed, a specific scout safety program is followed. 10 pts
2. In cranberry farms where multiple management units exist, records of monitoring data
   and pesticide applications are kept separately for individual bogs or management units. 10 pts
3. Records of dates of holding-water within the farm system after pesticide applications
   are maintained. 5 pts
4. Chemigation system gives complete coverage of bog. 10 pts
5. Spraying of sensitive areas is prevented by half-heads or spray guards where necessary. 10 pts
6. Chemigation system includes gate valves to allow for partial treatment of system. 10 pts
7. Chemigation system is operating at its optimal Coefficient of Uniformity. 10 pts

Category Total 65 pts
Adjusted Total ______ pts

1. Crop stages are recorded at least weekly from scattered bloom onward. 5 pts
2. Percent bloom counts are used to time fungicide applications. 5 pts
3. Fungicide applications are made according to Extension recommendations. 5 pts
4. When a disease is suspected, vine samples are collected and brought to an
   appropriate laboratory for diagnosis. 10 pts
5. Irrigation is routinely scheduled to minimize the available infection period for fruit
   rot fungi. 10 pts

Category Total 35 pts
Adjusted Total ______ pts

1. Sweep samples are taken weekly from early May through scattered bloom to
   monitor for presence and abundance of insect pests, as appropriate for any
   individual management unit. 25 pts
2. Insecticide applications are applied only when supported by appropriate monitoring
   and when action thresholds are exceeded. 25 pts
3. Where the cranberry girdler is a frequent pest, treatments are timed to
   pheromone trap captures. *5 pts
4. Where the blackheaded fireworm is a frequent pest, treatments are timed to
   pheromone trap captures. *5 pts
5. Where the Sparganothis fruitworm is a frequent pest, treatments are timed to
   pheromone trap captures. *5 pts
6. Populations of susceptible lepidopteran pests that exceed recommended action
   thresholds are managed with application Bacillus thuringiensis products. 10 pts
7. Cranberry fruitworm management is based upon the phenology of the cranberry
   plant. Fruit are inspected at regular recommended intervals. Subsequent treatment
   is made when the number of unhatched viable eggs exceeds the action threshold. 10 pts
8. Where cranberry girdler is a frequent pest, alternative management techniques
   such as sanding, September flooding or entomophagous nematodes are used. *10 pts
9. No insecticides are applied for cranberry tipworm. 10 pts

Category Total 105 pts
Adjusted Total ______ pts

1. A weed survey map is made before harvest. 10 pts
2. Weed management, including herbicide selection and rates, is determined using the
   previous year's weed survey. 10 pts
3. Non-chemical weed management techniques, such as hand-pulling woody perennials
   or clipping annual weeds, are utilized. 5 pts
4. Where appropriate, spot treatment of weed area is used instead of broadcast
   treatment of bogs. *10 pts
5. A mowing program is followed to reduce weed seed populations on ditch banks. 10 pts
6. Where dodder is a frequent pest, pre-emergence herbicide applications are made in
   response to dodder seedling emergence. *10 pts
7. If dodder is a frequent pest and fruit is harvested in water, booms are cleaned
   and rinsed between harvested units to minimize seed transport. *10 pts
8. The UMass Extension weed priority system is utilized to assist in the formulation of
   a weed management program. 10 pts

Category Total 75 pts
Adjusted Total ______ pts

1. Manager attends one or more UMass Extension-approved IPM workshops during
   the year. 10 pts
2. Manager subscribes to the UMass Extension Cranberry IPM Newsletter. 10 pts

Category Total 20 pts
Adjusted Total ______ pts

Grand Total 410 pts
Adjusted Grand Total ______ pts
Percentage of adjusted total %

Selected IPM Articles:
2001 Annual Report
2002 Proposal
Integrated Pest Management: Overview
IPM Guidelines: Cranberry