2021-2022 Fruit Pest Management Guide - What is New?

By: Melanie Lewis Ivey, Assistant Professor, Extension Fruit Pathologist, Department of Plant Pathology

You probably noticed that in 2020 we did not publish an updated Midwest Fruit Pest Management Guide (although updates were added to the on-line version). This was because the Midwest Fruit IPM Working Group spent 2020 working on a new format for the guide. The new format is driven by a database and will allow the group to develop a mobile-friendly version of the guide. The printed copy of the guide will continue to be revised every other year, with critical updates/corrections made in real-time to the on-line version of the guide.

For the 2021-2022 publication changes were made to the apple and grape sections only. The new format provides users  with same  information  as previous guides but is more concise and in our opinion easier to understand. Over the next two years we will transition the other crops in the guide to this format.

The grape and apple sections now include charts displaying pest emergence by stage and tables that incorporate product efficacy, REI, and PHI into the spray charts. The new charts (Figure 1) allow users to make side by side comparisons of products for efficacy and target pests throughout the crop season! Instructions on how to make the most of the new charts are also included.

Figure 1. Example of the new chart format in the Midwest Fruit Pest management Guide that allow users to make side by side comparisons of products for efficacy and target pests. Table layout and database development was supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Crop Protection and Pest Management Program through the North Central IPM Center (2018-70006-28883).

We welcome your comments, criticisms and suggestions on the newly formatted apple and grape sections. A short on-line survey has been set up to collect your feedback. Even if you don't grow apples or grapes, we appreciate your feedback to improve the new layout design and its usefulness and effectiveness. The new layout for apple and grape will be applied to the remaining crops in the 2022 guide.

You can access the survey by scanning the QR Code below or you can click here. If you don’t have access to the internet and want to give us your feedback you can call an OSU Extension Specialist or your county Extension office. We will record and submit your feedback.

As with all pesticide spray guides, the recommendations for product usage (i.e., rate, PHI, REI, number of applications) are based on information provided in the product label. Remember, the label is the law!

How to get a copy of the 2021-2022 Midwest Fruit Pest Management Guide?

Download for free. To download a free digital copy of the 2021-2022 guide, click here (go.osu.edu/2021fruitpestguide)

Purchase from the Purdue Website. A print copy can be purchased directly from Purdue University at a cost of $15 (plus shipping) per copy.

Purchase from OSU. Print copies can be purchased directly from OSU at a cost of $15 per copy. There is no charge for shipping. Due to the state mandated COVID-19 restrictions in-person pick-ups are not permitted at this time.

You can request a print copy of the guide by contacting your county OSU Extension office or Dr. Melanie Lewis Ivey (ivey.14@osu.edu; 330-263-3849). Cheques should be made out to "The Ohio State University" and mailed to Melanie Ivey, Department of Plant Pathology, 1680 Madison Avenue, Wooster, OH 44691. Please do not send cash through the mail.