Integrated Pest Management- Combatting Hull Rot & Mites

This video focuses on integrated pest management (IPM) strategies for almond orchards, specifically addressing hull rot and mite infestations. It covers the major pathogens causing hull rot, factors contributing to its development, and strategies for cultural, chemical, and irrigation management. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of understanding mite biology, monitoring populations, and using natural enemies for control, along with providing guidelines for threshold levels and the use of different miticides.

After completing this course, learners will be able to:

• Understand the three major factors contributing to disease: pathogens, host factors, and environmental conditions.
• Recognize the primary pathogens causing hull rot in almonds: Monilinia, Rhizopus, and Aspergillus niger, and identify the symptoms and effects of hull rot on almond trees, including branch and shoot dieback.
• Implement integrated hull rot management by combining cultural practices like deficit irrigation and nitrogen management with chemical control, and apply chemical controls at optimal stages, particularly during hull split.
• Utilize strategic deficit irrigation to reduce hull rot incidence without compromising tree health and yield.
• Understand IPM as an ecological and economical decision-making process, accurately identifying pests and their natural enemies for effective monitoring.
• Differentiate between non-web-spinning and web-spinning spider mites, and conduct dormant spur sampling and leaf sampling for mite monitoring.
• Promote natural predators like Western predatory mites and six-spotted thrips, and follow UC IPM treatment thresholds to avoid unnecessary pesticide use, adjusting strategies based on environmental conditions to manage mite populations.