If left unchecked, fire blight can decimate pear and apple orchards. Now that antibiotics can no longer be used by organic growers to manage the disease, it is vital to explore the alternatives. The session features lessons learned from a systems approach to fire-blight control that has been successfully used by dozens of organic orchardists in Washington, who maintain compliance for export to the European Union. California has some very different weather situations but no less need for alternatives; research focussing on pears in this state will also be presented.The speakers will go over methods for fire blight management, including sanitation, vigor control, spray coverage, varietal susceptibility, and sequence and timing of control materials.
This workshop is approved for 1.5 Integrated Pest Management CEUs for Certified Crop Advisors and 1.5 Other CEUs for Pest Control Advisors.