Pesticides
Growers in Washington State work continually to reduce their use of pesticides. Like other farmers around the country, orchardists are trying to control pest damage by working with, rather than against nature. Growers are relying more and more on natural pest enemies, pest-resistant varieties, pest monitoring, cultural practices and other methods to minimize the need for agrichemicals such as pesticides. The field of pest management may soon offer other alternatives to pesticides. In the meantime, growers and pesticide applicators have a heightened awareness of environmental and safety issues.
Today’s pesticides have a shorter life span in the environment, are effective in smaller quantities and are applied with much greater precision than those used in the past. Science has developed pesticides that kill damaging insects while allowing beneficial insects to survive.
Growers use models of pest and disease life cycles to determine the best times to spray so that needed chemicals are used efficiently.
Use of pesticides is strictly regulated by federal and state laws. Two federal agencies regulate the safety and use of pesticides. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) determines the types of agrichemicals and the way they may be used. EPA standards, established through a complex review system, help keep pesticide residues on fresh produce at safe levels. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) assures compliance with those standards by inspecting produce before shipment and at the market.
Pesticides undergo careful testing under controlled laboratory conditions. The laboratory tests include both short and long-term studies to determine the effects of pesticides on human health. The outcome of these and other studies is the basis upon which the federal government sets the standards for use of pesticides.
The most obvious benefit of agrichemical use is low-cost and abundant availability of food. Pesticides have controlled the spread of plant diseases, rodents and insects that could devastate crops through entire states. As a result, bountiful harvests are a normal part of today’s standard of living.
New Pest Control Systems
An example of the industry's new pest control systems is a pheromone confusion program used to control the codling moth, also known as the apple worm. The program makes it difficult for the male codling moth to find the female codling moth. Small packets tied onto trees emit pheromones at very low levels that are not found on the fruit or the tree.
In 1995, the pheromone confusion program was used on 25,000 acres of Washington State orchards and agents at the Washington State University Cooperative Extension Service say the program is very effective and more ecologically sound than spraying with synthetic insecticides.
Organic Orcharding
While the entire Washington apple industry has been working to reduce pesticide use, growers have also taken the step to organic orcharding, dramatically increasing organic acreage in recent years.
All of the State’s nine key varieties, and a few additional varieties, are available as organics. Organic orcharding uses no synthetic or man-made products. Pest control materials used by organic growers are usually derived from plant extracts or the fermentations of yeast. Natural methods to control pests are used, including the use of common predators and systems that bait and trap pests.
In addition, certified organic apples can only be processed on equipment using belts, brushes and water specially cleaned and prepared to handle organic fruit. So, whether through new methods such as the pheromone confusion program, or through organic orcharding, Washington State apple growers continue to reduce or eliminate the use of agrichemicals for pest control.