California won't use aerial pheromone spray for moth
California has abandoned plans to use airplanes to spray pheromones over urban areas infested by light brown apple moth (LBAM). Calif. Secretary of Food and Ag. A.G. Kawamura announced a different approach. "Since we discovered the light brown apple moth in California in early 2007, we have invested in the development of alternatives that would improve our eradication efforts," he said. "That work is bearing fruit earlier than expected. We are fast-tracking an approach known as the sterile insect technique, in which large quantities of sterilized, infertile insects are released so that the wild population cannot reproduce." CDFA hopes sterile insect technology, still in the research stage, will be available in 2 years. The moth poses a significant danger to California agriculture and the environment if allowed to spread and become established in the state, so early eradication is vital.
Nurseryman fears future spray backlash
A California nurseryman hopes the failure of an airborne approach to fighting light brown apple moth won't create fear and distrust when the next pest comes along. Dave Cavanaugh, facilitator for a LBAM task force and owner of Cavanaugh Color, a wholesale perennial nursery in Watsonville, said public perception that the state was crying wolf about LBAM could hurt future efforts to control pests. The next time a serious pest comes up, he told the Watsonville Register Pajaronian newspaper, the anti-spray position will be emboldened. Opponents of the pheromone spray program already have signaled that they will fight any future efforts to spray pesticides, based on their success with halting the pheromone spray.
Citrus greening confirmed in Louisiana
In June, APHIS confirmed the presence of citrus greening from a residence in Algiers, Orleans Parish, La. The disease was found on a lime tree — the same tree where an Asian citrus psyllid had previously been found. The Asian citrus psyllid is a vector of citrus greening. This is the first confirmation of the disease in Louisiana. APHIS is researching the source of the tree. Delimiting and detection surveys at residential properties, commercial groves and retail and production nurseries have found the psyllid at 4 retail nurseries and 34 residential properties in Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines and St. Charles parishes. 3 adult psyllids were collected at a retail outlet in Lafourche Parish. The state will likely establish a parallel quarantine, which requires APHIS to quarantine only those parishes in which the psyllid or citrus greening is present.
Delray Plants receives VeriFlora certification
Delray Plants' Venus, Fla., facility has earned the Sustainably Produced Certification from Scientific Certification Systems. The certification is awarded to companies who meet the compliance criteria associated with the VeriFlora standards. Delray Plants is the 1st potted foliage producer and the 5th potted ornamental plant producer in North Amer. to attain the sustainability certification. Some of the standards include pest management, potting soil/media fertility, production yields, energy efficiency, carbon footprint, integrated waste management, water conservation and ecosystem protection.
Researchers find nearly constant leaf temperature
The temperature inside a healthy, photosynthesizing tree leaf is affected less by outside environmental temperatures than originally believed, according to new research from biologists at Univ. of Pa. Surveying 39 tree species from subtropical to boreal climates, researchers found a nearly constant temperature in tree leaves. The research suggests trees use a combination of purely physical phenomena — like the cooling from water evaporation or the warming caused by packing a lot of leaves together — to maintain what looks like leaf-temperature homeostasis, said Brent Helliker, Univ. of Pa. biology professor. This homeostasis of leaf temperature means that in colder climates leaf temperatures are elevated and in warmer climates tree leaves cool to reach optimal conditions for photosynthesis. Therefore, methods that assume leaf temperature is fixed to ambient air require new consideration, he said.
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