DEVELOPMENT OF HOP INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES

Dr James D. Barbour, Assistant Professor, Department of Plant, Soil, and Entomological Sciences, University of Idaho, Parma, ID

The University of Idaho hop pest management program is located in Southwestern Idaho at the Parma Research and Extension Center, 45 miles northwest of Boise, ID. The program is part of the University of Idaho Department of Plant, Soil, and Entomological Sciences, and conducts applied and basic research leading towards integrated management practices for pests of hop. I have been involved in hop pest management research at the University of Idaho since 1996. The goal of the Hop Program is a balanced combination of basic and applied research directed towards the development of integrated management strategies for hop pests. This dual focus serves the long-term and short-term needs of hop growers. Our basic research contributes towards our understanding of the biology and ecology of these pests, their natural enemies, and their host-plants, leading to enhancement of existing, and development of new, pest management strategies. Our applied research contributes to the near-term pest management needs of hop growers in Idaho and other hop producing regions of the Pacific Northwest. Research projects currently in progress focus on the chemical ecology and management of the California prionus, Prionus californicus, and biology and management of the twospotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae.

Our research with P. californicus is investigating pheromone-mediation of mating behavior in this insect and the potential use of pheromones for management of this important pest in hop. We have demonstrated that female P. californicus produce a volatile pheromone that is a highly potent attractant for males, and are currently synthesizing candidate compounds for lab and field testing to verify activity of the synthetic pheromone and to test the potential pest management application as a mass trapping or mating disruption agent. Our work with P. californicus is a collaborative effort with Dr. Jocelyn Millar at the University of California at Riverside and Dr. Lawrence Hanks at the Univeristy of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Our research T. urticae is currently focused on development of meaningful economic thresholds for this pest in hop.