ISHS Acta Horticulturae 367: VI International Symposium on Pear Growing
FROM CONVENTIONAL TO INTEGRATED FRUIT PRODUCTION: A COMPARISON OF PEAR PEST MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS IN EUROPE, THE UNITED STATES AND SOUTH AMERICA |
| Author: | H. Riedl |
| Abstract:
The pear-growing regions in Europe, the United States and South America share many of the major pear pests such as the codling moth, Cydia pomonella, pear psylla, Psylla sp., various spider mites and scale insects. Their importance varies with the area depending on climatic and growing conditions. In addition to these cosmopolitan pest species, there are other pest arthropods which are of more regional or local importance. For many years the pest control programs in the major pear-growing regions of the world were quite similar. They relied on the almost exclusive use of conventional chemical pesticides for the control of insects, mites and diseases to produce blemish-free fruit demanded by the market. The problems with this approach to plant protection are well known and are widely documented. As a result, the pest management programs in some pear-growing areas, particularly in Europe, have undergone major changes over the last decade. This was a gradual process with the objective of developing more stable pest management programs which are less reliant on agricultural chemicals. Many pear-growing areas in Europe are shifting now to a production system in which all production-related activities are adjusted and optimized in order to keep the use of chemical inputs (broadspectrum insecticides and acaricides, herbicides, fungicides, fertilizers, etc.) to the absolute minimum. This production system has come to be known as Integrated Fruit Production or IFP and is already widely used by many European pear growers. IFP guidelines are clearly identified in the marketplace with special labels as a more healthful alternative to fruit from conventional production. Similar programs are not in place in the United States or in South America, where pears are still produced with high inputs of conventional agricultural chemicals. Integrated Fruit Production is largely an unknown concept outside the European pear-growing regions. Reasons why the European pear grower is ahead in the acceptance and implementation of IFP and what impedes similar progress in the United States and South America will be discussed. | |
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