Apple leafcurling midge is an important quarantine pest for New Zealand apple exports. Season-long pheromone trapping was conducted in Hawke’s Bay and Nelson from 2004—2017, and from 2012—2017 in Central Otago. Four generations occurred annually in Hawke’s Bay and Nelson and 3—4 in Central Otago. In Hawke’s Bay and Nelson, the timing of each peak varied by about 3—4 weeks between years, while the difference was ~2—3 weeks in Central Otago during fewer years of monitoring. Hawke’s Bay was up to a month earlier than Central Otago for the same peak within individual years. The major factor behind this variability was the accumulated number of growing degree-days. Insecticide sprays target midge larvae, but are timed against the second and third peaks of adult emergence. Variations in the timing of these peaks annually and across the main pipfruit growing regions, mean that specific insecticide timing recommendations are necessary each year for each region.

Apple leafcurling midge (ALCM) is an important quarantine pest of New Zealand apples. Current methods for ALCM control have difficulty meeting the strict phytosanitary standards of some export markets. ‘Lure and kill’ is a new strategy against this pest, in which males are attracted to an insecticide-treated substrate where they collect a lethal dose. Trials were conducted using a gel matrix “Specialized Pheromone & Lure Application Technology” (SPLATâ„¢) to dispense and release the ALCM sex pheromone and the insecticide permethrin. Lures using SPLATâ„¢ were placed within plastic cylinder traps that collected the dead midges so they could be counted to determine treatment efficacy. The size, shape and age of SPLATâ„¢ spots influenced midge catches. Higher catches occurred with spots having a larger quantity of pheromone, greater surface area of SPLATâ„¢, or with fresh material. The implications for the development of a lure and kill strategy for ALCM are discussed.

Export markets require highquality fruit free from insects and mites of quarantine significance and with minimal or no agrichemical residues This presents a challenge for New Zealands pipfruit sector when developing novel pest management systems to meet these market requirements Brushbed apple washers are an important component of a systems approach to remove insects and mites in packhouses before fruit are exported A new apple washer using multinozzle rotors significantly reduced the incidence of insects and mites on apples Weathered residues of kaolin and hydrated lime were similarly reduced by this apple washer Assessment of fruit quality after apple washing and cool storage did not identify any commercially significant quality issues on the three apple cultivars examined Apple washer design to optimise pest removal from all locations on the fruit is discussed

Grapholita molesta (Oriental Fruit Moth OFM) primarily infests stonefruit but overseas it has adapted to pipfruit and become a major pest of apples and pears in some places The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of OFM in New Zealand apple orchards Pheromone trapping was conducted in five apple growing regions in 201415 and repeated in Hawkes Bay and Nelson in 201516 No OFM was found in Gisborne (three orchards) Nelson (six) or Central Otago (seven) but it was recorded on one of six Waikato orchards In Hawkes Bay OFM occurred on 23/36 orchards although on 15 properties le;7 moths/trap/year were caught However traps in two orchards caught over 100 moths/year The few OFM collected on some orchards may have been strays from nearby stonefruit orchards but the high numbers in these two apple orchard blocks suggested the populations were established The implications of OFM becoming an apple pest or reaching the South Island are discussed

The sterile insect technique (SIT) is increasingly being evaluated as a potential complementary strategy for pest suppression or elimination New Zealands export fruit sector has an imperative to meet strict international phytosanitary requirements together with increasing market demand for residuefree produce SIT is a pestspecific method of insect control that can complement current Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies Successful SIT presents significant challenges the target pest must be a good candidate for suppression and strong stakeholder and community commitment is required to achieve and maintain suppression until areawide elimination is achieved Emerging sterilisation technologies and refinement of existing methods are making this technology progressively more efficient and costeffective This study reviewed the advantages of including SIT in an IPM programme and described the first use of codling moth SIT in New Zealand A pilot programme is currently underway to evaluate its potential to achieve local elimination of codling moth in Central Hawkes Bay apple orchards

High pressure washing (HPW) before packing removes horticultural surface pests and other contaminants, and can improve access to international markets. The most widely used HPW system uses multiple rows of manifolds each equipped with nozzles directed downwards onto rotating brushes, typically at pressures of about 690 kPa (100 psi). In New Zealand, our need to enhance market access has led to the development of a range of innovations to the basic HPW concept. Two novel systems developed involve short treatment times (1-2 s) of singulated fruit. One involves a three-nozzle treatment system (side and top nozzles), while the other employs an overhead high-speed spinning rotor with inward pointing nozzles. Successful commercialisation of these and other technical developments has been achieved in avocado, lime and apple, with other applications being developed for capsicum, kiwifruit and various root crops including parsnip and taro. The variety of systems developed in New Zealand seeks to achieve cost-effective washers that are tailored for each fruit crop and target insect or contaminant. This has improved market access and reduced biosecurity risks.

New Zealand apple growers have continually adapted their crop protection systems to meet international phytosanitary standards and supermarket demands for food safety from sustainable production systems. Until the mid-1990s crop protection programmes were dominated by organophosphate (OP) insecticides needed to meet phytosanitary requirements alone. The development of customer assurance programmes by European supermarkets from the mid-1990s led to changes in crop protection practices, leading to the widespread adoption of Integrated Fruit Production (IFP) by 2001. Total insecticide applications had decreased by 65% and OP insecticides by 99% with small increases in codling moth risk. Addressing stringent residue restrictions in European markets and codling moth phytostanitary requirements in other markets required a harmonised approach for pest management in export crops. Apple Futures was developed in 2008 to achieve average residues at harvest that were <= 10% of the EU residue tolerances, while still meeting the phytosanitary requirements of many pest-sensitive Asian markets. Apple Futures is now deployed on similar to 70% of national production and is based on selective and biological insecticides and increasing use of mating disruption for codling moth and leafrollers. Fungicide use remains relatively unchanged, albeit with much lower average residues at harvest, but insecticide use and residues have decreased significantly. Since the mid-1990s the total insecticide loading has declined from 13.7 to 1.3 kg a.i. per ha in 2014 while all residues were <= 10% of EU tolerances. Under Apple Futures strategies codling moth larval incidence has declined as have some previously important pest groups (e.g., leafrollers), through enhanced biological control.

Pest management in New Zealands pipfruit Integrated Fruit Production (IFP) programme relies on selective pesticides biological control and pheromone mating disruption The current situation is potentially precarious and one concern the impact of less selective pesticides was tested Apple trees received synthetic pyrethroid (deltamethrin) sprays during the first half of two growing seasons Beneficial and pest species were monitored monthly from November to April Treated trees had fewer predatory bugs (91 100 reduction) lacewings (64100) earwigs (80100) predatory mites (67100) spiders (2064) and Hymenoptera (1649) than untreated trees Ladybird numbers varied depending on the assessment method Outbreaks of phytophagous mites and woolly scale and Froggatts apple leafhopper on untreated trees Factors that make pest management under IFP vulnerable in the future include a loss of biological control and the consequences of new pests establishing

Apple Futures was a 3year initiative (200810) to implement a low pesticide residue production system for New Zealand apple growers targeting European Union (EU) supermarket food safety initiatives Its objectives included reducing pesticide residues to 8804;10 of the EU maximum residue limit and a maximum of three residues detected in any sample By 2010 >65 of export crops were grown following the Apple Futures programme that maximised early season disease management repositioned all pesticide use to minimise residues and increased use of noninsecticidal methods No insecticide residues were detected in 72 of crops while the remainder had very low residues New Zealands maritime climate restricted disease management outcomes; low residues of captan were found in most crops only 9 had no fungicide residues An economic analysis of Apple Futures found no impact on production costs while it preserved 113M in market revenue from EU exports between 2008 and 2011

New pest management practices in New Zealands apple sector have provided ecological and economic outcomes that are recognised by growers and exporters Integrated Fruit Production (IFP) pest control systems that combine biological control selective insecticides and mating disruption have been developed to achieve these outcomes Although pest management in apple orchards is now more sustainable it is also highly vulnerable to pesticideinduced disruption The toxicity of four pesticides (spinetoram thiacloprid spinosad and spirotetramat) on the natural enemy of woolly apple aphid Aphelinus mali was examined While applications of spinetoram were the primary cause of aphid outbreaks in 200708 other insecticides can contribute to the instability of this biocontrol system The consequences of applying these disruptive pesticides to aphid control are discussed together with strategies to mitigate the vulnerability of the IFP programme to pest outbreaks

Apple Futures was a research implementation project designed to produce export quality ultralow residue apples while meeting the phytosanitary requirements of over 60 countries In 3 years from 2007/08 to 2009/10 seasons it was successfully implemented on 65 of New Zealands export apple crop with a benefitcost ratio of 30 times the value of the investment The process of developing and implementing Apple Futures is the subject of a case study on coinnovation an approach to solving complex problems that engages multiple stakeholders throughout research and extension initiatives to enhance adoption and impact A new innovation system analysis framework was used to identify key coinnovation learnings These included the importance of trust amongst participants learning together a clear agenda for change and monitoring and evaluating progress towards that change agenda Findings are discussed in the context of maximising impact in innovation projects in New Zealands primary sector

Spray Plan Manager (SPM) is a decision support tool that helps users manage and document agrichemical use plans for compliance and for environmental and user risk reduction Refined and relaunched in 2013 at wwwsprayplanconz SPM has a base user group of 1700 registered plans across 76 crop types SPM takes agrichemical users through a stepwise property spray plan development SPM uses online GIS mapping to assist in agrichemical risk management around identified sensitive areas SPM uses agrichemical HSNO hazard classifications to describe personal protective equipment requirements for agrichemical mixing and application operations For ongoing management of boundary and sensitive areas spray drift risks can be estimated using forecast wind speed wind direction humidity and temperature SPM ranks drift conditions on a scale from 1 (suitable) to 4 (unsuitable) and displays the usersupplied forecast directional risks on the property map This has introduced a near realtime management component into annual spray plan operations Annually produced property spray plans are an agrichemical use requirement under most regional plans The new SPM was designed to assist users in this compliance task while also improving user education and outcomes around the safe effective and responsible use of agrichemicals

New Zealand apple growers need to produce crops that satisfy conflicting export market requirements Some markets want pestfree fruit while others demand residuefree fruit Pheromone mating disruption combined with the judicious use of insecticides enables crops to meet both demands This study in 14 Hawkes Bay apple orchards showed that seasonal pheromone trap catch was reduced by 70 from 401 codling moths/trap in the season before mating disruption was introduced to 117 moths/trap over the subsequent five seasons In the same period insecticide use reduced from 59 applications/season in 2006 07 to 23 in 200708 and 37 since 200809 The incidence of larvae in fruit where mating disruption operated averaged 001 which was lower than in orchards using insecticides only Damage increased from 200809 with greater reliance on codling moth granulosis virus over residual insecticides Nevertheless mating disruption with 34 insecticide sprays controlled codling moth to the high standard needed

Agrichemical users face increasing pressures to adhere to and document safe and responsible use practices Many requirements are set by the Resource Management (RMA) and Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (HSNO) legislation Additional use and user requirements are dictated by market expectations for residues and adherence to different GAP programmes Widespread adoption of industry relevant user training programmes is arguably the most effective way to achieve safe and effective agrichemical use in New Zealand RMA requirements under all Regional Plans in the country require some level of agrichemical user training with HSNO legislation requiring separate approved handler (AH) certification for at least one person on most properties With over 50000 farms and horticultural properties in NZ the estimated agrichemical user trainee population is well over 100000 people GROWSAFE and AH certificate numbers from 200409 after the 2004 enactment of the HSNO legislation for agrichemicals averaged 9900 per annum These certificates are required to be renewed every 5 years but average trainee numbers from 200812 dropped to only 4950 per annum Training requirements and outcome expectations are reviewed in light of these declining trainee numbers and a new industryfocussed training initiative is described

Codling moth (Cydia pomonella) and leafrollers principally lightbrown apple moth (Epiphyas postvittana) are key pests of apples Pheromone mating disruption has until now required separate dispensers to be deployed for each pest group With 6001000 dispensers per ha for each species application costs are a significant factor limiting the wider adoption of multispecies mating disruption in New Zealand apple orchards The aim was to integrate the two disruption systems into a single dispenser and evaluate its performance against that of separate dispensers in paired block comparisons on four apple orchards The three measures of effectiveness pheromone trap catch suppression of moth mating and fruit damage at harvest all showed no statistical differences between the two treatments The performance of the new combination pheromone dispenser was equivalent to that when the two dispensers were deployed separately

Systems approaches to managing risks on a pathway are increasingly seen as alternatives to singlepoint risk management treatments applied at the border One key challenge of systems approaches is the difficulty in measuring risk management effectiveness across an entire pathway comprising many complex processes The World Trade Organisation (WTO) agreement on the application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary measures (SPS) states that measures must be applied only to the extent required to achieve an appropriate degree of sanitary/phytosanitary protection (not unnecessarily traderestrictive) and must use sciencebased risk assessment The framework for import risk analysis within the scope of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) is outlined in the International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs) Although a systems approach and independent risk reduction system processes are described in various ISPMs the methodology for determining risk across an entire pathway with complex processes is not This contribution reviews methodologies with potential for such use

Predation has been proposed as one of the possible reasons for the decline in apple leafcurling midge (ALCM) activity and damage observed in Hawkes Bay orchards in recent years Sejanus albisignata is a generalist predator and commonly found in apple orchards To establish if there is any relationship between ALCM and S albisignata populations of both species were monitored during 201112 on four apple orchards in Hawkes Bay Nymphs and adults of S albisignata were counted on 100 ALCM infested shoots per orchard at weekly intervals Sex pheromone traps were used to monitor numbers of male ALCM weekly throughout the season in the same orchards Sejanus albisignata and ALCM activity was well synchronized with the timing of generations one two and three of S albisignata coinciding with the second third and fourth generations of ALCM There was also a significant positive correlation between the numbers of S albisignata in each generation and the number of ALCM males trapped for each of the corresponding ALCM generations These relationships suggest that S albisignata may contribute towards ALCM control but further studies of their feeding behaviour and numerical responses are required to determine its actual contribution towards biological control of ALCM

The recolonisation of a 2.2 ha apple block by three leafroller species was studied in autumn in each of 2 years, 1-4 months after an intensive organophosphate insecticide programme finished. Two transects at right angles, each bisecting the block, were set up with 16 stations located 0-40 m in from each side and one in the centre. Between 60 and 80% of larvae, shoot damage, pheromone and molasses bait trap catches were recorded within 10 m of the outermost trees. The presence of leafroller-hosting trees adjacent to the orchard had a major influence on the spatial pattern of infestation. Adult leafrollers were trapped throughout the study, but few larvae and little shoot damage appeared until 3-4 months after spraying stopped. Ctenopseustis obliquana (51%) and Planotortrix octo (44%) comprised the majority of larvae. Compared with these proportions, catches in bait and pheromone traps under-represented C. obliquana, but over-represented Epiphyas postvittana. Almost 4 months after spraying ended, the parasitism rate (3%) and parasitoid species diversity had not recovered to levels at sites where organophosphates were not used. The implications of these results for current integrated fruit production practices are discussed.