Year-Round IPM Program Pages
When planning for possible pesticide applications in an IPM program, consult the Pest Management Guidelines, and review and complete this checklist to consider practices that minimize environmental and efficacy problems.
Choose a pesticide from the UC IPM Pest Management Guidelines for the target pest considering:
- Impact on natural enemies and honey bees.
- Potential for water quality problems using the UC IPM WaterTox database.
- Impact on aquatic invertebrates. (See Pesticide Choice publication )
- Chemical mode of action (based on efficacy, spectrum of activity, and pesticide resistance). Select an alternative chemical or nonchemical treatment when resistance risk is high (For more information, see Fungicide Efficacy for Apricot Diseases).
Before an application
- Ensure that spray equipment is properly calibrated to deliver the desired pesticide amount for optimal coverage.
- Use appropriate spray nozzles and pressure to minimize off-site movement of pesticides.
- Avoid spraying during these conditions:
- Wind speed over 10 and under 3 mph
- Temperature inversions
- Just prior to rain or irrigation (unless it is an appropriate amount, such as when incorporating a soil-applied pesticide)
- At tractor speeds over 2 mph
- Identify and take special care to protect sensitive areas (for example, waterways or riparian areas) surrounding your application site.
- Review and follow label for pesticide handling, storage, and disposal guidelines.
- Check and follow restricted entry intervals (REI) and preharvest intervals (PHI).
After an application:
- Record application date, product used, rate, and location of application.
- Follow up to confirm that treatment was effective.
Consider water management practices that reduce pesticide movement off-site.
- Consult relevant publications
- Orchard Floor Management to Reduce Erosion , UC ANR Publication 8202
- Causes and Management of Runoff from Surface Irrigation in Orchards , UC ANR Publication 8214
- Protecting Surface Water from Sediment-Associated Pesticides in Furrow Irrigated Crops , UC ANR Publication 8403
- Consult the Department of Pesticide Regulation Ground Water Protection Program (GWPA) website for pesticide information and mitigation measures.
- Limit irrigation to amount required using soil moisture and evapotranspiration (ET) monitoring.
- Install an irrigation recirculation or storage and reuse system.
- Use drip rather than sprinkler or flood irrigation.
- Consider the use of cover crops.
- Consider vegetative filter strips or ditches.
- Install sediment traps.
- Use polyacrylamide (PAM) tablets in furrow irrigation systems to prevent off-site movement of sediments.
- Apply polyacrylamides in sprinkler irrigation systems to prevent runoff.
- Redesign inlets into tailwater ditches to reduce erosion.
Consider management practices that reduce air quality problems.
- When possible, reduce volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions by decreasing the amount of pesticide applied, choosing low-emission management methods, and avoiding emulsifiable concentrate (EC) formulations.