Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1170186
10 A L M O N D O R C H A R D 2 0 2 5 G O A L S PEST MANAGEMENT some damage, and when total losses are considered, NOW damage at the 2% reject level can cost growers about $450 an acre – that's $4,500 for a ten-acre plot. In comparison, according to Jonathan Hoff, CEO of Monte Vista Farming Company in Modesto, a good NOW control program, including sanitation, sprays and pheromone for MD, costs about $250 per acre – a savings of $2,000 per ten-acre plot. Alexi Rodriguez, director of Operations at Campos Brothers Farms in Caruthers, said the industry spent roughly $1.46 million in 2018, and $2.85 million in 2017, to re-sort loads that failed pre-export testing. She pointed out that such activities add to processing costs, leading ultimately to lower prices paid to growers. According to Lewis, this makes a strong economic case for investing more in NOW control. "Several of the speakers helped growers see what they lose when they don't have good NOW control and encouraged them to invest more than a small amount of money in control, because they do get it back," Lewis said. New tools and research efforts Beyond the efforts shared at the Navel Orangeworm Summit, more work is being done to win the war against NOW. At ABC's Almond Quality and Food Safety Symposium on June 12, Themis Michailides, a plant pathologist at the UC Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Parlier, presented a new tool that recently became available for almonds. Interestingly, the tool is aimed not at attacking the insect that helps carry and spread the dangerous fungus but at targeting the fungus itself. Known as AF36, this tool is a harmless strain of Aspergillus – harmless because it does not produce toxins – that is introduced to orchards on sterilized sorghum seed. When irrigated, the fungus produces and releases spores that compete with and largely displace toxin-producing (bad) forms of Aspergillus. This reduces levels of "bad" Aspergillus in the soil and in harvested crops, leading to lower levels of aflatoxin. "We want to promote an increase in use of AF36," Michailides said. "In 2018, just a few almond growers used it and we think there is significantly more potential for this." ABC also announced earlier this year that it would invest an additional $1 million toward the development of Sterile Insect Technology (SIT), which involves releasing sterilized NOW males into orchards to inhibit successful mating. SIT has worked in eradicating other pests such as pink bollworm in cotton, and there is hope it could provide another valuable weapon for almond growers in eradicating NOW. "Putting $1 million of growers' dollars towards NOW research demonstrates our seriousness in combating this pest," said ABC President and CEO Richard Waycott. "We want to explore all available options to find effective controls for NOW." The Almond Board is determined to help almond growers effectively control NOW and continue to decrease populations. In fact, effective NOW management is an integral part of the industry's Almond Orchard 2025 Goal to increase adoption of environmentally friendly pest management tools by 25%. Jonathan Hoff of Monte Vista Farming Company spoke to summit attendees about the costs related to NOW damage from a processing perspective.