Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
present in the orchard after an application, at a time when growers and
PCAs were used to seeing them dead. Mating disruption requires confi-
dence in monitoring population models and that breaking the life cycle
of an insect can be as effective as killing a pest. Many of the new pesti-
cides are not only specific to species but also specific to life stage (e.g.,
larva).
Most partnerships try to facilitate growers learning about the value of
enhanced monitoring services. Almond BIOS used earlier UC research to
create an agroecological orchard monitoring form—customized to
almond farming—that included pest status (none/low/medium/high/
treatable) plus beneficial insect presence, diseases, and tree health. In
keeping with their populist ideals, the BIOS pioneers hoped growers
would learn how to monitor their own orchard, but that goal was essen-
tially abandoned when growers did not do it. Grower monitoring
conflicts with the dominant division of pest-management labor in
California agriculture. PCAs have specialized training, use it daily during
the growing season, and regularly access experts who can help them
solve unusual insect pest problems. BIOS staff had to content themselves
with providing additional information to growers about how to become
better consumers of PCA services, and hope that would encourage him
or her to ask for more thorough information from their PCA. After its
second year BIOS hired scouts (without a PCA license) or independent
PCAs to gather field data. BIOS encouraged growers to consider using
independent PCAs because they provided better information about the
insects in the orchard, both pests and beneficial insects. Some growers
switched to independent PCAs (and this did not endear BIOS to affiliated
PCAs), but many growers were skeptical that they could save money by
spending extra for a service they had heretofore received for free. BIOS
promoted monitoring leaf tissue and irrigation water for nitrogen levels,
and encouraged growers to adapt their fertility program in keeping with
results from them. The BIFS partnerships working with annual and
animal crops (rice, field crops, and dairy) developed simple, field-
appropriate means to monitor nitrogen.
Persuading growers or PCAs to monitor systematically is the rock
upon which many partnerships founder. Some partnerships created pro-
tocols and devices to help growers and PCAs monitor (pest-management
protocols and treatments thresholds are covered in the next section). The
 
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