Project Overview

Reports

Commodities

• Additional Plants: ornamentals

Target Pests

• Target Pests: scale

Practices

• Pest Management: chemical control, host resistance

• Crop Production: nurseries

The Japanese maple scale, or JMS, is a key pest for open-field nurseries growing ornamental trees and shrubs in Virginia. Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been lost due to the inability to sell JMS infested ornamental plants, especially when selling them across State lines. In addition, nursery growers are spending significant amounts of money on their pest management budgets to control this insect during the past three years. Nursery growers in VA and elsewhere have a need for science-based solutions to successfully manage this scale. This seed project is proposing using boxwood as a case study to promote the use of the ‘tape method’ for monitoring JMS crawlers, as well as understanding the preference of JMS for different boxwood cultivars. Having an established monitoring method for this pest will ultimately impact insecticide use, reducing non-target effects on the beneficials in affected systems. Knowing what cultivars are more susceptible to JMS will also inform growers on how to prioritize monitoring by scouting the most susceptible boxwood cultivars first. Additionally, this proposal also includes the use of light reflectance to detect active infestations of JMS in the field. The long-term goal for using light reflectance is to provide nursery growers access to remote sensing approaches to detect insect pest infestations in their farms faster and more efficiently, allowing for timely and targeted insecticide applications. And, to maximize chemical control of this pest, one additional goal of this project is to test the efficacy of several insecticide regimes under field conditions to reduce JMS populations in boxwood. Ultimately, generated information from this proposal will inform JMS management programs for nurseries in VA and across the region.

a. Extension:

1. Create an educational video on how to use the ‘tape method’ as a scouting procedure for Japanese maple scale (JMS) crawlers

2. Update the fact sheet on JMS phenology and management for Virginia Cooperative Extension

3. Survey nursery growers to determine the baseline knowledge on this pest

4. Alert growers on JMS population dynamics throughout the growing season

b. Research:

1. Place monitoring tape and conduct visual scouting to document the fluctuation of JMS population densities throughout the growing season

2. Collect light reflectance profiles from healthy vs. JMS-infested plants

3. Conduct field experiments to determine 1) cultivar preference, and 2) effective insecticide regimes to control JMS