- A knowledge of the main pests and diseases of apple
- How to recognise them and assess them
- Their life cycles and the driving forces behind infestation or infection
- Varietal susceptibility
- Alternative hosts
- Natural enemies
- Cultural, biotechnological, biological and chemical control methods
- The occurrence of pesticide resistance and how to avoid it.
This information is set out in detail in this Best Practice Guide. It is also important that you:
- Have knowledgeable, trained, qualified (pesticide use) and well-motivated staff including those who do manual work (pruning, spraying, harvesting etc.) in the orchard.
- Grow varieties that are resistant or of low susceptibility to the main pests and diseases, especially, in order of priority, to scab, mildew, canker, rosy apple aphid and sawfly if possible.
- Maintain a high standard of tree management to ensure that trees have the correct balance between growth and regular cropping and have an open canopy structure to ensure good air circulation, and easy penetration of light and spray.
- Undertake regular, thorough assessment and recording of the levels of pests and diseases in each orchard on the farm.
- Keep accurate and comprehensive records of all actions in the orchard including spray applications meeting all statutory and Code of Practice requirements.