Best practice requires levels of pests and diseases in each orchard to be assessed and recorded on a regular basis and that treatment with pesticides only to be applied when necessary. These are also requirements of industry quality assurance schemes such as the Assured Produce scheme and of the Pesticide regulations. Furthermore, unnecessary use of pesticides is wasteful and undesirable environmentally.
Detailed methods are set out for the assessment of the most important pests and diseases of apples in the UK. Sampling methods, treatment thresholds and actions and their timings if thresholds are exceeded for apple pests and diseases in Integrated Pest and Disease Management are given.