Primary Departmental Program Area:

• Arthropod pests of fruit and vegetables in Eastern NY

Development of research programs on the biology, occurrence, and management of arthropods affecting fruit and vegetable crops grown in the Hudson Valley region of New York. Research is primarily allied with the development of pest management strategies and include pesticide-pest interactions as related to optimum control efficiency, plant virus-vector relationships, effects of natural enemies on insect management, and dynamics of soil inhabiting and foliar-feeding pests. Currently, strong emphasis is on refinement of knowledge of specific arthropod biologies as related to their damage potential on high-density apple cultivars grafted onto size-controlling rootstocks; biology and ecology of onion bulb mite; and assessment of fruit and vegetable pest management strategies utilizing reduced-risk insecticides.