Baeschlin, R., Taksdal, G., 1979.
The fauna of an orchard in eastern Norway. 1. The population development of groups of arthropods in the crowns of apple trees. Meldinger fra Norges Landbrukshoegskole, 58: 1-44.
Abstract
The arthropod fauna of apple trees was sampled regularly with beating funnels [see RAE/A 51, p. 689] in an orchard in eastern Norway in 1973-75, mainly on the cultivars Ingrid Marie, Gravenstein. The orchard had previously received a normal spraying schedule, but no pesticides were used in 1973 and only fungicides in 1974 and 1975, the aim being to study the development of the crown fauna in the absence of insecticides to provide basic information on the possibilities for integrated control using natural enemies of arthropod pests. The results are presented in terms of major groups of arthropods, but the major pests are identified to species. The population fluctuations of the various arthropod groups were found to be generally similar to those found in other European countries, but began about 1 month later than in central Europe. Thysanoptera, Auchenorrhyncha and Aphidoidea were the most numerous groups the first year. Aphids and leafhoppers decreased during the investigation, while psyllids (mainly Psylla mali Schmidb.) and predacious Heteroptera increased substantially. In 1975, Thysanoptera, Heteroptera and Psyllidae, in that order, were most numerous. Also the populations of larvae of Lepidoptera increased in the second and third years. Minor changes only took place in other taxa (Coleoptera, Neuroptera, Coccinellidae, Aranea and Opiliones, and Hymenoptera). Panonychus ulmi (Koch) almost disappeared. Thysanoptera and Aphidoidea developed better on Gravenstein than on Ingrid Marie, while there was an opposite tendency with other groups such as Psylloidea and Heteroptera. Fruits of Gravenstein were more damaged at harvest than those of Ingrid Marie, indicating that the selection of cultivar might influence the development of integrated control. The fruit damage would not be acceptable in commercial production. It is concluded that in the development of integrated control major emphasis must be placed on apple scab and the prevention of damage by lepidopterous larvae. Predacious Heteroptera have a key position in controlling important pests, and should be conserved. Other beneficial groups such as Coccinellidae and Neuroptera should be considered in selecting a spray programme. The rapid build-up of a beneficial fauna was probably connected with the small size of the orchard (about 1 ha) and the close contact with wild vegetation. This is typical for large parts of Norwegian orchards, and provides a good starting point for integrated control.
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