Best Management Practices

Create physical barriers to exclude pests and pathogens.  These can be high fences of shade cloth, tall alternative feeding plants for the pest, or isolating them in a well-sealed greenhouse.  Barriers should be placed in accordance with migration and prevailing winds.  Yellow sticky tape can be used to create barriers [RB1] and determine pest pathways, but is not effective in reducing populations.  Trap cropping, plots of alternate host plants, have been employed for some pests.  Concrete or gravel barriers between potted plants and the soil can prevent infestation from soil-borne pests.  If possible grow high risk and susceptible young plants in greenhouse enclosures.  Keep a secure perimeter around the nursery which excludes animals and unauthorized personnel (97). 

            LBAM: Alternative hosts on nursery borders can harbor infestations of LBAM and increase the risk of infection.  Tarps can screen stock from infestations.  Isolating high risk plants using physical barriers, like greenhouses or tarps, can prevent infestations. (61).

EGVM:  (25). 

BMSB:  Putting fine mesh bags around young fruit can protect them from feeding damage (96).

GWSS:  Shade cloth or tall plants.  Tall cypress or juniper plants, each being non-preferred host plants, can provide food for GWSS without providing oviposition sites. However, these plants will require occasional treatment to manage trapped adults (59).  Surround WP, a particle film which repels GWSS when applied to grape leaves, has had some success (79). 

            ACP:  Minimize borders of farm/nursery by planting more blocks to give the pest less access to stock.  Keep nurseries under cover if you can by using shade cloth, tarps, or growing stock in enclosed greenhouses (7).  Particle film can be useful when applied to citrus leaves.  However the film is less effective after rain (37). 

            DRW:  Contact between native soil and potted plants can result in an infestation of RIFA.  Barriers like gravel have do not minimize the risk as much as concrete, which can be lain over infested areas.  Plants grown inside of greenhouses have minimal risk of infestation.

            RIFA:  Contact between native soil and potted plants can result in an infestation of RIFA.  Barriers like gravel have do not minimize the risk as much as concrete, which can be lain over infested areas.  Plants grown inside of greenhouses have minimal risk of infestation (44).

PR:  Barriers can be tarps or two meter breaks between high risk plants and other stock.  Planting high risk plants and non-host plants also reduces susceptibility.  Potted plants should be separated from the ground by barriers such as raised benches or gravel, which also protects plants from splash (72) (73).