February 5, 1998
by C. Koplinka-Loehr
Geneva, NY - A dedicated crop consultant and an innovative scientist from the Experiment Station were honored this week at the NYS Horticultural Society meeting for their achievements in integrated pest management (IPM). Elizabeth Graeper Thomas, who owns Liz Thomas Orchard Consulting, and David Gadoury, senior research associate at Geneva, received their awards from IPM Program director James Tette on Thursday, Jan. 15.
Jim Tette (center) talks to IPM award winners Liz Thomas (left) and
Dave Gadoury (right).
Half a dozen state IPM awards are presented each year to individuals or groups showing leadership in biological, cultural, physical, and chemical tools that minimize economic, health, and environmental risks. According to Tette, the purpose of the award is to "honor people for developing new IPM methods or for sharing IPM with others.
Gadoury, senior research associate in the Department of Plant Pathology, works on the biology and ecology of plant pathogens and how this information can be used to better manage diseases of grapes and apples. He emphasizes practicality, simplicity, economy, and biologically based solutions.
Focusing on powdery grape mildew, Gadoury, together with the late R. C. Pearson, determined how the fungus survived winter to cause infection in the spring. They then revised the grape disease management program to target the early part of the growing season, when the disease is inconspicuous but easier to control. This new approach reduced the annual number of fungicide applications by as much as 50 percent in some cases, and simultaneously improved disease control. As a direct result of these changes, New York grape growers save nearly $1 million a year in lower fungicide costs, and produce higher quality fruit.
Gadoury's research is expanding our knowledge of how other major grape diseases, such as downy mildew and black rot, develop. New information about diseases developing in sequence as they weaken a plant is helping growers to select fungicides that target each disease at the proper time. Gadoury is also involved in controlling powdery mildew with beneficial mites.
In the field of apples, Gadoury worked on managing apple scab for some 20 years, developing the "Potential Ascospore Dose" principle and a simple heat-maturity model that likewise predicts the availability of inoculum. His work on both apples and grapes has been incorporated into disease management programs in New York, the northeast region, and other parts of the world.
Gadoury earned both an M.S. and a Ph.D. in Botany and Plant Pathology at the University of New Hampshire.
The second winner to receive an IPM award is Thomas, who has been a crop consultant since 1982, working with commercial apple growers in Wayne County whose farms range from 15-600 acres. One of her greatest contributions to the field of IPM has been interpreting and putting to use the information provided by Cornell. Specifically, she has encouraged growers to manage apple scab by relying on rainfall data, rather than by applying calendar sprays. "We've fine-tuned the process," says Thomas. "I care about how much pesticide is out there."
Thomas also cares about growers' interests and is able to provide what she calls a "bird's-eye view" of what works and what doesn't. In previous years, by advocating a "soft program" that is less detrimental to beneficial organisms in the orchard and by pinpointing the timing of pesticide applications, Thomas was able to save her growers money. Today she thinks everyone has to work harder to ensure that new, softer pesticides are economically viable. Thomas advocates the use of predatory mites and sometimes sees growers shift perspective, changing their tolerance for damage, or becoming more willing to try biological control.
Sixteen years of experience has enabled Thomas to become well respected by growers and Cornell University staff and faculty. After earning a B.S. from Cornell University in 1981, she was hired by Seneca Foods to be their pest management supervisor for fruit orchards. In later years, she teamed up with consultant Jeff Alicandro of AgrAssistance and still cooperates closely with him.
Thomas is on the board of directors of NEWA (the Northeast Weather Association), regularly attends conferences and trade shows, and is active in her local Parent Teacher Association. She is the mother of five children.
Click on photographs to view 300 dpi version.
Contact: Linda McCandless, Communications Services
Telephone: (315) 787-2417
e-mail: llm3@cornell.edu
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