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Welcome to the home page of the Yakima Agricultural Research Laboratory (YARL).
Our Mission Statement:
The mission of the Fruit and Vegetable Insect Research Unit located in Wapato, Washington, is to seek new and more effective means to control insect pests of deciduous tree fruit and vegetable crops. The Management Unit conducts research under two National Programs which are Code 304 Crop Protection and Quarantine, and Code 308 Methyl Bromide Alternatives. Emphases include development of biological control and bio-intensive methods for insect management and the expansion of fundamental knowledge of the biology of the major pests. The program seeks novel approaches and techniques for integrated pest management systems that will reduce pesticide use. These approaches include the application of molecular methods, pathogens, parasites, predators, and semiochemicals of pest insects. Pests of primary concern are codling moth, pear psylla, apple maggot and leafrollers on apple and pear, cherry fruit fly on cherries, and green peach aphid, wireworms, leafhoppers, potato psyllid, and potato tuberworm on potato. These objectives include improving quarantine treatments to eliminate pests in fruits for export, and assessing risk probabilities for codling moth introductions. As part of the IR-4 minor use pesticide program, studies continue to quantify pesticide residues on crops, and to determine phytotoxicity of pesticides to crops.
Research at YARL:
Research at the Yakima Agricultural Research Lab falls into four major programs:
Click here to learn more about the Scientists who work at YARL (.pdf). (updated 4/2008)
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