Cranberry IPM Project

Integrated Cranberry Pest Management

Cultivating more than 14,000 acres, Massachusetts ranks second nationally (behind Wisconsin) in total production of U.S. cranberries. Failure to minimize pest damage can result in severe crop loss, vine damage, or loss of large portions of the production area. The focus of the Cranberry IPM Project is to enhance the expert knowledge of the grower community to allow them to integrate various management techniques that minimize pest damage while practicing responsible environmental stewardship.
Primary areas of current project activity include exploring the feasibility of using cultural techniques such as bog sanding, pruning, and flooding, development and use of low-risk and naturally occurring pesticides, coupled with an improved understanding of the biology of key pests, to manage bogs in concert with the environment.

The UMass Cranberry Station, a research and extension center of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, is located in East Wareham, in the heart of the cranberry growing region in Southeastern Massachusetts. Their facilities include an 11 acre research cranberry bog, greenhouse, and laboratories. The Cranberry Station personnel includes specialists in Plant Pathology, Entomology, Environmental Physiology, Plant Nutrition/Cultural Practices, Weed Science/Integrated Pest Management, and Floriculture. They are actively engaged in cooperative projects with research scientists in U.S. and Canadian cranberry growing areas and have been very successful in obtaining external funds to support research and extension efforts. In addition, the Station routinely supports graduate students and undergraduate summer assistants from area colleges and universities who explore innovative research projects related to cranberry pest management. The Station ranks as a leader in the United States and worldwide for research and outreach programs on cranberry culture.

The mission of the UMass Cranberry Station is to maintain and enhance the economic viability of the Massachusetts cranberry industry through research and extension and to serve the public welfare by supporting economic development and protection of the environment.

Cranberry IPM Project Team members are: H.A. Sandler, A.L. Averill, C.J. Demoranville, F.L. Caruso, and P. Jeranyama.