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Exclusion netting in some European and North American apple (Malus domestica Borkhausen, Rosaceae, Rosales) orchards has been documented to be an effective method of control for multiple insect pest species. By minimizing reliance on insecticides, these orchards have reduced costs, risks to the environment and nontarget species, and reduced the risk of insecticide resistance. This study examined the use of commercially available hail netting (DrapeNet®; Prosser, WA) as a pest exclusion strategy under conditions in Minnesota, USA. In 2021 and 2022, we assessed the efficacy of hail netting as a tool for pest suppression in orchards by monitoring pest species in netted and open plots crossed with and without insecticide applications. Our findings show that both of the major pest species in Minnesota, the codling moth (Cydia pomonella L.; Lepidoptera:Tortricidae) and the apple maggot (Rhagoletis pomonellaWalsh; Diptera:Tephritidae), were significantly reduced inside the netting compared to open plots by 94% and 96%, respectively. For a secondary pest, the red-banded leafroller (Argyrotaenia velutinana Walker; Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), moth populations were reduced by 56%. We also found that insecticide application alone did not significantly reduce pest pressure in these species. Additionally, we investigated the subsequent effects of hail netting on fruit quality and yield. The use of hail netting and insecticide application resulted in significantly higher proportions of high-quality fruit at harvest. However, netting did not significantly influence yield.These findings suggest that hail netting can be used to control Midwest apple insect pests with limited insecticide applications while maintaining high fruit quality.

Apple orchards are highly managed agricultural ecosystems where growers typically rely on insecticides to minimize the risk of pest-related fruit losses. Apple growers practicing integrated pest management require cost-effective alternatives to conventional insecticides for control of major pests such as codling moth ( Cydia pomonella L.) and apple maggot ( Rhagoletis pomonella Walsh). Exclusion netting has been shown to effectively control multiple insect pest species, limit fruit damage and reduce the use of insecticides while also conferring consumer and environmental benefits. In this study, partial budgeting was applied to explore the financial efficacy of using a hail netting (DrapeNet ® ) system as a sustainable pest management strategy for Midwest U.S. apple ( Malus x domestica ). The cost of the hail netting was compared to a common Midwest insecticide spray regimen for apples using yield and quality data from a field study at two Minnesota apple orchards in 2021-2022. The PB analysis indicated that the netting system was an economically competitive alternative to conventional insecticide applications. The economic results were robust across a range of apple prices and yields suggesting that Minnesota apple growers can benefit economically from the application of hail netting for sustainable pest management.