The goal of the washington stone fruit commodity survey is to monitor priority insect and disease pests identified by federal scientists and state commodity groups as having the greatest potential…

The Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service awarded the State of Washington Department of Agriculture $150,000 in a Cooperative Agreement (AP26PPQFO000C316) on May 1, 2026, to conduct the Washington Stone Fruit Commodity Survey through April 30, 2027.

WSDA will conduct trapping and visual survey strategies to detect five priority insect pests—Adoxophyes orana, Grapholita funebrana, Lobesia botrana, Rhagoletis cerasi, and Thaumatotibia leucotreta—and the secondary pest Aspila molesta in Washington state stone fruit orchards. The agency will also survey for three Candidatus phytoplasmas identified by the National CAPS Committee as priority pests in stone fruit for 2026. Work is performed in Washington state and aims to provide negative data indicating the absence of these organisms to facilitate domestic and international fruit and plant tissue exports. Detection of positive cases will enable early initiation of response plans to mitigate pest impacts on production and trade barriers, and support USDA-APHIS-PPQ, WSDA, and university collaborators in eradication and containment efforts across Washington and the Pacific Northwest.

Activities

Trapping and visual survey strategies, as outlined by the national caps committee, will specifically capture, or detect the five insect pests (adoxophyes orana, GRAPHOLITA funebrana, lobesia botrana, rhagoletis cerasi and thaumatotibia leucotreta) listed as priority pests in 2026. Ideally, the goal of this survey is to provide negative data indicating the absence of these organisms in WA state stone fruit orchards. In addition to these priority insects, the washington state stone fruit industry has requested that aspila (GRAPHOLITA) molesta be added to wsda's list of target pests of concern. Additionally, wsda will survey commercial orch ards for visual symptoms/signs of three candidatus phytoplasmas listed by the national caps committee as priority pests in stone fruit for 2026. Deliverables and expected outcomes: the cooperator seeks to conduct a program which is expected to result in: • providing the stone fruit industry and producers with survey data to facilitate domestic and international fruit and plant tissue exports and propose quarantine measures if necessary to contain the spread of any exotic pests. • providing the stone fruit industry and producers with any positive pest detections (early detection) to initiate response plans to mitigate pest impacts on crop production, crop producers, and on trade barriers. • early detection of any exotic and invasive pest organisms will allow USDA-aphis-PPQ, wsda and university collaborators the better opportunity to eradicate, mitigate, and effectively respond to introductions to washington state, the pacific northwest and north america. In 2026, wsda will focus/survey at least six WA counties in eastern washington that have the most stone fruit orchards based on fruit productivity. Locations selected will target orchards that are in areas with known or suspected pathways of introduction such as nurseries and box stores that lead into the heart of stone fruit production in washington. Residential backyard stone fruit trees adjacent to commercial operations may be included in the survey. The insect species (6) will be surveyed with traps and lures as outlined by the caps approved methods for pest surveillance. Traps will be monitored every two to three weeks during the trapping season from june 01 through september 30, 2026. Intended beneficiary(IES): farmers, shippers, orchardists, exporters of stone fruit subrecipient activities, if known or specified at the time of award: N/a financials: personnel = $77,647; fringe = $27,223; travel = $11,398; supplies = $9,700; other = $2,250; indirect = $21,782