California almond growers know the challenge navel orangeworm brings every season. The pest can reduce crop quality, increase production costs and raise concerns around aflatoxin and marketability. Now, new additional funding is helping continue an industry-backed research effort to advance another tool growers may one day be able to use as part of an integrated pest management program.
The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research, the Almond Board of California and Flyttr™ partnered on a nearly $5 million grant to advance development of a biological approach targeting navel orangeworm in almonds and pistachios. ABC is helping fund a portion of the project, reflecting the almond industry’s continued investment in research that supports long-term orchard productivity, crop quality and grower profitability.
The project centers on Flyttr’s Friendly™ navel orangeworm technology. The concept is simple: release Friendly™ male moths into areas with pest pressure. When those males mate with wild females, no surviving offspring are produced. With continued releases over time, the goal is to reduce the pest population and lower damage pressure in orchards.
For growers, the significance is not that this replaces today’s best practices. Sanitation, monitoring, mating disruption, timely harvest and well-timed treatments remain important parts of navel orangeworm management. Instead, this research is focused on developing a targeted biological tool that could complement existing programs and help reduce reliance on conventional insecticides over time.
Navel orangeworm remains one of the costliest pests facing California tree nuts, with industry losses estimated at more than $800 million each year. Damage can affect yield, quality and food safety, which is why the pest continues to be a priority for research, industry collaboration and new technology development.
Funding from FFAR and industry partners will support the continued work needed to move the technology closer to practical use, including large-scale production systems and field studies. That means the effort is still in development, but it represents an important step toward expanding the number of durable tools available to growers managing navel orangeworm pressure.
ABC’s role in helping fund this work is part of a broader commitment to support practical, science-based solutions for almond growers. By investing alongside partners, the almond industry is helping advance research that could protect crop value, strengthen pest management options and support the long-term competitiveness of California almonds.
