Organisation of assessment will depend on the size and circumstances of the farm. Assessment should be done by a trained person with normal eyesight who recognises the range of important pests and diseases and natural enemies of apple and their damage symptoms and who understands the principles of Integrated Pest and Disease Management. If they are not a direct employee and are to give advice on treatment with pesticides they must be BASIS trained.
- Records should be made on record sheets attached to a clipboard, in a notebook or in an electronic notebook.
- It is wise to use pencil as this does not run if the paper gets wet.
- Records should be made for each sampling point, at least initially.
- A record should be made of potential trouble spots (headlands, patches of thin soil, near woods or gardens etc.).
- Once experience is gained, recording can be abbreviated.
A simple scoring system widely used in the UK is as follows:
- 0=absent
- 1=trace
- 2=slight infestation (below threshold)
- 3=moderate infestation (above threshold)
- 4=heavy infestation well above threshold
- 5=severe infestation