The Southern Region IPM Center is pleased to announce the recipients of the IPM Enhancement Grants for 2005. After meeting in June with the Proposal Review Panel, the Center awarded more than $441,000 to fund 17 programs across the southern region. Funded programs fall into one of four categories including: State Contacts, IPM Documents, Special Projects, or Emerging Issues.
State Contacts
Funding was available for up to $25,000 per state or territory on an annual basis to fund a state contact. State contacts serve as the primary contact for regulatory questions related to pest management and pesticides, and are responsible for establishing and maintaining a stakeholder network to develop state priorities. In addition, state contacts are responsible for maintaining a project website and will provide oversight for the development of crop profiles and pest management strategic plans (PMSPs).
States and territories covered by a state contact for the upcoming year include: Kentucky , Tennessee, Alabama, Texas, Virginia, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
IPM Documents
The Center awarded over $56,000 to support the development of crop profiles and PMSPs, with funding available for one year.
Crop Profiles are searchable descriptions of crop production and pest management recommendations compiled by state and commodity. They describe the production practices for a commodity, the pest problems associated with its production and the pest management practices (both chemical and non-chemical) currently used to control the pest.
PMSPs address the pest management needs and priorities for individual commodities and are focused on commodity production in a particular state or region. The plans take a pest-by-pest approach to identify the current management practices (both chemical and non-chemical), and those under development. In addition, plans state the commodity’s priorities for research, regulatory activities and education/training programs needed for transition to alternative pest management practices.
States approved for funding for crop profiles and PMSPs include: Virginia, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Alabama and will cover crops such as wheat, peaches, and satsuma mandarin.
Special Projects
This year the Southern Region IPM Center awarded over $158,000 for projects that address novel approaches or critical IPM issues of regional or national significance. Fundable projects included, but were not limited to: applied research; demonstrations; focused work groups; planning workshops; publications; websites; use or impact assessments of IPM tactics and strategies.
These projects needed to incorporate several of the following characteristics: produces positive effects in a wide (multi-state and territory) area; involves an appropriately broad range of stakeholders, with special emphasis on involvement of presumed end users; leverages external resources, including funds, personnel, etc; reflects innovative partnerships that go beyond land-grant institutions; addresses important emerging issues which are not adequately addressed by existing programs; issue addressed is not currently well-funded by other existing programs; produces new IPM tools and delivery systems; and represents start-up or capstone efforts rather than program maintenance.
Special projects approved for funding include the following:
“Assessing the Early-Season Risk of Thrips Vectors of Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus on Solanaceous Crops,” (David G. Riley, Alex S. Csinos, Robert M. McPherson)
Objective 1: Conduct an extensive survey of thrips vectors of TSWV around commercial tomato, pepper and other Solanaceous crop field sites in Georgia and South Carolina with the intent of identifying pre-season risk to the crop. Objective 2: Refine sampling procedures / guidelines for identifying local, overwintering sources of TSWV inoculum near tomato and pepper and calculating a relative TSWV risk index that can be done by consultants and farmers.
“Breeding an Economically Viable Honey Bee for Beekeeping,” (Keith Delaplane)
The ultimate aim of this project is to induce beekeepers to reduce their use of in-hive chemicals by delivering to them a genetically improved bee stock expressing pest resistance in concert with other characters of economic importance.
“IPM of Invasive Stem Borers Impacting Sugarcane and Rice in the Gulf Coast Region,” (T.E. Reagan, M.O. Way, Eric Webster, Ben Legendre)
The goal of this project is to develop and implement cultural and production practices as management strategies to reduce late season and overwintering stem borer threats to the sugarcane and rice industries in the Gulf Coast region.
Critical and Emerging Issues
The Center awarded over $37,000 to fund projects that address a critical or emerging IPM issue of regional or national significance.
Critical and Emerging Issues projects funded include:
“Developing a Sustainable Management Plan for Brazilian Peppertree in Florida,” (James Paul Cuda, William A. Overholt)
This project will develop and test a model IPM system for controlling Brazilian peppertree in Florida. In addition, the will extend and demonstrate integrated management of Brazilian peppertree to public/private landowners and native Americans.
“Integrated Pest Management for Black Sigatoka, Mycosphaerella Fijiensis, Morelet in Puerto Rico,” (Wanda I. Almodovar, Ada N. Alvarado-Ortiz, Manuel Diaz)
This project will use PCR to detect Mycosphaerella fijiensis causing leaf spots in banana and plantain at municipalities of the western area of Puerto Rico and develop an IPM package for Black Sigatoka. In addition they will give on farm demonstrations of the IPM package.
Proposals for critical/emerging issues may be submitted at any time during the year. Submissions made during the RFA release period (i.e., before April 1, 2005) were reviewed and ranked by the Proposal Review Panel, but the Panel reserved some funds in order to address issues that may arise after the RFA closing date.
If you would like more information about the Center’s grants program, visit www.sripmc.org. |
