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Funded Project

Funding Program: IPM Partnership Grants

Project Title: Development of a Region-wide Strategic Pest Management Plan for Sweet Corn in the Northeastern U.S.

Project Director (PD): Ruth Hazzard [1]

Lead State: MA Lead Organization: University of Massachusetts

Undesignated Funding: $19,136

Start Date: May-01-2004 End Date: Oct-30-2005

Site/Commodity: sweet corn, vegetables

Summary: The Northeastern IPM Vegetable Working Group proposes to develop a region-wide Pest Management Strategic Plan for sweet corn. Sweet corn comprises approximately 40% of vegetable crop acreage and is important to vegetable producers in every state in the Northeast. Pests and pest management concerns in sweet corn are similar throughout the region, and pose serious challenges to producers. Despite the presence of sweet corn IPM programs in many states, sweet corn production depends heavily upon many insecticides and herbicides that are targeted for restriction under FQPA. Sweet corn is the most likely candidate among vegetable crops for widespread adoption of genetically-modified crops for IPM purposes, a prospect which raises far-ranging issues for producers, distributors, consumers, and regulators. Sweet corn is also ranked high in importance to the diet of children. The migratory characteristics of some of the most important insect pests of sweet corn necessitate region-wide communication and cooperation. A focused effort among all northeastern states to collaborate on setting priorities for development of improved sweet corn IPM practices and programs will have the widest benefits to producers, consumers and the environment. At its 2003 meeting the Vegetable IPM Commodity Working Group set this project as its major goal for the coming year. Funding will enable the CWG to hire staff to coordinate the project and to bring growers and agricultural professionals from the region together for a meeting. We will collaborate with the New England and Pennsylvania Network Projects, who will be conducting pest management surveys and preparing crop profiles for sweet corn during the same period. The Penn State Network director will prepare the preliminary and final documents for the PMSP. The outcome will be a comprehensive Pest Management Strategic Plan (PMSP), which will guide the research and implementation of more advanced integrated pest management systems in sweet corn throughout the region. The project will also lay the groundwork for further region-wide collaboration to address Vegetable IPM priorities. Objectives: Objectives for the project are based on the PMSP development process: 1. Research and prepare a draft crop profile and documentation for PMSP meeting. 2. Hold a 2-day meeting of a representative, regional sweet corn stakeholder group, to provide input into the PMSP. 3. Develop, review and publish the regional sweet corn crop profile and PMSP. 4. Disseminate and publicize the regional sweet corn crop profile and PMSP. Proposal

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