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Funded Project |
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Funding Program:
Enhancement Grants - State Contacts/IPM Documents |
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Project Title:
Development of a Pest Management Strategic Plan for Greenhouse Tomato Production Systems in the Southern United States |
Project Directors (PDs):
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Lead State: NC Lead Organization: North Carolina State University |
| Undesignated Funding: $25,313 |
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Start Date: Jul-01-2006 End Date: Jun-30-2007 |
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Site/Commodity: Greenhouse tomatoes |
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Area of Emphasis: pest management strategic plan |
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Summary:
Fresh market tomato consumption has increased dramatically over the last ten years, with consumption per person up more than thirty percent. New types and varieties of tomatoes, improved methods for growing and handling and positive health effects associated with eating tomatoes all have contributed to this increase. According to the National Agriculture Statistical Service, U.S. fresh market tomato production was valued at $1.3 billion in 2004, behind only lettuce in fresh market vegetables. Southern states account for over sixty percent of all U.S. fresh market tomato production, with Florida as the top ranking state, accounting for nearly fifty percent in 2004. Greenhouse tomatoes are becoming an increasingly important sector of fresh market production. A recent report indicates that an estimated seventeen percent of the U.S. fresh market tomato supply is now greenhouse grown. Additionally, the influence of these tomatoes is concentrated and growing in the retail market, with nearly forty percent of all fresh tomatoes sold in U.S. retail stores greenhouse grown. Based on retail value, recent industry estimates are as high as 47%, with a 16% increase from 2003 to 2004, while field-grown tomato sales were down 6%.
While greenhouse tomatoes generally command higher retail prices compared with field tomatoes, they have higher per unit costs. Several arthropods and pathogens are pests in southern greenhouse tomato production systems. Traditional pesticides may be used for pest control in some situations; however, greenhouses provide unique challenges and risks when managing these pests. Growers and others in this industry are constantly looking for economically viable reduced-risk alternatives, while consumer concerns and perceptions about health and environmental impacts of pesticides demand less dependence on these materials. Movement by growers to alternative pest management strategies is needed for the industry to remain successful and continue growing.
This proposal seeks support for production of a comprehensive Pest Management Strategic Proposal (PMSP) for greenhouse tomatoes in southern U.S. states. Fresh market tomatoes are included on the EPA list of priority agricultural commodities for crop profiles and PMSPs. With the emergence and growth of the greenhouse sector in the fresh market tomato industry, a crop profile and PMSP for that sector will be crucial to industry survival. A crop profile is currently under development in Virginia, which will cooperate on this PMSP.
Collaborators in the southern U.S. from all sectors of this industry will be brought together to identify and prioritize needs and formulate a strategic plan of action to cost-effectively move the industry to reduced-risk practices and away from reliance on materials being reviewed by the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) of 1996. The goal of this project is to develop a PMSP for greenhouse tomatoes in southern U.S. states. More broadly, the goal of the work is to forward a multi-stakeholder initiative for development of a cost-effective and comprehensive Integrated Pest Management strategy that reduces reliance on FQPA-targeted materials. To accomplish the goals, we will coordinate and facilitate a logical series of workshops that will include stakeholders in this industry. Using these workshops as our framework, we will 1) identify IPM research and education needs for the southern greenhouse tomato industry; 2) usefully prioritize the identified needs in a manner most appropriate for the industry; 3) build a communications infrastructure to support the strategic planning and organizational processes necessary to carry out all work; 4) integrate previous and concurrent work that is relevant to our mission and vision; 5) develop an action plan and appropriate timeline by which the goals will be accomplished; and 6) establish mechanisms by which evaluation of the stated goals will be monitored and carry through with those evaluations.
Objectives: 1) The objective of this project is to produce a Pest Management Strategic Plan for greenhouse tomatoes in the Southern IPM Region, including the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and the Virgin Islands. |
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