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Funded Project |
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Funding Program:
Integrated Pest Management Competitive Grants Program |
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Project Title:
Improved Cotton Whitefly Management Using Biological Control-Based Thresholds |
Project Directors (PDs):
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Lead State: AZ Lead Organization: Board of Regents, University of Arizona |
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Cooperating State(s):
California |
| Undesignated Funding: $30,000 |
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Start Date: Mar-01-2014 End Date: Feb-28-2014 |
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Pests Involved: Whitefly |
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Site/Commodity: Cotton |
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Area of Emphasis: biocontrol, Outreach and Implementation |
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Summary:
In this outreach and implementation project we aim to improve the understanding and execution of IPM by cotton pest management professionals in the management of a key pest, sweetpotato whitefly (Bemisia tabaci). We will do this by engaging growers and Pest Control Advisors (PCAs) in commercial use of a new decision-making framework. We know from a recent two year WRIPM funded project that management of this pest can be improved through a decision-making framework that incorporates the systems biological control potential provided by Natural Enemies (NEs) in conjunction with a conventional pest-based threshold. In this research we developed predator : prey ratios that explicitly incorporate NEs into the decision-making framework. We will work with growers and PCAs to designate fields where the new framework will be implemented commercially and from which we also will collect validating data (e.g. whitefly and NE populations, spray decision outcomes). We will run dedicated workshops to teach PCAs these new whitefly management techniques, and collect pre- and post- surveys of user knowledge. We will teach growers the same concepts and will create portable, clear and concise IPM publications to describe the decision framework and calculate the biological control potential based on established and currently used sampling techniques. The successful adoption of this revised decision-making framework will likely delay, or even prevent insecticidal sprays by allowing pest managers to calculate biological control potential within their fields. This project addresses Western RIPM and IPM Roadmap priorities and priorities identified by stakeholders at the 3rd National IPM Symposium.
Objectives: Objective 1: To improve Pest Control Advisor (PCA) and grower awareness, knowledge and understanding of natural enemies in their cotton systems and the relationship of natural enemies to whitefly population dynamics. (Very high likelihood of achievement) Objective 2: Facilitate pest managers adoption and use of predator : prey ratios in conjunction with conventional whitefly thresholds for improved decision-making. (Very high likelihood of achievement) |
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