2000-01 Pest Management Grant Summaries
Demonstration Projects
Agricultural Demonstration Projects
Agricultural Demonstration Projects
| Project Title | Applicant | Location | Budget
|
| Monitoring Noctuid Pests in Row Crops Using Pheromone Traps | UCCE
Central Valley Region-Michael Cahn, Kent Brittan & Carolyn Pickel | Merced,
Sacramento, San Joaquin, Sutter and Yolo Counties | $38,940 |
Summary:
Implementation of a new pest management practice begins with educating pest control
advisors (PCAs) and growers. This project aims to demonstrate to PCAs and growers
the use of pheromone traps and degree-day models to monitor caterpillar pests
in row crops (tomatoes and melons). Farm advisors in six counties in the Central
Valley will train participating growers and PCAs representing 211,687 acres of
tomatoes and melons. Pheromone traps will be located at 2 to 3 sites in each county.
Nearby commercial fields will be sampled for eggs and caterpillars. The participating
farm advisors will analyze trap data and calculate cumulative degree-days on a
weekly schedule. With cooperation from PCAs and growers, the farm advisors will
then sample study sites to validate the accuracy of the data collected.
| Project Title | Applicant | Location | Budget
|
| Aerial Release of Trichogramma to Control Codling Moth | ARENA
Pesticide Management-Russell Stocker | Butte, Contra Costa, Kings, San
Joaquin, Sutter, Tehama & Tulare Counties | $29,500 |
Summary:
Studies have shown that the tiny parasitic wasp
Trichogramma can reduce
damage from codling moth, a key pest of California walnuts. Work done during the
1998-99 and 1999-2000 growing seasons demonstrated the technical success of metering
and aerially applying
Trichogramma-parasitized grain moth eggs to the foliage
of walnut trees. The work was done under carefully controlled and monitored conditions,
in conjunction with the Pest Management Alliance (PMA) Work Plan for California
Walnuts. The goal of the Alliance is to demonstrate reduced-risk pest management
to the walnut industry statewide, and to encourage adoption by growers. In cooperation
with the PMA, 68 timed releases of
Trichogramma parasitoids were made over
197 acres of walnuts located in 15 orchards. Preliminary data show a 2.8 percent
damage rate compared to a 10 percent damage rate for the grower standard practice.
These data are encouraging, demonstrating that
Trichogramma parasitoids
are a viable and affordable reduced-risk pest management strategy. The goal of
this proposal is to expand the effort, while reducing cost and gathering additional
data to support adoption.
| Project Title | Applicant | Location | Budget
|
| Mass Release of Natural Enemies of Vine Mealybug | Foothill
Ag Research, Inc.- Harry Griffiths & Joe Barcinas | Riverside County | $30,000 |
Summary: The vine mealybug has caused severe economic damage to
table grapes since it was discovered in the Coachella Valley in 1994, and is now
spreading through the San Joaquin Valley. The heavy use of organophosphate and
carbamate insecticides to control the mealybug increases risk to workers and the
environment. Two parasitoid species-
Anagyrus pseudococci and
Leptomastidea
abnormis - continue to show promise for controlling the vine mealybug. This
project focuses on mass rearing the parasitoids in a commercial insectary, releasing
them in commercial vineyards, evaluating their establishment and effectiveness,
and widely disseminating the results. In 2000, great progress was made through
increased mass rearing of the parasitoids allowing expanded field releases of
both parasitoids. Field releases of
L. abnormis averaged 112,400 per week
for 30 weeks, totaling 3,372,000 wasps released. Weekly releases of
A. pseudococci
averaged 277,947 over 38 weeks of field releases for a total 10,562,000 wasps
released. California Department of Food and Agriculture work suggests that the
parasitoids released in the Coachella Valley are spreading throughout the vineyards
and are effective controlling the vine mealybug.
| Project Title | Applicant | Location |
Budget |
| Areawide Implementation of Mating Disruption in
Pears Using Puffers | University of California Cooperative Extension-Rachel
Elkins | Lake & Mendocino Counties | $30,000 |
Summary:
Codling moth is the key pest of pears in California. Effective management is needed
because the economic threshold for damage in cannery loads is only 5 percent,
while damage in untreated controls can run from 10 to 50 percent. Restrictions
on the use of conventional organophosphates for controlling codling moth have
hastened the adoption of mating disruption tactics, also known as pheromone confusion.
In 2000, codling moth was controlled on 820 acres of pears with pheromone-dispensing
"puffers" and in 2001, 19 pear growers in Lake County will apply puffers to 1360
acres of Bartlett pear. Preliminary data showed virtually no damage in most standard
puffer blocks with a few minor exceptions along edges bordering organic blocks.
Participating growers have agreed to purchase the dispensers and pheromone, a
substantial monetary investment, and PCAs will monitor codling moth populations.
An implementation team will be formed to deliver a comprehensive extension program
covering the efficacy of puffer technology.
| Project Title | Applicant |
Location | Budget |
| Integrated
Apple Production (IAP) Demonstration Project | University of
California Cooperative Extension-Janet Caprile | Contra Costa
County | $30,000 |
Summary: Rapid urbanization
around apple orchards in Contra Costa County has led to agricultural-urban interface
problems, particularly regarding pesticide use. This project focuses on reducing
the use of conventional, broad-spectrum insecticides in apple orchards by encouraging
the use of proven, reduced-risk IPM practices. In 1999, nine Integrated Apple
Production (IAP) demonstration orchards were established to combine these reduced-risk
practices into a whole-orchard management approach. A 26% decrease in use of organophosphates
and carbamates was achieved. During the 2000 season, three additional orchards
were added. Each IAP site is paired with a conventional orchard, and both are
monitored for crop damage, beneficial insect activity, pesticide use, and economics.
IAP sites used pheromone confusion as the main reduced-risk practice for codling
moth, the key pest of apple. The project shares the cost of the pheromone products
with growers and assists them with monitoring, thus removing cost and risk barriers
to new participants. Although costs were slightly higher for first-year trials,
costs the second year dropped by as much as 20 percent as a result of fewer sprays
and reduced treatments for secondary pests. Releases of codling moth parasitoids
will be made in some orchards.
| Project Title | Applicant | Location |
Budget |
| Demonstrating Reduced-Risk Pest Management Practices
For Pests of Ornamental Cropping Systems | University of California Cooperative
Extension-Karen Robb | Riverside, San Diego and Ventura Counties | $48,499 |
Summary: Ornamental crops receive more frequent applications of
pesticides than most agricultural crops, due to low tolerances for damage and
numerous pests. This project will evaluate IPM techniques and materials and demonstrate
to growers the best tools presently available for monitoring, exclusion and insecticidal
control. In particular, the project will evaluate the efficacy of reflective/metallic
ground covers for repelling insects, the effectiveness of trap crops such as buckwheat,
and the use of different colored traps for thrips. The use of petunias as indicator
plants to locate sources of topoviruses has been demonstrated previously; this
system utilizes blue cards to increase the attractiveness of the indicator plants.
This project will investigate increasing the attractiveness of the indicator plants
by using hot pink cards. New reduced-risk pesticides will also be tested for various
pests. A demonstration workshop and field day will be held for growers, PCAs and
farm advisors in order to increase adoption of these strategies. Articles will
be developed for publication in grower newsletters and other media.
| Project Title | Applicant | Location |
Budget |
| Reduced-Risk Vineyard Practices-Demonstration and
Outreach by the Central Coast Vineyard Team | Central Coast Vineyard Team-Kris
O'Connor | San Luis Obispo, Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, & Monterey counties | $30,000 |
Summary: Winegrape acreage in the Central Coast region, which includes
Santa Cruz, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, and Santa Barbara counties, is increasing
rapidly. The Central Coast Vineyard Team (CCVT) is a grower group, managing over
30,000 acres of winegrapes, whose mission is to promote sustainable vineyard practices
on the Central Coast. The group has developed the Positive Points System (PPS)
for measuring growers' progress. The PPS represents a model vineyard that integrates
soil, water, pest and viticultural practices into a balanced biological system.
Since 1996, the CCVT has worked on refining the PPS as an assessment tool within
the region. This project uses the tool as the foundation for a demonstration and
grower-to-grower outreach effort that will target a significant number of new
growers on the Central Coast, as well as growers in other winegrape regions. In
their first year of funding, the group held field days with over 300 attendees
representing approximately 127,000 acres of Central Coast winegrapes. Information
was also disseminated to growers through a quarterly newsletter, local industry
publications, and an educational Web site (www.vineyardteam.org). This year, the
group will evaluate the adoption of reduced-risk practices and create a custom
database to facilitate analysis of the data.
| Project Title | Applicant | Location | Budget
|
| Promotion of Vineyard and Pest Disease Monitoring and Reduced-Risk
Pest Management Practices in Sonoma County | Sonoma County Grape Growers
Association-Duff Bevill, John Clendenon, Joe Votec & Pete Opatz | Sonoma
County | $30,000 |
Summary: The most fundamental
element of integrated pest management (IPM) is monitoring for pests and their
natural enemies. The primary goal of this project is to increase the use of field
monitoring by developing standardized techniques and field data collection sheets.
Coordinated by the Sonoma County Grape Growers Association, the project includes
a management team consisting of four grower-researchers, University of California
Cooperative Extension (UCCE) and independent pest control advisors. Demonstration
sites were established on grower properties, one in each of four appellation regions.
The grower-researchers manage the sites using reduced-risk pest management practices,
and monitor weekly for insects, mites, natural enemies and disease incidence using
the standardized techniques. They will establish and maintain a database, making
information available to other growers in a timely manner. The grower-researchers
hold monthly appellation meetings at each site to share monitoring techniques,
discuss management strategies, discuss control action thresholds, and encourage
adoption of IPM practices for grape leafhopper and mite control. The training
component will be presented in Spanish and English. The group will conduct an
annual membership meeting in January of 2001 and a field day will take place in
late summer 2001. The UCCE Viticulture Newsletter will provide project updates
at least three times a year.
| Project Title | Applicant | Location |
Budget |
| Demonstration of Vineyard Floor Management Alternatives | University
of California Cooperative Extension-Richard Smith & Larry Bettiga | Monterey
County | $15,451 |
Summary: Runoff of pesticides from agricultural lands is a key water
quality concern along the Central Coast of California. Growers are under increasing
pressure to adopt management practices that reduce runoff. This project will
demonstrate vineyard floor management practices that have great potential to
decrease runoff from vineyards. Standard vineyard management practices will
be compared with alternative strategies, such as cultivation and post-emergent
herbicides and new generation pre-emergent herbicides. Winter cover crops will
also be planted in the reduced-risk plots. Cover crops have been shown to decrease
runoff, thereby reducing off-site movement of herbicides. The costs of the alternative
strategies will be analyzed. The results of the project will be presented to
the growers through field days, UCCE grower meetings, newsletters, trade journals
and a website.
|
Project Title
|
Applicant
|
Location
|
Budget
|
| Kids in Gardens |
Aquatic Outreach Institute-Kathy Kramer |
Alameda, San Francisco, and Santa Clara Counties |
$30,000 |
Summary: The Aquatic Outreach Institute (AOI), a non-profit environmental
education organization, develops and manages education and outreach programs on
creeks, wetlands, and watersheds in the San Francisco Bay Area. These programs
provide thousands of school children, educators, and the general public with information
about aquatic resources. This project involves one of AOI's highly successful
programs, Kids in Gardens, which will educate 90 kindergarten-through-twelfth-grade
teachers on ways they can educate their students about reducing the use of toxic
pesticides. Teachers will involve 6,000 students in organic and IPM school gardening
projects. Students will also educate their families and community members about
IPM gardening practices. More than 6,000 family and community members will receive
student-generated information on IPM in the form of surveys, fliers, artwork,
and web pages. Creating school gardens in California has become a high priority
for school administrators; using these gardens as outdoor laboratories for students
presents an excellent opportunity to combine IPM practices with lessons teachers
are already teaching, and to extend this learning to students families.
|
Project Title
|
Applicant
|
Location
|
Budget
|
| Pesticide Use Reduction-Landscape Maintenance Demonstration Program |
San Joaquin County, Public Works - Solid Waste Division-Scott Essin |
San Joaquin County |
$27,500 |
Summary: The Cities and County of San Joaquin are collaborating with the
California Waste Management Board to decrease greenwaste generation and disposal
in local watersheds. This partnership, the Landscape Management Outreach Partnership
(LMOP), has identified reducing pesticide use by homeowners as a priority. Last
year, over 14,000 pounds of pesticides were collected from county residents and
disposed of by the county. A University of California Master Gardener will coordinate
outreach activities, including three workshops on integrated pest management principles.
Workshops will focus on worker safety, reducing pesticide run-off in storm water,
the role of beneficial insects, and providing less-toxic alternatives to current
practices. The LMOP will set up a "Greenwaste Certified Landscaper" program to
train landscape professionals in pesticide use reduction as part of an overall
greenwaste reduction program. This project will encourage the use of IPM and reduced-risk
pesticides by the nearly 1,200 landscape businesses operating in the county.
|
Project Title
|
Applicant
|
Location
|
Budget
|
| Promoting Urban-based Ecological Pest Management: Expanding Outreach in
the East Bay Schools and Community Gardens (Phase III) |
University of California, Berkeley-Miguel Altieri |
Alameda County |
$30,000 |
Summary: Sections of the cities of Berkeley and Oakland are home to some
of the poorest families in the United States. In public schools, teachers report
that many children show up for school without adequate breakfast, lacking energy
and the ability to concentrate. Many children have diets high in fat and calories,
due in part to the unavailability of affordable fresh fruits and vegetables. This
project has established gardens at various schools in low-income areas, featuring
vegetable cropping systems that will produce salad vegetables and some staple
crops. Five public schools, located in low-income neighborhoods of Berkeley and
Oakland, have established an IPM training, demonstration, and outreach program.
Students participate in all aspects of garden development, monitoring of crop-pest-natural
enemy interactions, and in outreach activities in their local community. The project
emphasizes special workshops on IPM complemented with handouts, videos, slide
shows and hands-on practice. Demonstration plots are utilized during field days
to enhance outreach of project benefits to many school children and the community
at large. The current year will focus on 16 small garden plots managed by previously
trained students and their families. Management by the students will vary according
to each student's knowledge level and should produce the opportunity for exchange
of information about successful techniques that can be used in the future.
California Environmental Protection Agency
Department of Pesticide
Regulation
Environmental Monitoring and Pest Management
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2000-01
Pest Management Grant Summaries | Pest
Management Grants | DPR Home Page
