Pest Management Research Grants Awarded 2013

Back to Funded Pest Management Research Grants (2013 - present)

A total of 36 grant proposals were submitted to DPR's Pest Management Research Grant Program on December 10, 2012. There was $1,000,000 in grant funds available for the 2013/2014 grant cycle to develop practices that reduce the use of fumigants and organophosphates, the designated high priorities for funding in the solicitation. After considering recommendations from the Pest Management Advisory Committee (PMAC) and DPR staff, the Director selected the following four projects to be funded through the pest management research grant program for 2013/14. All projects are approximately three years long and are expected to begin in June 2013.

Project Summaries

  • Integrated pesticide reduction strategies for insect and disease management in cole crops

    A team of researchers and growers will develop integrated pesticide reduction strategies in cole crop production using Brussels sprouts and broccoli in the central coast as model crops. The goals of this project are to (1) optimize anaerobic soil disinfestation, mustard seed meal application, and rye cover crops, alone or in combination, to control plant parasitic nematodes, club root disease, and cabbage maggot in Brussels sprouts; and (2) develop a series of IPM tools, including effective monitoring technologies, economic damage thresholds, and alternative chemical strategies to help growers implement IPM for control of cabbage maggots in broccoli production. Pest population reduction, damage severity, soil-plant N dynamics, and crop yields will be monitored and net returns determined for strategies developed based on multi-year replicated field trials.

    Media contact: Carol Shennan, principal investigator, 831-459-4181, cshennan@ucsc.edu

  • Methyl bromide alternatives for strawberry nurseries

    The goals of this project are to (1) develop efficacious and economical alternatives to methyl bromide and chloropicrin for the California strawberry nursery industry and other agricultural users; (2) identify short term, medium term, and long term practices that can be adopted following cessation of methyl bromide or chloropicrin use; and (3) develop non-chemical strategies that will predictably and efficaciously promote plant growth and control soilborne pests and pathogens.

    Media contact: University Communications, 530-752-1930, manauer@ucdavis.edu

  • Reduced risk approaches to manage maggot pests in cole crops in the central coast

    This project intends to lay a foundation for a reduced-risk management strategy for root maggots using multiple preventive tactics, including multicropping, use of less susceptible cultivars, phytosanitation practices, and use of reduced-risk insecticides. The goals of the project include (1) understanding the relative susceptibility of crops to maggot attack, oviposition, and larval development; (2) comparing the level of cabbage maggot resistance or tolerance present in different commercial cultivars; (3) reviewing post-harvest crop residue handling practices and understanding the effects of temporal spacing between crops on maggot fly infestation of the successor crop; and (4) evaluating the efficacy of plant health products and low-risk pesticide active ingredients against maggot pests and determining their optimal mode of delivery, placement, application timing, and impact on horticultural properties such as maggot tolerance.

    Media contact: Heidi von Geldern, Sr. Contracts & Grants Analyst, 530-754-8481, hvongeldern@ucanr.edu

  • Reducing dependence on pre-plant soil fumigation in almond and stone fruit orchards

    The purpose of this project is to reduce fumigant usage for control of Prunus replant disease (PRD), a poorly understood soil-borne disease complex that suppresses early growth and cumulative yield in replanted almond and peach orchards. The project will provide a basis for eliminating non-essential fumigant use by facilitating two key steps of integrated pest management, namely "setting action thresholds" and "monitoring and identifying pests." The research will (1) critically assess the need for fumigation among Central Valley almond and stone fruit orchards, in part, by employing a peach seedling greenhouse bioassay; (2) augment bioassay assessments with orchard validations involving selected replant scenarios; and (3) compare tree growth responses to GPS-controlled spot fumigation with the responses to conventional strip fumigation.

    Media contact: Greg Browne, principal investigator, 530-754-9351, gtbrowne@ucdavis.edu


For content questions, contact:
Jordan Weibel
1001 I Street, P.O. Box 4015
Sacramento, CA 95812-4015
E-mail: Jordan.Weibel@cdpr.ca.gov

John Gerlach
1001 I Street, P.O. Box 4015
Sacramento, CA 95812-4015
Phone: (916) 445-3909
E-mail: John.Gerlach@cdpr.ca.gov