Source: UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA submitted to NRP
DEVELOPING SYSTEMS-BASED APPROACH TO SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF THRIPS IN SMALL FRUITS IN SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1029181
Grant No.
2022-51181-38358
Cumulative Award Amt.
$49,999.00
Proposal No.
2022-05273
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Sep 15, 2022
Project End Date
Sep 14, 2023
Grant Year
2022
Program Code
[SCRI]- Specialty Crop Research Initiative
Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
200 D.W. BROOKS DR
ATHENS,GA 30602-5016
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Thrips are economically significant and persistent pests of small fruits, which have a combined national value of more than $5.8 billion annually. Flower thrips form a complex of several species which routinely infest blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, and other small fruit crops. Larvae and adults cause damage by feeding on all parts of the flowers which reduces the fruit quality and yield leading to more than 60% crop loss. Additionally, invasive chilli thrips have recently emerged as a major threat to small fruits in southeastern US. Due to low tolerance for damage in fresh fruit, broad-spectrum insecticides are the primary means to control thrips which is not a sustainable approach and leads to the unintended damage to pollinators and the risk of insecticide resistance. It is therefore extremely important to understand biology and ecology ofthrips complex and develop more sustainable strategies to manage thrips. The primary goal of this planning grant is to work with key small fruit growers and commodity leaders across southeastern states to determine impact of thrips on small fruit crops and develop research and extension objectives for a full SCRI proposal aimed at developing a systems-based approach to sustainable management of thrips in small fruit crops in southeastern United States. In this planning project we will develop a project webpage hosted by Southern IPM Center to be utilized by researchers and producers to define methods, as well as share results from ongoing preliminary work. We willdetermine research and educational needs of stakeholders related to thrips management in small fruits, andidentify producer collaborators to conduct on-farm research and demonstration projects. We will ultimately develop a full, stakeholder guided, 2023 SCRI proposal.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
0%
Applied
100%
Developmental
0%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
21111291130100%
Knowledge Area
211 - Insects, Mites, and Other Arthropods Affecting Plants;

Subject Of Investigation
1129 - Berries and cane fruits, general/other;

Field Of Science
1130 - Entomology and acarology;
Goals / Objectives
The primary goal of this planning grant is to work with key small fruit growers and commodity leaders across southeastern states to determine impact of thrips on small fruit crops and develop research and extension objectives for a full SCRI proposal aimed at developing a systems-based approach to sustainable management of thrips in small fruit crops in southeastern United States. Specific objectives and activities of this planning grant are:Develop a project webpage hosted by Southern IPM Center to be utilized by researchers and producers to define methods, as well as share results from ongoing preliminary workDetermine research and educational needs of stakeholders related to thrips management in small fruitsIdentify producer collaborators to conduct on-farm research and demonstration projectsDevelop a full, stakeholder guided, 2023 SCRI proposal
Project Methods
We will use the following approach to achieve the goal and objectives of this project.- organize a series ofconference callsto develop outline of full proposal objectives and engage more growers to get their feedback.- organize aplanning meetingof the team members with grower stakeholders. At this meeting, we'll brain-storm new ideas and solicit more grower input to develop research & extension objectives of the full proposal.- conduct asurvey of small fruit growersto determine the extent of damage caused by thrips, currently used as well as potential future control strategies.- develop aproject websiteto post updates from team meetings and widely engage growers in the project to get their feedback on project activities.- ultimately,develop afull SCRI proposalin the 2023 funding cycle.

Progress 09/15/22 to 09/14/23

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this project included small fruit producers, processors, marketers, industry representatives, pest management professionals, and researchers and extension specialists. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Major goals of this project have been accomplished. In order to determine stakeholder needs related to thrips management, we hosted monthly web-conference calls beginning September 2022 through May 2023. A wide range of stakeholders including small fruit producers, marketers, processors, industry representatives, and research and extension personnel from throughout the United States participated in conference calls. These conference calls were facilitated PD Sial and allowed for real-time feedback from stakeholders. We also organized a face-to-face planning meeting in Atlanta, GA (September 14-16, 2022) to solicit input from producer-stakeholders and develop objectives for a full SCRI proposal. A diverse group of stakeholders including organic fruit growers, marketers, processors, industry representatives, and research and extension personnel from 10 states attended this meeting. Each grower gave a 15-30 minute overview on their experience with SWD and their suggestions for potential management tools.Additionally, we solicited input via online surveys, promoted during outreach events, conferences, and through the local extension networks of team members. We received responses from 60 growers in 9 states who provided a pool of potential management strategies. Thus, stakeholder input provided the nucleus around which the full proposal was developed. Furthermore, we created a project website (https://stopthrips.org/) to host research-based thrips management tactics. The planning grant also helped us identify grower collaborators to conduct on-farm research and demonstration projects, and to serve on the Stakeholder Advisory Board to provide us continued feedback on proposed activities. The final output of this planning grant was the development of a 2023 Full SCRI Proposal which was submitted during FY2023 funding cycle (USDA NIFA SCRI Proposal Number: 2023-02209).

Publications

  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: CONFERENCE CALLS: PD hosted monthly web-conference calls with stakeholders and researchers beginning September 2022 through May 2023. Initial calls were used to arrange the planning meeting in Atlanta, GA September 14-16, 2022 and to solicit input from producer-stakeholders. Calls following planning meeting in Atlanta focused on full proposal development and website finalization. The project PIs participated in conference calls with a large grower stakeholder groups. Conference calls were organized by PD and allowed for real-time sharing and development of grant proposal documents.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2023 Citation: PLANNING MEETING: PD organized a two-day planning meeting at the Courtyard Marriott hotel at Embassy Suites by Hilton at Atlanta Airport on September 14-16, 2022. This meeting was attended by twenty-eight researchers and 17 fruit growers and processors from 10 states attended this meeting. Discussions with these fruit producers and processors at this planning meeting helped us develop final list of objectives for the full SCRI proposal for FY2023, finalize a grant writing team with representation from across the United States, identify producer collaborators for field trials and demonstration sites, and established a Stakeholder Advisory Board of fruit producers and processors from all participating states.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2023 Citation: PROJECT WEBSITE: The project website (https://stopthrips.org/) was developed in collaboration with Southern IPM Center staff. The website has already been populated with the basic information about the project team of the full SCRI project that was submitted as a result of this planning grant, objectives and contact of the full SCRI proposal, and links to the relevant resources.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2023 Citation: STAKEHOLDER ADVISORY BOARD: At the stakeholder meeting in Atlanta, growers and commodity leaders agreed to support this project by providing research sites. Many also volunteered to serve on the Stakeholder Advisory Board (SAB) and work with our team throughout the duration of the project . As a result, we have assembled a large Stakeholder Advisory Board representing a diverse group of growers, commodity leaders, and Extension personnel from key small fruit-producing states.
  • Type: Other Status: Submitted Year Published: 2023 Citation: 2023 FULL SCRI PROPOSAL: The final output of this planning grant was the development of a 2023 Full SCRI Proposal which was submitted during FY2023 funding cycle (USDA NIFA SCRI Proposal Number: 2023-02209).