Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Cabbage maggot has been identified as the most challenging pest to control in vegetable cropping systems of the Pacific Northwest (grower survey 2019, Buckland unpublished). This insect pest feeds on root structures, weakening the plant and causing visible damage to root crops, rendering them unmarketable. Cabbage maggot has a wide host range in all Brassicaceae crops, and is most troublesome for damage to root crops such as radish. We will engage research and industry leaders to assess current management techniques and damage estimates with the goal of identifying emerging needs for the further development of organic production of these highly valuable crops. We will collaborate with growers in regions of high production as well as researchers and agronomists to map a pathway forward for future funding projects. Our project will deliver the following outcomes:Identify current cabbage maggot management approaches.Engage stakeholders to describe potential opportunities and constraints: farmers, agronomists, and researchers.Convene a planning workshop to facilitate the development of research priorities for collaborative future research and Extension work.This project is poised to provide essential information for specialty crop markets in vegetable and vegetable seed crops. Information and tools developed in this project will lay a foundation for connections and resources to target research needs within the cropping systems of Brassica crops.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
The goals of this project are:Identify current cabbage maggot management approaches.Engage stakeholders to describe potential opportunities and constraints: farmers, agronomists, and researchers.Convene a planning workshop to facilitate the development of research priorities for collaborative future research and Extension work.
Project Methods
The project timeline begins 1 Sep 2023 and is completed by 31 Aug 2024.Objective 1: Convene a stakeholder group consisting of farmers, agronomists, researchers, and Extension personnel. Task 1: Gather experts for one-day production planning conference (experienced growers, agronomists, researchers).Identify key Brassica production regions with cabbage maggot losses. Production regions to include Pacific northwest, northeastern US, and upper Midwest.Coordinate with researchers (entomologists or vegetable production areas of expertise) in those regions; they will also know experienced growers and/or agronomists in their region?Task 2: Convene this group in a one-day meeting to address Objectives 2 and 3.Oregon is the home to vegetable and seed production farms of various sizes. This project would work to convene farmers and agronomists of similar crops, along with researchers across the country in a stakeholder group. The diverse nature of this group (farmers, agronomists, researchers) requires a unique event timing specific to key cooperators' availability. We will poll cooperators for their availability to schedule conference events, offer travel support and will also conduct the meeting in a hybrid meeting format to ensure accessibility to key growers/agronomists/researchers who might not be able to travel because of other constraints.Objective 2: Document current cropping systems of concern, current management strategies, and current damage levels. Task 1: Identify, and describe current crops and crop management practices (field configurations, planting dates, etc.).Prior to conference meeting day, we will identify brassica cropping systems affected, scale of production, and typical field management through participant information gathering using a chart similar to:RegionCropPlant DateHarvest DateIrrigation type & frequencyFertilizationAverage field sizeTask 2: Identify current management strategies for cabbage maggot.Prior to conference meeting day, we will identify the following through participant information gathering:RegionCrop% Loss to CMControl option% of growers usingEase of implementationCost to implementEffectivenessObjective 3: Identify potential areas for future research and Extension to support integrated management programs with reduced crop loss. The project team, including the Faculty Research Assistant serving as a conference facilitator, will work with conference attendees to elicit ideas, feasibility and highest priority research project ideas as identified in Tasks 1-3.Task 1: List potential areas of new technologiesTask 2: Assess new research ideas for applicability to crops and crop systems identified in Objective 2. Task 3: Prioritize future projects. Objective 4: Engage a broader group of stakeholders in project findings.Task 1: Develop report on conference proceedings in Objectives 2 and 3.The project team, in cooperation with the conference facilitator, will develop a comprehensive document detailing the results of exercise in Objectives 2 and 3.Task 2: Make report and supporting resources available through cabbage maggot portal website. The meeting and priority crops summaries, as well as supporting resources for farmers and buyers will be made available at Oregon State University's Cabbage Maggot Portal website (https://agsci.oregonstate.edu/cabbage-maggot).Task 3: Assess the impacts of project. Throughout conference delivery and following the meeting, we will evaluate the success of achieving project objectives. We will assess:1. Number of stakeholders reached at conference delivery2. Number of new crops identified3. Number of research needs identified4. Conference evaluations on quality, inclusivity, and efficacy of towards achieving objectives.At the beginning of the conference, we will present the objectives and tasks for the day as described here. We will ask participants to respond to a quick survey via electronic clicker to assess knowledge levels and industry needs prior to discussion exercises. Following conference delivery, we will administer an exit survey where participants will indicate their experiences and provide feedback on the process and perceived success of the conference content. Finally, following the development of the conference report, we will once again survey (via email electronic survey) the participants to assess the value and accuracy of the developed document and overall project process.