Recipient Organization
NEW MEXICO STATE UNIVERSITY
1620 STANDLEY DR ACADEMIC RESH A RM 110
LAS CRUCES,NM 88003-1239
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service Goals for IPM are to highlight specific benefits of IPM, overcome perceived barriers, and increase adoption across stakeholder groups. Many stakeholder groups across NM are eager to learn and implement IPM practices. However, while there is some general appreciation for a more environmentally friendly approach to managing pests, particularly in northern NM, IPM is often misunderstood and sometimes used as a buzzword rather than understood as a discipline with specific recommendations that are the result of rigorous replicated trials. EIP funds will be critical to supporting our efforts to deliver IPM education and increase adoption across the state. The program priorities addressed include: 1. IPM for Agronomic and/or Specialty Crops (33%) 2. IPM for Communities (31%), 3. IPM for Pollinator Health (15%) 4. IPM for Pesticide Applicators (6%), and 5. IPM Support for Pest Diagnostic Facilities (15%). NMSU's EIP proposal addresses three focus areas highlighted in the IPM Road Map and the Crop Protection and Pest Management (CPPM) program, including 1. IPM for sustainable communities, 2. diversified IPM systems, 3. plant protection tactics and tools.
Animal Health Component
75%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
0%
Applied
75%
Developmental
25%
Goals / Objectives
NMSU's EIP goals and objectives address three focus areas highlighted in the IPM Road Map and the Crop Protection and Pest Management (CPPM) program, including 1. IPM for sustainable communities, 2. diversified IPM systems, 3. Plant protection tactics and toolsIPM Implementation inAgronomic and/or Specialty Crops (33%) Goal: To increase adoption of several specific IPM strategies in major New Mexico crops.Objectives:1. To increase the population of parasitoids in hay throughout New Mexico while increasing awareness of the need to protect parasitoids by reducing insecticide us or using selective insecticides.2.The objective of this project will be to characterize the seasonal abundance of the southern root-knot nematode, race 3, in vineyard soils of southern New Mexico amid fluctuating climate conditions to create of a region-specific tool for southern root-knot nematode management in vineyards3. To provide growers and crop consultants with the information to identify which weeds need specific management for decreased curly top in crop production.4. To conduct on farm demonstrations to increase farmer adoption of alternative controls for plant diseases. To increase use of Bacillus-based and Trichoderma-based formulationsIPM Implementation in Communities including Housing and Schools(31%)Goal: To increase awareness of the beneficial role of insects and to offer alternatives to broad spectrum pesticides in three areas.Objectives:1. To quantify and demonstrate the importance of biological control locally in NM with county agents, master gardeners, 4-H students, small farmers and organic growers.2. To increase our ability to reach NM stakeholders and increase awareness of the importance of insects in IPM.3. To provide stakeholders with a greater understanding of product efficacy of organic herbicides.4. To provide recommendations for safe, effective use and determine if repeated applications of these products negatively impact soil health and quality.5. To provide more accurate information as to the cause(s) of 'witches broom' symptomology in trees and shrubs throughout NMIPM for Pollinator Health (15%) Goal: To provide training, educational materials and experiences that promote adoption of pollinator health IPM strategiesObjectives:1.Development and delivery of educational information to home gardeners, master gardeners and green industry professionals to protect pollinators in urban ecosystems.2.Develop outreach materials pertaining to important topics for pollinator conservation.3. To establish at least four pollinator/insectary gardens in different areas of New Mexico in conjunction with county agents, master gardeners and 4-H entomology students.4.Develop educational materials and do presentations and garden walks in planned pollinator/insectary gardens in collaboration with county agents in at least four counties.5.Support existing pollinator gardens established with EIP funds. Use in presentations in collaboration with Valle de Oro, and Rio Mora National Wildlife Refuges, Albuquerque BioPark and NMSU ASC in Los Lunas. IV. IPM for Pesticide Applicators (6%)Goal: To promote IPM strategies for controlling pests and the responsible use of pesticides by developing educational resources, conducting workshops and trainings. Objectives:NMSU state specialists will host and conduct in-person pesticide workshops focusing on IPM and the responsible use of pesticides. These workshops will earn continuing education units through the New Mexico Department of Agriculture (NMDA) and participants will be able to renew their NMDA issued pesticide license after attending these workshops.An On-Demand program will also be provided allowing increased accessibility for those who live in rural areas and those who prefer a private setting on their own scheduleDevelopment of additional handouts, flyers and extension publications to promote responsible use of pesticides and IPM practices. IPM Support for Pest Diagnostic Facilities (15%). Goal: To continue to provide up to date and accurate plant diagnostic services for stakeholders while expanding capabilities to identify pests with molecular tools.Objectives:Continue to provide services in all IPM disciplines: Plant disease diagnosis and weed, insect and nematode identifications.2.Expand diagnostic clinic services to include molecular-based identifications of nematodes and pathogens that cannot be identified to species level through classical methods.
Project Methods
IPM Implementation in Agronomic and/or Specialty CropsSouthern Root Rot Nematode Vineyards Environmental monitoring devices will remotely gain real-time information and will be correlated with plant parasitic nematode population status. A decision support platform will then assist vineyard growers with the timing of their nematode management decisions, mitigating losses due to nematodes and preventing untimely and ineffective nematicide applications. The soil rhizosphere will be monitored weekly for SRKN nematodes (J2) at a commercial vineyard. Nematode abundance will be correlated with soil temperature, soil moisture, air temperature and Growing Degree Days (GDD). Weekly grapevine phenology will be documented with the assistance of the collaborating farmer and used in the correlation analysis. A weather station will be purchased and installed at the monitored vineyard and will be built as part of the ZiaMet network.Alternatives for Disease Control Our objective is to conduct on-farm demonstrations to increase farmer adoption of alternative controls for plant diseases. This will be accomplished by demonstrating on-farm efficacy of Bacillus-based and Trichoderma-based formulations and extracts from pecan byproducts and other botanical extracts on soilborne pathogens.Curly Top Chile The project plans to recruit County Extension Agents, growers, and crop consultants from four counties in New Mexico (Dona Ana, Luna, Valencia, Bernalillo) to collect beet leafhoppers sticky traps in commercial chile or tomato fields. Plant signatures from leafhopper guts will be identified using PCR and nucleic acid sequencing. Integration of producers, consultants, and County Extension Agents into the pipeline will transfer relevant information in a timely manner to those making IPM weed control decisions. This will produce better weed management and reduce insecticide use.IPM Implementation in Communities Including Housing and SchoolsIncreasing Awareness of Insects and IPM A primary goal of the Insect Collection at the NMSU Arthropod Museum is to educate and provide resources for New Mexico citizens about the importance of insects and other arthropods. To address our collection outreach/extension efforts we will conduct tours and workshops to reach in-person well over 10,000 New Mexican (and West Texas) citizens. EIP funding will be used to enable the museum to 1) take our material to invited educational events at K-12 (including families, etc) schools, science events, etc., 2) better host educational events on campus, and 3) maintain and improve educational materials used for outreach events.Biological Control Farms and Gardens To quantify and demonstrate the importance of biological control with master gardeners and county agents, we will collect their local predators and parasitoids and use sentinel eggs or beetles to quantify predation levels in their counties with master gardeners and/or county agents in at least 4 locations in New Mexico. Collection sites will include pollinator gardens in San Juan, Valencia, Roosevelt and Bernalillo counties. A report on key predators for each area will be given to master gardeners, and local county extension offices to demonstrate the local importance of biological control. Some predators collected by master gardeners will be used to create an insect collection of beneficial arthropods. Posters about the importance of biological control will be displayed in the pollinator gardens.Alternative Herbicides The goal of this project is to provide stakeholders with IPM-based solutions for environmentally safe and effective weed control.. Initial soil samples will be collected at the start and end of the project to determine if these alternatives negatively impact soils through repeated applications. To provide detailed recommendations we will compare application timing, method of application and number of applications as well as the alternative products.IPM for Pollinator HealthTo meet this goal, with continued expansion, reaching additional stakeholders, the first objective is for NMSU state specialists to conduct in-person pesticide workshops focusing on IPM and the responsible use of pesticides. These workshops will earn continuing education units through the New Mexico Department of Agriculture (NMDA) and participants will be able to renew their NMDA issued pesticide license. Workshops will also be conducted locally by county extension agents who invite specialists to speak. Each event is reliant on presentations and trainings with a focus on integrated pest management from a number of NMSU Extension State Specialists representing different disciplines and areas of expertise.The second objective is to expand and promote an On-Demand, NMSU Go-Global online pesticide program which allows for increased accessibility for those who live in rural areas and those who prefer a private setting on their own schedule. This program utilizes an on-demand platform where numerous Extension State Specialists record a presentation within their areas of expertise and are vetted and credited for use within the online program by NMDA pesticide compliance personnel.The third objective is to develop additional handouts, flyers and extension publications to further increase awareness and to promote the responsible use of pesticides and IPM practices.IPM Support for Pest Diagnostic FacilitiesStakeholders and county extension agents who submit pest samples will be provided with reports which include an accurate diagnosis or identification. Diagnostic clinic services will be expanded and improve with standard PCR-based assays. For standard PCR-based assays, samples submitted to the lab that require species level identification, will be tested using traditional means such as PCR-based testing and current PCR-based testing (including direct sequencing of PCR products) using new primer sets.For standard PCR-based assays, newer primer sets will be used to allow better discrimination, allowing determination of subspecies of strains detected in samples. The evaluation, validation, and adoption of updated primer sets and methodologies will increase accuracy of pathogen detection and attribution.In addressing the feasibility of deploying NGS-based diagnostics submitted samples will be evaluated using standard methods plus NGS analysis. NGS analysis will include extraction of total DNA for metagenome sequencing and PCR amplification of broad pathogen detection primers to generate microbiome panels that can be evaluated for the presence of pathogens.