Progress 09/01/24 to 08/31/25
Outputs Target Audience:Agricultural clientele including, but not limited to farmers, Extension county agents, crop consultants, retailers, industry representatives, as well as pesticide applicators, beekeepers, homeowners and residents; managers of shelters, group living and othermulti-unit housing facilities, pest management professionals, andschool personnel. Changes/Problems:Dr. Jensen Hayter started Nov. 1, 2024 asAssistant Professor and Extension Specialty Crops Pathologist at University of Tennessee. This position was being filled during time of the grant submission. Dr. Hayter will be coverig the Specialty crop objective within the award going forward and become a PI on the grant. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Professional development was advanced through specialized training programs that were provided to independent crop consultants, retailers, county agents, pesticide applicators, home owners, beekeepers, property managers, school managers, and other stakeholder groups. Investigators were afforded many opportunities to collaborate with each other and other scientists and develop and participate in training programs and professional society meetings to advance their skills. Additionally graduate and undergraduate students were also trained. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results were disseminated to the target audiences as indicated in accomplishments and publication listings. Hard and electronic publications were made available to clientele. Websites, webinars, and other internet resources were provided with great success to share research and recommendations related to crop and pest management, IPM in houses and schools, pesticide applicators, home gardeners, and beekeepers. Investigators participated in educational events at the local, state, regional, and national level; reaching thousands of clients directly and with greater reach throughindirect contacts. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Future plan of work for the next reporting period for each objective under each priority area are listed below (numbers refer to specific objectives) IPM Implementation in Agronomic & Specialty Crops 1) Coming years' variety data will be published and disease/insect information on guide.utcrops.com will be updated and added to address any missing or new emerging pests 2) 2 in-season, in-person trainings are planned 3) Continued monitoring, collecting, and screening efforts 4) Continued trials, presentation of results in oral and written form 5) Continuation of trials evaluating experimental and commercial cotton cultivars and reporting of data will be done 6) Continuation of trials and reporting on results 7) Conduct further variety trials evaluating disease resistance. Establish cooperative partnerships to expand cucurbit downy mildew monitoring. IPM Training and Implementation in Housing & Schools (a) IPM Training and Implementation in Housing Continue to demonstrate bed bug inspection techniques After changes implemented, reinspect will occur at request of housing authority. Finalize the revision to the school bed bug publication. Hold the 12th Annual Tennessee Bed Bug, Cockroach and Rodent Management Meeting and continue to provide educational meetings & update websites. (b) IPM Training and Implementation in Schools Continue to demonstrate broadcast bait applications Solicit more school systems to participate in tick inspections Continue to offer pest trainings as requested. 4) Survey will be conducted in 2026. Results will be summarized and used to IPM in Pollinator Health 1) Continue to offer nine more in-person beekeeping-related trainings in 2025, and roughly 15 more in-person beekeeping-related trainings before the end of the grant. 2) Continue to establish and maintain pollinator plots, that will be used for at least three future trainings. 3) Six in-person trainings are planned before the end of the grant.
Impacts What was accomplished under these goals?
Accomplishments for the reporting period (9/1/2024-6/3/2025)for each objective under each priority area are listed below (numbers refer to specific objectives) IPM Implementation in Agronomic & Specialty Crops 1) At search.utcrops.com - updated variety data has been developed and posted. Site has been promoted in numerous blog newsletters, popular press articles and field days. Over 300 face to face contacts provided with variety and cover crop management data and thousands have accessed online resources 2) 1 in-person and 1 virtual in-season trainings were conducted. Digital and hard copy soybean management info was provided and blog articles on spring planting 'hot topics'. 16 county agents received the training 3) Collection and screening of tobacco thrips is underway and collection of seedling and foliar disease pathogens is underway, for population and resistance screening. Findings distributed through newsletter blog articles, scientific conferences, and manuscripts are being drafted or were published in scientific peer-reviewed journals. Increased awareness of insect/disease pressure and pesticide resistance. 4) Multiple herbicide and cover crop trials were conducted. Results from trials were shared during multiple Extension county meetings. Over 2,000 stakeholders received information on characterization and management of resistant Palmer amaranth as well as resistance issues in rye grass 5) Trials evaluating experimental and commercial cotton cultivars were harvested, ginned and analyzed. Trial results were reported in Extension publications, on news.utcrops.com and utcrops.com, and presented at local, regional and national professional meetings. Estimating 101 lb/acre value of using UT cotton cultivar data to increase yield by picking optimum cultivar for cotton acreage, based on 75% of TN acreage gaining this value a total increase of ~$20 M was gained 6) Trial work for 2024 season was completed and work for 2025 has been established. Previous preliminary results have been reported at Extension meetings and scout school trainings. Results and guide on proper nutritional deficiency ID has complimented disease ID guide and increased accurate diagnosis by county agents and others 7) IPM presentations addressing cucurbit downy mildew scouting and resistant variety selection. Trained approximately 20 agents on specialty crop IPM. 1-on-1 visits with tomato and small fruit growers in 7 counties IPM Training and Implementation in Housing & Schools (a) IPM Training and Implementation in Housing Bed bug and cockroach inspections were conducted & results given for 525 apartments of three low-income high-rises in eastern Tennessee. Housing & pest control managers were surprised by the pest infestation levels: average of 70% and 12% of the high rises were infested with cockroaches and bed bugs, respectively. We re-inspected buildings, previously inspected in 2013/14 and 2018. Held meetings with building managers, the pest control manager and technicians, and the UT Extension urban entomologist to brainstorm changes that could decrease pest infestation levels. Each group received actionable steps to assist our goal. Two buildings were fairly successful in decreasing bed bug infestation rates, from 31% in 2014 to 6.7% in 2025; and from 23% to 8.3% in the other. The third building had decreased from 33% in 2014 to 22% in 2018 but the rate stayed essentially the same in 2025. In the fall of 2024, the School IPM Advisory Board consisting of personnel from the TN Dept of Health, TN Dept of Agriculture, TN Dept of Children Services, TN Pest Control Association, school districts, University of Tennessee, & pest management firms servicing schools began the revision of PB1807, Bed Bugs: What Schools Need to Know. Further emphasis was placed on the pest management resources available to low-income housing. A problem-solving scenario regarding bed bug management in schools was included in the 10th Annual Tennessee Bed Bug, Cockroach, and Rodent Management Meeting. Sources of laptops are being sought to evaluate low-cost and safer bed bug management approaches. Results will be incorporated into the revised publication. The 11th Annual Tennessee Bed Bug, Cockroach and Rodent Management Meeting is scheduled for Aug 6, 2025. A local cockroach management success story presented by an East TN pest control company & housing services manager will be highlighted this meeting. Bed bug resource boxes, which include 20 copies of our 6 bed bug publications and a bed bug monitor, were assembled and will be distributed to school personnel, pest management professionals and personnel supporting the elderly as opportunities arise. We will continue to document changes in knowledge and practices during evaluations of the meetings. (b) IPM Training and Implementation in Schools A fire ant bait application presentation was provided to school personnel, pest management professionals and city parks maintenance workers. Attendees were made aware of the newer invasive needle ant. Developing a fire ant broadcast bait calibration video for a chest spreader. From previous years, we learned that less than expected control was due to mowing before a fire ant bait application. This will lead to updated recommendations regarding the timing of applications. 9 schools in four districts were dragged seasonally for ticks. School personnel emailed a summary of tick species encountered in their district. Images of the tick species' location at each school, methods to decrease conducive conditions and reminders about techniques to prevent tick bites and other tick prevention information in UT Extension PB1895 Managing Ticks on School Grounds were included. Of the 265 drags made to 71 school properties between March 2021 and April 2025, 926 lone star ticks, 8 Gulf Coast ticks, 129 American dog ticks, 91 blacklegged ticks, 1 longhorned tick, and 1 rabbit tick were detected. Thus far, ticks were found at 50 of 71 school properties and the likelihood of encountering a tick on an East Tennessee school property is 53, 34, 25 and 19% in spring, summer, fall and winter, respectively. Fire ant presentation given to 13 school personnel, pest management professionals and parks maintenance personnel and another is planned for the 11th Annual Tennessee Bed Bug, Cockroach and Rodent Management Meeting. Four articles were distributed in the school IPM newsletters for the current school year. Through our school IPM newsletter in the fall of 2024, school personnel were made aware of a local mosquito-borne disease (La Crosse neuroinvasive disease) outbreak that affected children under the age of 16. 4) One survey was conducted in the summer of 2024 and the last will be conducted in 2026. Results will be summarized and used to info future IPM efforts IPM in Pollinator Health 1) Trainings for beekeepers were provided in TN and nationally regarding proper IPM strategies for Varroa mite control and other management recommendations. Over 300 contacts were made directly via over 10 in-person presentations, and several more contacts were made through online resources. 2) A demonstration pollinator plot was established in East TN and was a source for content presented to audiences interested in planting for pollinators. Over 350 contacts were made to TN Master Gardener interns and new and beginning farmers as well as beekeepers, on the how to establish and maintain plots to support pollinators with food, while minimizing pesticide exposure. 3) Trainings were provided in-person and virtually for Extension agents and other personnel working to assist beekeepers. Digital and hard copy beekeeping management information was provided. 64 county Extension agent contacts were made through four trainings, and 180 pesticide applicators were reached.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Vail, K. M., A. Tucker, and R. T. Trout Fryxell. 2024. Increased Number of LaCrosse Neuroinvasive Disease in Eastern Tennessee. Pests and Pesticides in Child-serving Facilities: An IPM Newsletter, 18(1):1-9. https://schoolipm.tennessee.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/207/2024/09/Sept2024-2.pdf
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2025
Citation:
Vail, K. 2025. Fire Ant Baiting Demonstration May 27, 2025. Pests and Pesticides in Child-serving Facilities: An IPM Newsletter, 18(3):1. https://schoolipm.tennessee.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/207/2025/05/May2025.pdf
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2025
Citation:
Vail, K. 2025. Join us at the Tennessee School Plant Management Association Summer Meeting. Pests and Pesticides in Child-serving Facilities: An IPM Newsletter, 18(3):2. https://schoolipm.tennessee.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/207/2025/05/May2025.pdf
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Raper et al. 2024. Tennessee Cotton Variety Trial Results. University of Tennessee Extension publication. https://news.utcrops.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/PB1742__2024.pdf
acknowledgement of support on main page: https://search.utcrops.com/
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