Non Technical Summary
Our goal is to provide stakeholders with the knowledge to make IPM recommendations and decisions that are effective, economically viable, and environmentally sustainable. The proposed activities are primarily designed to disseminate knowledge and improve adoption of IPM practices in agronomic and specialty crops, residential housing units,schools and in pollinator health. Specific objectives address developing online resources, intensive training of agricultural county agents, the monitoring and management of invasive and pesticide resistant pests,training for IPM decision makers in public or low-income housing facilities and in schools, and providing demonstrations and training on pollinators habaitats and honey bee health information. Our objectives support the CPPM goals of improving cost-benefit ratios, reducing health risks, and minimizing adverse environmental effects caused by pests and IPM management practices.

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
216	1510	3100	13%
216	1710	3100	13%
216	1540	3100	10%
216	1820	3100	14%
216	5220	3100	10%
216	5320	3100	10%
216	6099	3100	10%
216	1499	3100	10%
216	3010	3100	10%

Knowledge Area
216 - Integrated Pest Management Systems;

Subject Of Investigation
1499 - Vegetables, general/other; 1510 - Corn; 1540 - Hard red winter wheat; 1820 - Soybean; 5320 - Houses (human residences), furniture, household equipment, non-textile furnishings; 6099 - People and communities, general/other; 3010 - Honey bees; 5220 - Pesticides; 1710 - Upland cotton;

Field Of Science
3100 - Management;

Goals / Objectives
This project addresses three priority areas in the Extension Implementation Program (EIP): IPM Implementation in Agronomic and Specialty Crops - 67%, in Communities including Housing and Schools - 25%, and for Pollinator Health - 8%IPM in Agronomic/Specialty Crops PriorityOur efforts will directly address the efficiency of suppression tactics and will demonstrate least-cost options and management alternatives specifically to encourage crop production practices and pesticide use that will optimize control while minimizing negative effects on the environment and human health. Pesticide resistance and unnecessary applications all increase the pesticide load in the environment. The areas addressed in this proposal such as pesticide resistance, invasive pests, loss of management tools, and environmental changes are recognized as IPM Priorities in the Southern Region. This proposal includes collaborations with UT Extension Specialists from disciplines including entomology, weed science, plant pathology, soil science, and agronomy as well as building upon regional collaborations (see collaborative teams section). The PIs, in cooperation with county-based extension agents and collaborating partners will be directly involved in planning and delivery of the proposed IPM programs. This EIP support allows for more efficient and effective delivery of IPM information, more opportunities to 'train the trainer' - with in-field inservice trainings of county agents which multiples the impact an individual specialist (PIs) can make, with the one-on-one interaction Extension county agents have within their communities and teaching of IPM practices and benefits. Additionally, without the EIP support there would be significantly less to no monitoring of the crucial established and emerging/exotic pests, including pesticide resistance issues covering pathogen-, insect-, and weed- resistance issues. These high priority issues are also integrated with a holistic approach with our team, annually developing, demonstrating, and delivering cultivar and agronomic practices used in IPM that have high performance to new and established pests in regards to changing climates. Below are detailed objectives, where the overall goal is to promote IPM and have more adoption of IPM practices: short-term goals will be measured by direct and indirect contacts/dissemination of knowledge through publications/websites; medium- and long-term goals will measure changes of behavior/increasing adoption of IPM strategies. Our Extension efforts in this proposal support the USDA Science and Research Strategy priorities by providing information and promoting IPM technologies and practices with climate-smart solutions and cultivating resilient agro-ecosystems with the overall impact of enhancing agriculture biosecurity by using IPM practices across multiple priority areas.Obj. 1: Continue to develop and update web-based IPM applications for field crops managementObj. 2: Intensive, in-season training of county agents on crop and pest management.Obj. 3: Monitoring and reporting of native and exotic insect pests, diseases, and Bt- and fungicide-resistance.Obj. 4: Extend information on characterization and management of herbicide resistant Palmer amaranth.Obj. 5: Generate and communicate information on adaptation of experimental and commercial cotton cultivars to identify cultivar performance as new pests develop and with changing climate.Obj. 6: Monitoring and reporting of the relationship between disease susceptibility and plant nutritional status.Obj. 7: Extend information on vegetable varietal and fungicide efficacy and establish cucurbit downy mildew sentinel plots.IPM in Housing and Schools Priority AreaIn Housing:Preventing and controlling bed bug and cockroach infestations in multifamily and public housing is a high priority (National IPM Roadmap 2018). Bed bug bites commonly cause skin reactions, rarely anaphylaxis and quite frequently stress which is even more troublesome in underserved, sensitive populations. Management in low-income multi-unit housing for the elderly and disabled is extremely difficult and infestation rates can be extremely high because managers depend on resident reporting. There is a critical need to identify all infested apartments in a building simultaneously to limit spread. For this grant, we will build on three previous USDA grants (SRIPM, SRIPM Center Capstone and previous EIP)Obj. 1. Demonstrate successful bed bug and cockroach building-wide inspection techniques to managers of low-income housing.Obj. 2. Document long-term positive impacts by revisiting a housing authority that adopted our IPM recommendations.Obj. 3. Integrate housing IPM and school IPM programs to determine steps needed to better resolve school bed bug problems resulting from home infestations.Obj. 4. Train and communicate with key clientele to enhance understanding of early detection and other pest management strategies.In Schools:School IPM programs aim to reduce and balance risks from pests and pesticides to school occupants and the environment. Pests pose risks from venomous bites, disease transmission, and allergic responses and may disrupt the learning environment. The specific components of the TN program can be found in Barnwell et al. (2016). We estimate about 50% of the school districts are using IPM based on the 2019 phone survey. This priority builds on the successes and capacity developed by previous NIFA CPPM EIP as the school IPM program has been promoted in TN since 1996. We will continue to focus the next three years on outdoor public health pests - some that cause severe, acute health effects through stings (fire ants, Asian needle ants) and others that cause chronic, debilitating health effects through the transmission of a pathogen (black-legged and other ticks). While fire ants are a chronic pest, Asian needle ants are expanding their range, possibly due to climate change, and are identified as a new emerging pest in the SERA-3 rankings. Specific outreach objectives for the IPM Implementation in Schools priority are listed below, with the ultimate goal of all schools using IPM.Obj. 1. Decrease fire ant or Asian needle ant presence on school property through broadcast bait demonstrations for school personnel.Obj. 2. Determine black-legged tick and other tick presence in East Tennessee.Obj. 3. Provide IPM training/disseminate information to stakeholders.Obj. 4. Evaluate the impact of Extension IPM efforts on school IPM adoption through phone and post-training surveys.Pollinator Health Priority AreaInterest in pollinators has been rising, with over a 500% increase in TN beekeepers from 2009 to 2023. As of Dec 2023, roughly 9,000 TN beekeepers manage more than 49,000 colonies for pollination, honey ($2.42M in 2022, USDA NASS 2023), and hive products, and hobby. The estimated value of TN crops benefited by honey bee pollination is over $500M/yr. TN's annual colony losses (40-75%) result in estimated losses of $7.3-13.7M/year so there is great need to improve honey bee health and management in TN. This proposal addresses initial needs and will survey additional needs/interests for effective programming. It follows the National Roadmap for IPM by improving economic and social analyses of adopting and implementing IPM practices and minimizing adverse environmental effects from pests and related management practices.Obj 1. Increase beekeeper knowledge of Varroa mites, IPM control methods, and the impacts of climate change.Obj. 2 Establish demonstration pollinator plots and develop trainings on establishing and maintaining pollinator habitat through Integrated Pest & Pollinator Management (IPPM) strategies.Obj. 3: Provide trainings for personnel (Extension agents and veterinarians) assisting beekeepers.

Project Methods
Agronomic/Specialty CropsObj. 1: Continue to develop and update web-based IPM applications for field crops management.We will continue to work with a local contractor (Roe Graphics) to develop, publish, and maintain this content and produce more content on our mobile friend sites: utcrops.com, guide.utcrops.com, search.utcrops.com, news.utcrops.com, and conference.utcrops.com.Obj. 2:Intensive, in-season training of county agents on crop and pest management.Two-day in-season inservice events will be conducted annually to address critical issues and agent knowledge gaps in row crop production. Extension specialists and agents tour and study demonstration plots related to crop and pest management, variety selection, nutrient deficiencies/proper fertilizer management practices, and the use of precision agriculture to decrease input costs while increasing sustainability.Obj. 3Monitoring and reporting of native and exotic insect pests, diseases, and Bt- and fungicide-resistance.Annual efforts to monitor important native and invasive insect pests and plant pathogens, as well as Bt- and fungicide-resistance will continue using moth trapping and leaf sampling as well as collaborations across the US to screen for pesticide resistance.Obj. 4: Extend information on characterization and management of herbicide resistant Palmer amaranth.We will run a survey of herbicide resistant weeds in Tennessee to determine the level of dicamba-resistance in the state and also to characterize the resistant gene/s in resistant populations. Educate growers on integrated management of herbicide resistant weeds that includes cover crops and herbicides.Obj. 5: Generate and communicate information on adaptation of experimental and commercial cotton cultivars to identify cultivar performance as new pests develop and with changing climate.Establishment of numerous small- and large-plot trials on UT Research Centers, in grower fields, and in collaborative projects with other specialists to strengthen outcomes and dissemination. Educational eventsincludingan annual winter meetingand field days.Obj. 6: Monitoring and reporting of the relationship between disease susceptibility and plant nutritional status.Leaf samplesfrom disease research trialswill be utilized, after diagnosis, for nutrient composition to ascertain the relationship between these diseases and plant nutrition.Obj. 7: Extend information on vegetable varietal and fungicide efficacy and establish cucurbit downy mildew sentinel plots. Fungicide and varietial efficacy trials for key specialty crop diseases including tomato early blight and cucurbit powderyand downy mildew (CDM) will be conducted. Establishand maintainCDM sentinel plots to provide state-level data on CDM occurrence which willbe reported to the CDM IPMPIPE website, andshared directly with county extensionagents.Housing and SchoolsIn Housing:Obj. 1. Demonstrate successful bed bug and cockroach building-wide inspection techniques to managers of low-income housing.We will inspect at least 400 apartments in multi-unit buildings with assistance from housing personnel and use teachable moments to provide technical assistance and troubleshooting of current bed bug and cockroach issues in these facilities and elsewhere.Obj. 2. Document long-term positive impacts by revisiting a housing authority that adopted our IPM recommendations.We have a commitment from a housing community that had high bed bug and cockroach infestation rates and subsequently modified their pest control contract to incorporate recommended IPM practices. We will revisit in year 3 to conduct building-wide re-inspections and compare previous bed bug and cockroach infestation rates to the current rates to document improvement in long-term effects.Obj. 3. Integrate housing IPM and school IPM programs to determine steps needed to better resolve school bed bug problems resulting from home infestations. Wewill further revise publication PB1807 Bed Bugs, What Schools Need to Knowto further emphasize the pest management resources available to those in low-income housing on beg bugs. This issue will be used in problem-solving scenarios presented at the meetings described in Objective 4. Once again, the School IPM Advisory Board will be requested to help revitalize this publication. ?Obj. 4. Train and communicate with key clientele to enhance understanding of early detection and other pest management strategies. We will organize the 11th - 13th Annual Tennessee Bed Bug, Cockroach and Rodent Management Meetings to engage stakeholders to determine priorities and evaluate program achievements through panel discussions with post-training evaluation forms.Continued maintainence of the Bed Bugs in TN website to provides information on biology and management and special events.In Schools:Obj. 1. Decrease fire ant or Asian needle ant presence on school property through broadcast bait demonstrations for school personnel. The 2024 TN Pest Management Survey will identify school systems with significant fire ant populations and interests in participating in broadcast bait demonstrations. County agents and school personnel will map ant activity before and after treatment. We will document the decrease in ant mound densities/ant activity, reducing the health threat from these pests.Obj. 2. Determine black-legged tick and other tick presence in East Tennessee. Toassess the threat to schools, we will drag at least 20 school properties once per season to assess tick presence. Schools will be informed of the kinds, location, and abundance of ticks on their property and provided BMPs.Obj. 3. Provide IPM training/disseminate information to stakeholders. Hands-on Full Day Training.We will continue to meet requests for hands-on school IPM trainings for PMPsand will document changes in knowledge and practices.Obj. 4. Evaluate the impact of Extension IPM efforts on school IPM adoption through phone and post-training surveys. We have conducted 9 school pest management surveys since 1997 and will conduct another in spring 2024 and 2026. A simple phone survey allows us to discern whether schools are using IPM and to further develop a rapport. During the phone conversation we inquire if they have any needs that have not been addressed in our educational materials. Periodic email and newsletter inquiries also seek feedback on the program.Pollinator HealthObj 1. Increase beekeeper knowledge of Varroa mites, IPM control methods, and the impacts of climate change.Surveys will determine levels of knowledge of Varroa and management methods to determine knowledge gaps, which will be addressed through this proposal by developing programs on monitoring, thresholds, and IPM plans to keep mites under control. Each year's work will build upon the last to ensure the basics are still available to new beekeepers and attendees, but previous attendees will learn from the most recent research.Obj. 2 Establish demonstration pollinator plots and develop trainings on establishing and maintaining pollinator habitat through Integrated Pest & Pollinator Management (IPPM) strategies.We will establishdemonstration pollinator plots at University AgResearch and Education Centers. Plans for the planting, site preparation, and planting will occur in years 1 and 2. In years 2 and 3, plots will be utilized for field day demonstrations and trainings through the TN Master Gardener Program. The establishment of plots will be documented to turn into shareable factsheets and media.Obj. 3: Provide trainings for personnel (Extension agents and veterinarians) assisting beekeepers.We intend to provide classroom and hands-on education for agents and veterinarians to learn science-based bee health information that will assist their work with stakeholders, including honey bee biology, beekeeping, terminology, communicating with beekeepers, and recognizing and treating diseases.