Recipient Organization
MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIV
(N/A)
MISSISSIPPI STATE,MS 39762
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Agronomic (cotton, corn, soybean, grain sorghum, peanuts, wheat, and rice) and specialty crops (greenhouse- and nursery-grown ornamentals and fruits, pecans, and vegetables grown in the field or/or under protection) are commercially produced in Mississippi. Fruits, pecans, and vegetables are also grown in home gardens and yards. Established, invasive, and emerging diseases, insects, and weeds threaten production of commercial and home garden crops each year. In addition, insects, such as fire ants and termites, that occur in Mississippi affect the lives, homes, landscapes, and communities ofMississippi's citizens. Mississippi State University specialists maintain comprehensive, multidisciplinary Extension integratedpest management (IPM) education programs in agronomic crops, communities,and specialty crops as well asplant disease diagnostic facilities for agricultural and horticultural crops; they work to monitor pestoutbreaks and epidemics, evaluate and/or develop new pest management methods, and educate stakeholders on pests and effectiveIPM practices while striving to promote, implement, and demonstrate the value of IPM to stakeholders so stakeholderscan effectively manage pests in ways that are safe, effective, affordable, and environmentally sound.The goal of the "Mississippi State University Extension IPM Implementation Program, 2024-2027" project is to disseminate IPMinformation and increase stakeholder knowledge and IPM implementation to help Mississippi's stakeholders effectively managepests, including insects, plant pathogens/diseases, and weeds, that affect their lives, property, or produced crops/commoditiesin a manner that minimizes 1) yield or property losses, adverse impacts to human/animal health, and other adverse pest-inducedeffects, 2) pest management costs, and 3) adverse impacts of IPM strategies, including pesticide use, to humans, nontargetorganisms, and the environment in agronomic crops, communities, and specialty crops,with the support ofpest diagnostic facilities. Project collaborators with expertise in entomology, plant pathology, and weed science, or specific crops will 1) provide technical assistance and troubleshooting to stakeholders; 2) develop new and maintain/update existing traditional and modern educational IPM resources for pests, key crops, and/or production sitesthroughmultiple delivery methods; 3) develop and deliver educational programs to stakeholders; and 4) conduct surveys, trials, anddemonstrations to identify and assess target pests and their populations/occurrences in MS and test/demonstrate test/demonstrateexperimental/recommended IPM strategies. Specific activities that will be used to provide technical assistance andtroubleshooting to stakeholders include diagnostics by specialists and/or diagnostic facilities, in-person or phone/electronic communication with stakeholders, and site visits. Educational resources developed as part of this project will include traditional (in print)and virtual/online content, including Extension publications, computer-generated presentations, videos,blogs,popular press articles, field days, workshops, and short courses, based on knowledge gained from field surveys, trials, and demonstrations, published scientific literature, and attendance of scientific meetings where research is shared and discussed.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
The goal of the "Mississippi State University Extension IPM Implementation Program, 2024-2027" project is to disseminate IPM information and increase stakeholder knowledge and IPM implementation to help Mississippi's stakeholders effectively manage pests that affect their lives, property, or produced crops/commodities in a manner that minimizes 1) yield or property losses, adverse impacts to human/animal health, and other adverse pest-induced effects, 2) pest management costs, and 3) adverseimpacts of IPM strategies, including pesticide use, to humans, non-target organisms, and the environment. Targeted priority areas for this project include IPM Implementation in Agronomic and Specialty Crops, IPM Implementation in Communities,and IPM Support for Pest Diagnostic Facilities. The activities used to accomplish the objectives designed to meet the overall goal of the project and the prioritization or inclusion of certain objectives may differ among priority areas included in the project, but the objectives supporting the overall goal of the project are: 1) provide technical assistance and troubleshooting to stakeholders; 2) develop new and maintain/update existing traditional and modern educational IPM resources for pests, key crops, and/or production sites through multiple delivery methods; 3) develop and deliver educational programs to stakeholders; and 4) conduct surveys, trials, and demonstrations to identify and assess target pests and their populations/occurrences in Mississippi andtest/demonstrate experimental/recommended IPM strategies.
Project Methods
The details of the methods and efforts required to complete the overall goal and the supporting objectives of the "Mississippi State University Extension IPM Implementation Program, 2024-2027" project depend on the specific activities required to meet the objectives and complete the products outlined for each described priority area. However, the methods for the overall project can be broadly grouped as follows: 1) use of trials and demonstrations to generate information and gain knowledge of current pests and populations (e.g. occurrence, numbers, and/or resistance) in Mississippi and to determine theeffectiveness of experimental/recommended IPM strategies for management of those pests, 2) development and deliverance of educational programs and resources, such as traditional (in-print) and virtual/online content including Extension publications, computer-generated presentations, videos, blogs, popular press articles, field days, workshops, and short courses, based on knowledge gained from activities listed above, published scientific literature, and attendance of scientific meetings where research is shared and discussed, and 3) provision of pest management recommendations for individual stakeholders based on diagnoses, available and effective management options, site visits, and production practices. Success of individual activities and of the various priority areas will be determined and/or measured through program outreach (e.g. numbers of stakeholders served and of publications distributed) and event attendance, direct input from stakeholders (e.g. one-on-one conversations) surveys/evaluations distributed at educational events or for various activities/services, and impact (e.g. yield, cost, etc.) to stakeholders. This feedback will allow MSU Extension Implementation Program specialists to assess changes in stakeholder knowledge, attitudes, and practices of IPM in each priority area.