Source: UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO AT MAYAGUEZ submitted to NRP
IPM PROGRAMS FOR PUERTO RICO AND THE US VIRGIN ISLANDS
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
ACTIVE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1033188
Grant No.
2024-70006-43683
Cumulative Award Amt.
$142,914.00
Proposal No.
2024-03461
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2024
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2025
Grant Year
2024
Program Code
[EIP]- Extension Implementation Program
Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO AT MAYAGUEZ
P. O. BOX 9000
MAYAGUEZ,PR 00681
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
This project will continue enhancing collaboration between Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands to address the needs of smallholder farmers. In the Islands, crop production is affected by extreme weather events and pest outbreaks.Farmers are subject to the volatility of weather conditions affecting their farms and threatening food production and availability.In our Islands the entry of exotic pests is devastating our crops and threatening food security. Local vegetable,root crops and plantain and banana production does not meet local demand due to pests and lack of effective pest management practices. New emerging invasive pests, Thrips parvispinus, and Amrasca biguttula detected recently in PR & USVI, pose a threat to ornamental and vegetable crops. Most farmers don't know about this pests and how theywill affect their crops. Disadvantaged plantain and banana farmers expressed their concerns in meetings with Extension personnel about scarce labor force, increased costs on chemicals and protection measures to maintain plant health in Black sigatoka, an emerging disease affecting production. Inside high tunnel vegetable production farmers experience high pest pressure, and temperatures that surpassed most maximum crop development ranges. In Puerto Rico there is scarce data on microclimatic conditions on High Tunnels and around 65% of the structures are not in use due to production problems and the absence of an IPM plan to manage pests.The IPM team in PR & UVI will make use of surveys, trainings, workshops, field days and farm demonstrations to transfer pest management information to growers/farmers. This information will be available on a website to inform them of current pests' status. An educational video will show high tunnel producers the correct design and construction with the goal of minimizing conditions that promote pests and diseases. The main aspects that will be covered in trainings and workshops are: identification of key pests, pest monitoring/scouting, available management practices, importance of soil and tissue analysis, pesticide calibration, rotation and safety during applications, protection of pollinators and natural enemies and farm biosecurity. Other planned activities include presentations at producer meetings and promotion of communication through updating of the IPM webpage.Extension training for new farmers, outreach programs, materials development (Extension bulletins, pocket guides, posters and presentations) and delivery, along with regularly scheduled visitation aim to help increase adoption of IPM practices for vegetables (conventional and in high tunnels), plantain and banana and tanier. Quarterly visitations to farms will be scheduled to see current practices and discuss adoption phase of new practices; document commitments to implementation and create the draft of the "4-D Farming" Extension Bulletin. Once participants are chosen, we will begin evaluation of impact across 5 areas for each farmer.The use of pre and posttests will help us evaluate the impact of the educational activities.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
2161099310015%
2161010310015%
2161429310025%
2161459310020%
2161469310025%
Knowledge Area
216 - Integrated Pest Management Systems;

Subject Of Investigation
1469 - Solanaceous and related crops, general/other; 1099 - Tropical/subtropical fruit, general/other; 1010 - Banana; 1429 - Cucurbits, other; 1459 - Rhizomes, tubers, bulbs, and root crops, general/other;

Field Of Science
3100 - Management;
Goals / Objectives
The overall goals of IPM for PR and USVI are to improve cost-benefit analyses when adopting IPM practices and reduce potential human health risks from pests and related management strategies.Priority Area - Specialty Crops: Distribution and IPM of Thrips parvispinus a new invasive pest in Puerto Rico. 1) Conduct a thrip survey on farms with T. parvispinus hosts as the main crop. The hosts include, but are not limited to peppers, sweet peppers, papaya, and watermelon. 2) Conduct a thrip survey at nurseries and nurseries of growers that distribute and retail ornamentals plants, with special emphasis on distributors that import ornamentals from Florida. Train and assist farmers, Agricultural Agents, and other stakeholders on how to monitor thrips, best management practices in their crops, and IPM implementation. Priority Area: Specialty Crops - Implementation of IPM in Tropical High Tunnels in Puerto Rico- 1) An IRB approved questionnaire will be designed, to measure the level of IPM implementation and willingness on HTs in Puerto Rico, 2) Establishment of preventative, cultural, and biological IPM practices on a demosntrative high tunnel for farmer training.3Priority Area: IPM Implementation in Specialty Crops: Vegetable Crops -increase adoption of IPM practices in specialty vegetable crops. Commonly grown on the territorial islands. We will focus on four families, Solanaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Brassicaceae, and Amaranthaceae, and strive for Food Security and Farm Stewardship. Extension training for new farmers, outreach programs, materials development (Extension bulletins, pocket guides, posters and presentations) and delivery, along with regularly scheduled visitation aim to help increase adoption of IPM practices for vegetable production farmers.Priority Area: Specialty Crops - Root Crops: Integrated Management of Tanier Diseases -1) Develop knowledge about how viral, fungal, and bacterial diseases limit tanier production in Puerto Rico.Priority Area: Specialty Crops: Smart Monitoring and Management of Black Sigatoka -1) Conduct a survey among plantain farmers to assess black sigatoka management practices used by them. Use UAV multispectral imagery to monitor BS incidence in banana and plantain municipalities with emphasis on the Añasco Valley,Priority area: IPM for Pest Diagnostic Facilities-1) Train vegetable farmers of the Southern municipalities of Puerto Rico on how to conduct proper monitoring of pests, how to interpret the label and importance of pesticide rotation and how to understand all components interacting to promote pests and diseases, 2)Disseminate IPM and biosecurity practices to avoid the entry of new emerging pests.
Project Methods
Surveys in vegetable & ornamental's farms/nurseries to assess Thrips parvispinus (PR) and Amrasca biguttulapopulations, in plantain to assess Black Sigatoka distribution, in tanier to assess key diseases and IPM use by farmers. Farmers trainingand hosting a pilot project for farmers on an established/successful VI farm, meetings with Extension Agents to identify farms with pest and disease problems, Meetings with farmers and farmers'associations, Field days/tours to farms to diagnose pests and diseases and identify best practices. Instructional factsheets and educational sessions about monitoring, correct identification, pest monitoring, all about pesticides, safety and biosecurity. Reports with IPM recommendations and dissemination ofbiosafety practices among farmers to avoid the entry of exotic pests.Individual reports from all priority areas will be collected and aggregated for progress and continuation reporting purposes. Questionnaires to evaluate level of IPM implementation of farmers will be delivered in three priority areas and outcomes will be evaluated towards the end of theproject administering the same questionnaire to assess IPM implementation of farmers after receiving education. Short term outcomes will be evaluated in all areas by the use of pre- and post-tests in field days and trainings. In the priority area, IPM of Thrips parvispinus a new invasive pests and critical issue will be addressed using a short evaluation instrument that will be delivered to farmers during the first year and again at the end of the project to measure farmers' IPM adoption of suggested management practices. In the Pest Diagnostic Facilities and IPM Implementation of Specialty Crops: Plantain and Banana: Smart Monitoring and Management of Black Sigatoka priority area, a retrospective post-then-pre questionnaire will be designed and administered to evaluate changes in knowledge, awareness and skills developed. The Southern IPM Center collaborate in the development of evaluation workshops for improved collaborative project impact evaluation and for the formation of a climate change focus group to gather results based on stakeholder perspectives. In UVI, the IPM Specialist will evaluate change, farm outcomes, and impact each year over 5 areas: 1) increase in production and sales, 2) percent adoption of new practices; 3) combination of creative farming inputs; 4) participants evaluate training sessions with an evaluation rating (1-5); and 5)record limitations and successes. A form will be created in Excel that includes the 5 evaluation areas that will be documented.

Progress 09/01/24 to 08/31/25

Outputs
Target Audience:Tanier (Xanthosoma sagittifolium) farmers Ornamental growers Vegetable farmers 4H youth Students and teachers of the PR Department of Education Homeschoolers Backyard gardeners Extension Agents Agronomists of the Department of Agriculture Home owners? Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?TheExtension Entomology Specialist and collaborator, Dra. Dania Rivera, Ornamental Specialist, and Dr. Amy Dreves from USVI attended the IPM Symposium celebrated in San Diego California on MArch 2025. They participated in the conferences, presented 2 posters in the NIFA Poster Day about the accomplishments of the PR&USVI EIP 2021-2024. Dr. Martha Giraldo and Prof. Wanda Almodovar participated of the Annual Meeting of APS - US and Caribbean Divison held on Florida and presented a poster about the priority area, Integrated management of tanier diseases. The IPM Team participating in the IPM for Thrips parvispinus priority area took a training on T. parvispinus research updates, offered by UF IFAS Tropical Research and Education Center on March 12. 2025. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?• Facebook page and group of the Diagnostic Clinic, https://www.facebook.com/clinicauprm/, http://facebook.com/groups/IDENTIFICA/ • Extension Official Newsletter - SEA del Oestehttps://www.uprm.edu/sea/revista-del-sea/ • Exhibitions in Extension activities throughout the island. • Extension Service Official webpage: http://www.uprm.edu/sea and Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/sea.uprm • Commodity meetings • Activities of Extension Agents in their municipalities. • Radio programs,podcasts and videos were produced by the Project staffto disseminate information aboutproject findings and results.https://www.uprm.edu/sea/mip-videos/,https://www.youtube.com/@manejointegradouprm • Informal talks in field days are also a way to spread the project info to the field. • UPRM Diagnostic Clinic participates in fairs developed by Extension Agents with posters and information about, early diagnosis of diseases and pests, how to submit samples, and IPM practices to reduce the use of pesticides and associated risks to humans and the environment. Conferences to junior and high school students in IPM in banana and plantain and root crops. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT OF TANIER DISEASES:Administer the IRB approved questionnaire to tanier farmers in Puerto Rico.Make an iconographic publication to inform about the results to farmers. Development of knowledge about cleaning farm areas from vegetative material with viral symptoms and development of tissue culture techniques to increase the availability of clean seed for production areas. Evaluate a crop cycle from the tanier clean seeds produced by tissue culture and measure the implementation of the IPM practices. Train tanier farmers in all aspects of tanier production, key diseases, and integrated management. IPM FOR POLLINATORS:The guide will be translated to English to be used in PR, US Virgin Islands and the US Southern Region. The pollinator gardens will give guided tours and receive students from 4H groups, people from the nearby community and the public. The pollinator gardens will give guided tours and receive students from 4H groups, people from the nearby community and the public. The PR Department of Education teachers will be trained in the use of the curricular guide to teach English and science courses in their classes. THRIPS PARVISPINUS IPM:The IPM team will continue learning and practicing the acquired skills. Continue with thrip sampling and follow up visits to farms where T. parvispinus has been detected.Make a categorical pest incidence map showing samples localities and presence or absence of T. parvispinus, make it available through EDDMapS/AgPest Monitor. Continue follow up visits to farms by Extension agents where T. parvispinus has been detected to train farmers in thrip integrated management. IPM FOR HIGH TUNNELS:Finish the administration of the questionnaire to farmers and evaluate results and make the iconographic publication to inform farmers the results.Begin construction of the demonstrative high tunnel and prepare the site to support future educational, extension, and research activities related to pest, disease, and heat management in high tunnel systems.Make educational video on high tunnel IPM for dissemination to growers and extension stakeholders.Give two workshops on HT production with emphasis on IPM strategies. IPM FOR BLACK SIGATOKA (BS) IN PLANTAIN AND BANANA: Finish administration of the questionnaire and make an iconographic publication and meeting to discuss findings with farmers. A demonstration site will be established on a selected farm of a plantain grower to implement the IPM plan including monitoring and IPM practices. A database collection of aerial imagery presenting BS incidence in Añasco during the project will be generated and available for browsing by farmers, agronomists, researchers, and other interested groups. IPM FOR PEST DIAGNOSTIC FACILITIES: A group of 10 farmers will be trained in pest and disease monitoring (2 workshops), interpretation of labels and pesticide rotation, (1 workshop) and internal and external factors that contribute to phytosanitary problems. (1 workshop).Disease fact sheets will be updated, and new insect fact sheets prepared, to assist farmers to recognize the most common diseases and insects detected in the field and their management. Maintain the Plant Disease Clinic (PDC) Facebook page, www.facebook.com/clinicauprm/, and the group of the PDC (www.facebook.com/groups/IDENTIFICA/), to foster the flow of information with farmers and the community.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT OF TANIER DISEASES: An IRB approved questionnaire was designed by the root crops team to measure the level of IPM implementation and willingness among tanier farmers in Puerto Rico. The questionnaire developed for farmers was validated and explained to Extension agents.A training about Tanier key diseases Identification and Integrated Management was offered to agricultural agents of tanier production municipalities.Outcomes 15 Extension agents acquired knowledge on key diseases of tanier.The conventional tissue culture for micropropagation of tanier was established from tanier plants with Dasheen Mosaic Virus (DMV).Illustrative cards were designed about the three key diseases of tanier and educational information given to Extension agents to be used in their trainings to farmers.Extension agents in charge of tanier producing municipalities understood the importance of IPM practices for the management of key diseases in these crops and have educational publications to train farmers. The impact was anincreased knowledge of Extension agents educating in Tanier IPM. IPM FOR POLLINATORS:The Pollinator curricular guide was revised,updated and posted in the IPM website, including lessons, power points and activities. 300 personswere trained in the Pollinator Curricular Guide.Extension personnel, teachers of the Department of Education, homeschooling parents, master gardeners and farmers acquired knowledge about pollinator protection and how to prepare pollinator friendly areasThree activities and ten exhibitions were held impacting 2,000 people. 20 posts about pollinator protection posted in the UPRM facebook page reached 34,000 people.10 teachers of schools in different municipalities of Puerto Rico prepared a pollinator garden in their schools and use them as a place to teach students about science, math and agriculture in an immersive manner. IPM FOR THRIPS PARVISPINUS:A standardized monitoring protocol that includes a Survey Data Sheet and an IPM Thrips Checklist was developed and employed to ensure consistency and accuracy in data collection. An informational package was developed for farmers that include Thrips parvispinus Pest alert and IPM practices for Thrips parvispinus in pepper. Short course on identification, biology and IPM of Thrips parvispinuswas offered to IPM Team. 45 farmers and 25 Extension Agents were trained on new introduce insect pests.15 Vegetable farmers and ornamental producers increased their knowledge about Thrips parvispinus monitoring and management. Aquestionnaire was developed and approved by UPRMIRBand monitoring activities for the detection of T. parvispinus have commenced for food crops and ornamentals.Fifteen farms located in 13 municipalities were visited and pest monitoring was successfully conducted.These initial visits contributed to establishing a baseline understanding of T. parvispinus presence and distribution in key production areas. The impact was an increased number of farmers that monitor their farms. Fourfarmers were visitedafter thrips detection to work with IPM recommendations.15 farmers acquired knowledge about how to monitor Thrips parvispinus in their farms and IPM practices to manage the insect.Practices adopted by farmer trained in Thrips parvispinus biology and IPM include monitoring for early detection, weed management, maintain pesticide's records, rotation and timing of pesticide application. One farmer reported an increase in production after following recommendations. IPM IN HIGH TUNNELS: Aquestionnaire was developed to assess the level of adoption and acceptance of IPM practices among high tunnel growers in Puerto Rico and was approved by the IRB.Initial implementation of the survey has commenced, with four out of the targeted fifteen high tunnel growers visited and interviewed. Thetropical high tunnel for farmer's training was designed and its construction was through non-project funding sources, leveraging external resources to support project goals. IPM FOR BLACK SIGATOKA (BS) IN PLANTAIN AND BANANA:A questionnaire to assess farmers' knowledge levels, willingness to adopt, and implementation ofIPM practices for BS prevention and control was developed and approved by IRB. Four students and three Extension agents were trained in the development and execution of field imaging missions, symptoms and identification of Black sigatoka. 8 Plantain farmers were trainedand improved their knowledge in black sigatoka identification and management. 2 Extension agents, 2 farmers and 4 undergraduate students increased their knowledge in the use of drone surveys to monitor BS by taking hyperspectral leaf images from plants at various disease stages. IPM FOR PEST DIAGNOSTIC FACILITIES:Anetwork ws maintained within Puerto Rico and UVI for early diagnosis of pests and diseases. Citrus farmers were trained in identification and management practices for Citrus Greening. The Master Gardeners were trained in diagnostic techniques and use of pollinator gardens to enhance natural enemies and control pests. 15Extension Agentsand 50 farmers acquired knowledge in pest and disease identification and IPM practices for citrus greening. Nine farmers adopted pest monitoring and pesticide rotation in their farms. There was an increase in the number of farmers that acquire and adopt best management practices. The impact is prevention of invasive pests and early diagnosis of diseases in PR & USVI.Eight field days were held throughout Puerto Rico to train farmers in identification of diseases and IPM in hydroponics, high tunnels, fruits and vegetables.Trained root crops, banana and vegetable producers (60 people) in IPM and biosafety practices in their farms.Extension Agents (30) and farmers (45) acquired knowledge in pest and disease identification and IPM practices. Two pocket guides, about the diagnostic clinic, how to take samples to submit and common diseases of vegetables were published and are available in the IPM webpage (www.uprm.edu/sea/mip). 20 undergraduate students acquired knowledge on the functions of the Diagnostic Clinic and isolation and identification of plant pathogens. Impact: Prevention of invasive pests in PR & USVI.

Publications

  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2025 Citation: Almodovar, Wanda & Paola Ronda 2025. Clinica al Dia. How to collect and submit samples to the Diagnostic Clinic fact Sheet. UPR. Mayaguez Campus. college of Agricultural Sciences. Agricultural Extension Service.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2025 Citation: Almodovar, Wanda & Paola Ronda 2025. Symptoms and Isolation of Phytopathogenic Fungi. Fact Sheet. UPR. Mayaguez Campus. college of Agricultural Sciences. Agricultural Extension Service.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2025 Citation: Almodovar, Wanda & Paola Ronda 2025. Culture Media for Plant Pathogens. Fact Sheet. UPR. Mayaguez Campus. College of Agricultural Sciences. Agricultural Extension Service.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2025 Citation: Santos, Jafet y Wanda Almodovar. 2025. Pollinators 101. UPR. Mayaguez Campus. College of Agricultural Sciences. Agricultural Extension Service.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Submitted Year Published: 2025 Citation: Fernandez, Luis, Wanda Almodovar, Vilmaris Bracero & Wilfredo Lugo. 2025. Multispectral identification of early-stage Black Sigatoka on edge devices.