Progress 08/01/07 to 07/31/11
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Activities. Our main goal was to develop a framework for modeling and analyzing data within the context of a total-system approach to pest management. To achieve this goal, we formed a multidisciplinary team composed of entomologists, plant pathologists, weed scientists, and agronomists. To encompass a range of environmental conditions, we conducted our research in different locations across the Northern Great Plains. The research included three complementary field studies conducted in four states across the Northern Great Plains. First, we performed a comprehensive evaluation of the relative importance of crop variety, seeding rate, and weed management approach on insect pests, plant pathogens, and grassy weeds. This detailed study took place between 2008 and 2010 at three locations across Montana (Amsterdam, Ulm, and Havre) and allowed us to pinpoint first principles related to multitrophic pest interactions. Second, the degree to which the information generated in this exhaustive study applies to different regions across the NGP was evaluated in 2009 and 2010 by conducting a reduced version of the same experimental design in Ririe, Idaho; Lingle, Wyoming; and Hettinger, North Dakota. Finally, we conducted an additional study in 2010 to assess the degree to which WSSF cut stems were infested with Fusarium. At each site we planted three wheat cultivars to main plots: solid-stem -- i.e. WSSF tolerant, drought tolerant -- i.e. cheatgrass and Fusarium tolerant, and a high yielding variety. In Montana, we used Choteau, McNeal and Reeder as representatives of these three cultivar types, respectively. At each site, all cultivars were planted within sub-plots at half, recommended or double the seeding rates (100, 200, and 400 plants m-2, respectively). To generate a range of cheatgrass densities, sulfosulfuron was applied at three rates (0.8, 0.4, and 0.2 of labeled rate). We obtained estimates of cheatgrass abundance, wheat yield (grain weight and test weight) and protein content, WSSF abundance, Fusarium infection rates, as well as crop and weed emergence, abundance, biomass, and seed production. A total of 243 samples per site/year were obtained in Montana and over 100 samples of pest levels and yield measures were obtained at each of our satellite sites in Idaho, Wyoming and North Dakota for a total of 350 samples. Events and Dissemination. We presented our results at several extension/outreach meetings including the 2008, 2009 and 2010 Montana State University Crop and Pest Management School, the 2008, 2009 and 2010 Crop and Weed Annual Field Day, and the 2008, 2009 and 2010 Pest Management Tour. Several news releases and technical bulletins were developed and delivered based on information generated in this project. We also presented results of this study at the several professional meetings including Ecological Society of America, the Weed Science Society of America, and the WERA-97 Diseases of Cereals meeting. PARTICIPANTS: Fabian Menalled, PI, Montana State University Alan Dyer, CoPI, Montana State University David Weaver, CoPI, Montana State University Ilai Keren, PhD candidate, Montana State University Evette Allison, Research Associate, Montana State University Andrew Kniss, CoPI, University of Wyoming Eric Eriksmoen, CoPI, North Dakota State University Juan Manuel Alvarez, CoPI, University of Wyoming Juliet Windes, CoPI, University of Wyoming TARGET AUDIENCES: Not relevant to this project. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
Data Analysis. To parameterize our model with a data set comprising only of field observations of multiple pests we had to overcome problems of coverage and confounding. To overcome these limitations, we collected several measures of cheatgrass levels: early and late season visual estimates at both the ring and the plot levels, biomass at the end of the season, and relationship between early season visual assessment and biomass. We intend to combine these different measures into a meaningful index of weed pressure with perhaps better coverage. We adopted a Bayesian decision theory approach in combination with path analysis to evaluate interactions between pest groups in response to management practices. All analysis was conducted in R 2.11.0 (R development core team, 2010) and JAGS 1.0.3 / 2.1.0 through rjags. Results. Results from our experiments indicate that yield differences can be readily and fully explained as a result of the effects of management on pests and multi-pest interactions, rather than just by the direct effect of any particular management scheme on yield. Different pest interactions under different management schemes and environments (sites, years) make a total systems approach to the analysis imperative and highlight the need to update current single-pest management recommendations. When jointly considering the three pest groups (insects, grassy weeds and pathogens) the presence of biological interactions occurring at different trophic levels may, in turn, lead to non-intuitive outcomes of management practices. The Bayesian network approach allowed us add field obtained information on multitrophic interactions to our informative priors. For example, we determined that cheatgrass reduced sawfly attack rate on wheat at 0-.002 m^-3. Also, we observed a strong negative correlation between sawfly attack rate on wheat and cut cheatgrass stems, implying that under some circumstances (sawfly choice mechanisms based on stem diameter) sawfly may prefer cheatgrass to wheat. By including both pests in our model we determined a shift in optimal management practice depending on the prevalence of the two pests. Specifically, in the absence of cheatgrass but high sawfly infestation, producers should choose a sawfly tolerant variety at low seeding rate. However, under a high sawfly and cheatgrass infestation producers benefit by planting a drought tolerant variety at high seeding rate. A second example of how management decisions are modified by the relative abundance of each pest group can be observed when assessing the interactions between cheatgrass and Fusarium, where cheatgrass increases Fusarium infection in non-tolerant cultivars beyond the increase one will expect just by increasing plant biomass. Thus, lowering initial seeding density, in a high risk area for cheatgrass may cause an undesirable result as Fusarium intensity is increased by cheatgrass regardless of the wheat seeding rate and variety.
Publications
- Soil Management: Building a Stable Base for Agriculture. J. Hatfield and T. Sauer, eds., pp 275-286.
- American Society of Agronomy Series. Burrows, M., D. Weaver, and F. Menalled. 2010. 2011 Common Montana Wheat Pests calendar. Montana Wheat and Barley Committee and Montana State University Extension
- McVay, K., M. Burrows, F. Menalled, and K. Wanner. 2010. Montana wheat production guide. Montana State University Extension Service. Burrows, M., D. Weaver, and F. Menalled. 2009.
- 2010 Common Montana Wheat Pests calendar. Montana Wheat and Barley Committee and Montana State University Extension. McVay, K., M. Burrows, C. Jones, K. Wanner, and F. Menalled.
- 2009. Montana barley production guide. Montana State University Extension Service. Burrows, M., Dyer, A., Grey, W. 2010.
- Small grain root and crown diseases. Montguide: Extension Distribution Center Keren, I, F. Menalled, D. Weaver, A. Dyer, and J. Robinson-Cox. 2011.
- A total system approach to modeling and pest management in wheat cropping systems. Montana State University Graduate Student Colloquium. March 2011. Bozeman, Montana.
- Keren, I., F. Menalled, D. Weaver, A. Dyer, and J. Robinson-Cox. 2010. A total system approach to modeling and pest management in wheat cropping systems.
- Current Advancements in Soil Science and Agronomy Research in the Northern Great Plains. D. Malhi, ed., pp 277-299.
- Research Signpost, Kerala, India. Menalled, F. 2010. Ecological considerations in the design of integrated weed management programs (In Spanish). Agroecologia 5: 73-78.
- Sciegienka, J, E. Keren, and F. Menalled. In Print. Impact of root fragment dimension, weight, burial depth, and water regime on Cirsium arvense emergence and growth. Canadian Journal of Plant Science.
- Smith. R., M.R. Ryan, and F. Menalled. 2011. Direct and indirect impacts of weed management practices on soil quality.
- 2010 Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting. Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. Aug 1-6, 2010. Keren, I., F. Menalled, D. Weaver, and A. Dyer. 2010. Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) management in spring wheat cropping systems is complicated by the presence of wheat stem sawfly (Cephus cinctus) and Fusarium crown rot.
- 2010 Weed Science Society of America and Society for Range management Joint Annual Meeting. Denver, Colorado. Feb 7-11, 2010.
- Alvarez, J.M. and F. Menalled. 2010. A new host and overwintering site for the mealybug Trionymus haancheni McKenzie (Homoptera: Pseudococcidae) in Idaho. 94th annual PB-ESA meeting. Boise, ID, April 11-14, 2010.
- Keren, I. F. Menalled, D. Weaver, A. Dyer, and J. Robison-Cox. 2009. A proposed analysis for the total system approach to pest management in agriculture. Annual Meeting of the Montana Chapter of the American Statistical Association. Butte, MT. September 15, 2009.
- Keren, I. F. Menalled, D. Weaver, A. Dyer, and J. Robison-Cox. 2009. Joint management of wheat stem sawfly (Cephus cinctus), Fusarium crown rot, and cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum): assessing the ecological basis of a total systems approach to pest management strategies. 94th Ecological Society of America Meeting. Albuquerque, New Mexico. August 2-7, 2009.
- Gan, Y., H.R. Kutcher, F. Menalled , G. Lafond , and S.A. Brandt . 2010. Intensifying production of using broadleaf crops in cereal-based cropping systems in the Northern Great Plains.
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Progress 08/01/09 to 07/31/10
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Activities. For the last three years, we evaluated the role of agronomic practices in the development of integrated management approaches for wheat stem sawfly, Fusarium, and grassy weeds at three commercial farms in Montana. To validate the patterns observed in Montana, we conducted similar studies at three additional sites located in Idaho, North Dakota, and Wyoming. Fields were chosen within production farms and spring wheat varieties (wheat stem sawfly resistant, drought tolerant, and high yield) were seeded at three seeding rates (100, 200, and 400 plants m-2). Sulfosulfuron was applied at varying rates to generate a range of cheatgrass densities. All other broadleaf and grassy weeds were controlled with standard chemical treatments. Wheat stem sawfly abundance, Fusarium infection rates, as well as crop and weed emergence, abundance, biomass, and seed production were evaluated using 0.485 m diameter rings. At the plot level, we obtained visual estimates of cheatgrass abundance and yield. Each year we collected over 400 wheat and weed samples at each Montana site (1200+ total) and over 100 samples at each of the other sites (350+ total) to asses prevalence of pests and their interactions. In addition, we obtained yield and grain in all studied plots. We are currently in the midst of processing the 2010 samples and expect to have all data ready for final analysis by April 2011. Data Analysis. To parameterize our model with a data set comprising only of field observations of multiple pests we had to overcome problems of coverage and confounding. To do so, we collected several measures of cheatgrass levels: early and late season visual estimates at both the ring and the plot levels, biomass at the end of the season, and relationship between early season visual assessment and biomass. We intend to combine these different measures into a meaningful index of weed pressure with perhaps better coverage. Another confounding problem threatening our data is that the scoring for fusarium cannot be done on sawfly cut wheat stems. Thus, the precision in our fusarium level estimates is negatively related to sawfly cutting levels. To overcome this limitation we devised a side experiment conducted in Ulm in 2010 to quantify fusarium levels in wheat stubble using PCR. Result of this experiment will allow us to confirm our working assumption that the cut stems are "fusarium free." We expect these will be available in spring 2011. Events and Dissemination. We presented our results at several extension/outreach meetings including the 2010 Montana State University Crop and Pest Management School, the 2010 Crop and Weed Annual Field Day, and the 2010 Pest Management Tour. We plan to continue using the results of this study to develop and deliver an extension program on the integrated management of agricultural pests. We also presented results of the first two years of this study at the 2010 Ecological Society of America, the Weed Science Society of America, and the WERA-97 Diseases of Cereals meeting. PARTICIPANTS: Fabian Menalled, PI, Montana State University Alan Dyer, CoPI, Montana State University David Weaver, CoPI, Montana State University Ilai Keren, PhD candidate, Montana State University Evette Allison, Research Associate, Montana State University Andrew Kniss, CoPI, University of Wyoming Eric Eriksmoen, CoPI, North Dakota State University Juan Manuel Alvarez, CoPI, University of Wyoming Juliet Windes, CoPI, University of Wyoming TARGET AUDIENCES: Reaserch and agricultural proffesionals PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
Impacts
We adopted a Bayesian network approach in the analysis of the field observations as this approach allowed us to overcome the coverage and confounding limitations of the data set. At the ring level, we independently modeled the direct impact of each pest on wheat grain weight using non informative priors. Subsets of the data corresponding to varying levels of the remaining pests were then used to update model parameters. Results were compared to data collected at the plot level. All analysis is done in R version 2.8.1 and the Gibbs sampler JAGS 1.0.3. Preliminary Results. Pest levels vary markedly from year to year and site to site. Despite this high variability we did get workable levels of all three pests in at least 1 site in all years, and different combinations of pest levels in the others. A preliminary analysis of the first two years of Montana data reveals higher yields in 2009 compared with 2008 and one site (Ulm) being less productive than the other two. Also, we detected differences in grain quality across sites and years with no treatment (cultivars variety, seeding rates, and wee management approach) combination overtopping, suggesting significant interactions between yield, site, and year. Not finding a consistent pattern for yield differences across sites and years, despite the very different cultivars and seeding rates (0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 x recommended rate) is consistent with our initial hypothesis that the presence of multiple pests will complicate finding the optimal management decision. Therefore, these results need to be interpreted in the context of the different pest densities and responses to treatments. The Bayesian network approach allowed us add field obtained information on multitrophic interactions to our informative priors. For example, we determined that cheatgrass reduced sawfly attack rate on wheat at 0-.002 m-3. Also, we observed a strong negative correlation between sawfly attack rate on wheat and cut cheatgrass stems, implying that under some circumstances (sawfly choice mechanisms based on stem diameter) sawfly may prefer cheatgrass to wheat. By including both pests in our model we determined a shift in optimal management practice depending on the prevalence of the two pests. Specifically, in the absence of cheatgrass but high sawfly infestation, producers should choose a sawfly tolerant variety at low seeding rate. However, under a high sawfly and cheatgrass infestation producers benefit by planting a drought tolerant variety at high seeding rate. A second example of how management decisions are modified by the relative abundance of each pest group can be observed when assessing the interactions between cheatgrass and fusarium, where cheatgrass increases fusarium infection in non tolerant cultivars beyond the increase one will expect just by increasing plant biomass. Thus, lowering initial seeding density, in a "high risk" area for cheatgrass may cause an undesirable result as fusarium intensity is increased by the presence of cheatgrass, regardless of the wheat seeding rate and variety.
Publications
- Smith. R., M.R. Ryan, and F. Menalled. 2010. Direct and indirect impacts of weed management practices on soil quality. In Press. Soil Management: Building a Stable Base for Agriculture.
- Gan, Y., H.R. Kutcher, F. Menalled , G. Lafond , and S.A. Brandt. 2010. Intensifying production of using broadleaf crops in cereal-based cropping systems in the Northern Great Plains. In Press. Current Advancements in Soil Science and Agronomy Research in the Northern Great Plains.
- Menalled, F. 2010. Ecological considerations in the design of integrated weed management programs (In Spanish). 2010. Agroecologia 5: 73-78.
- Keren, I., F. Menalled, D. Weaver, A. Dyer, and J. Robinson-Cox. 2010. A total system approach to modeling and pest management in wheat cropping systems 2010 Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting. Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. Aug 1-6, 2010.
- Keren, I., F. Menalled, D. Weaver, and A. Dyer. 2010. Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) management in spring wheat cropping systems is complicated by the presence of wheat stem sawfly (Cephus cinctus) and Fusarium crown rot. 2010 Weed Science Society of America and Society for Range management Joint Annual Meeting. Denver, Colorado. Feb 7-11, 2010.
- Alvarez, J.M. and F. Menalled. 2010. A new host and overwintering site for the mealybug Trionymus haancheni McKenzie (Homoptera: Pseudococcidae) in Idaho. 94th annual PB-ESA meeting. Boise, ID, April 11-14, 2010.
- Keren, I. F. Menalled, D. Weaver, A. Dyer, and J. Robison-Cox. 2009. A proposed analysis for the total system approach to pest management in agriculture. Annual Meeting of the Montana Chapter of the American Statistical Association. Butte, MT.
- Keren, I. J. Robison-Cox, F. Menalled, D. Weaver, and A. Dyer. 2009. Joint management of wheat stem sawfly (Cephus cinctus), Fusarium crown rot, and cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum): assessing the ecological basis of a total systems approach to pest management strategies. 94th Ecological Society of America Meeting. Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Menalled, F. 2010. Montana State University. Dept. of Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology. Assessing complex interactions in simple systems. Bringing an ecological perspective to the study of wheat-fallow fields.
- Menalled F. 2009. Montana State University. Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences. Integrated Management of Agricultural Weeds in Montana.
- Menalled, F. 2008. South Dakota State University. Dept. of Plant Sciences. Bringing a population and community ecology perspective into weed science.
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Progress 08/01/08 to 07/31/09
Outputs
OUTPUTS: We conducted the second year of a three year study evaluating the role of agronomic practices in the development of integrated management approaches for wheat stem sawfly, Fusarium, and grassy weeds. In Montana, three fields located in production farms were selected and three spring wheat varieties (wheat stem sawfly resistant, drought tolerant, and high yield) were seeded at three seeding rates (100, 200, and 400 plants m-2). Sulfosulfuron was applied at varying rates to generate a range of cheatgrass densities. All other broadleaf and grassy weeds were controlled with standard chemical treatments. Wheat stem sawfly abundance, Fusarium infection rates, as well as crop and weed emergence, abundance, biomass, and seed production were evaluated using 0.485 m diameter rings. At the plot level, we obtained visual estimates of cheatgrass abundance and yield. To validate the responses observed in Montana, a reduced version of this experiment was conducted in Wyoming, Idaho, and North Dakota. We are currently analyzing the samples obtained during the 2009 growing season and expect to conduct these studies during the 2010 growing season. Data Analysis. We adopted a Bayesian network approach in the analysis of the 2008 field observations. At the ring level, we independently modeled the direct impact of each pest on wheat grain weight using non informative priors. Subsets of the data corresponding to varying levels of the remaining pests were then used to update model parameters. Results were compared to data collected at the plot level. All analysis is done in R version 2.8.1 and the Gibbs sampler JAGS 1.0.3. A field study was established at the Montana State University Arthur H. Post Research Farm, 7 miles west of Bozeman, MT, to assess the existence of interactions among wheat stem sawfly, Fusarium, and grassy weeds as well as their synergistic impacts on wheat. In October 2008, locally collected Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass) seeds were slightly incorporated into the seedbank. The entire field was planted with spring wheat in May 2009. Cages for retaining sawflies (60cm X 60cm X 120 cm) were established and Fusarium was inoculated in 120 cm rows, with only 60 cm of these inside the cage. Unfortunately, due to low cheatgrass emergence and a moderate hailstorm that severely damaged the crops after the cages were removed, no data could be collected. We expect to repeat this experiment at a farmer's field during the 2010 growing season. Events and Dissemination. As part of our extension/outreach activities we presented our preliminary results during the 2009 Montana State University Crop and Pest Management School, the 2009 Crop and Weed Annual Field Day, and the 2009 Pest Management Tour. Results have been presented at the 2009 Ecological Society of America, the Annual Meeting of the Montana Chapter of the American Statistical Association, the WERA-97 Diseases of Cereals meeting. Results will be presented at the 2010 Joint Meeting of the Society for Range Management and the Weed Science Society of America. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals. Fabian Menalled, PI, Montana State University Alan Dyer, CoPI, Montana State University David Weaver, CoPI, Montana State University Ilai Keren, PhD candidate, Montana State University Evette Allison, Research Associate, Montana State University Andrew Kniss, CoPI, University of Wyoming Eric Eriksmoen, CoPI, North Dakota State University Juan Manuel Alvarez, CoPI, University of Wyoming Juliet Windes, CoPI, University of Wyoming Partner Organizations. Montana State University University of Wyoming North Dakota State University University of Idaho TARGET AUDIENCES: Targeted audiences included pest specialists, crop managers, crop advisors, extension agents, farmers, and other interested in small grain agriculture including undergraduate and graduate students. Efforts included presentations in professional meetings, field days, and extension/outreach workshops and meetings. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Dr. Andrew Kniss, University of Wyoming, became a CoPI of this project as Dr. Richard Smith resigned to his appointment at the Univ. of Wyoming. During the summer of 2010 we will conduct the field experiment described in Objective 1 of our proposal at a commercial farm instead of the MSU experimental farm to secure the presence of cheatgrass as an experimental treatment.
Impacts
Our results suggest significant yield differences between treatments, where overall, the drought tolerant variety at the medium seeding density had from 13% up to 27% higher yields. However, estimates of yield losses are confounded by the occurrences of multiple interacting pests. For example the sawfly tolerant variety (58% of stems infested) yielded 11% lower than the drought tolerant variety (77% infested) at the low seeding density. This can be explained by evaluating results from the ring level data. Sawfly tolerant variety yields were 14.6% lower at 75% cheatgrass density, but 21.5% higher at 10% cheatgrass density. We also detected evidence of interactions between pests. For example Fusarium levels significantly increased with cheatgrass density in the high yielding variety. This contributed to the effect of cheatgrass on yield. Also, herbicide application increased yields non-linearly by 17% and 23.5% for the 0.4 and 0.8 rates, respectively, matching the non-linear response to cheatgrass density observed at the ring level. Our results indicate multiple complex interactions and make a total systems approach to the analysis imperative as single-pest management decisions may be erroneous. Therefore we are now combining independent model components to estimate these parameters with an Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithm.
Publications
- Keren, I. F. Menalled, D. Weaver, A. Dyer, and J. Robison-Cox. 2009. A proposed analysis for the total system approach to pest management in agriculture. Annual Meeting of the Montana Chapter of the American Statistical Association. Butte, MT
- Keren, I. J. Robison-Cox, F. Menalled, D. Weaver, and A. Dyer. 2009. Joint management of wheat stem sawfly (Cephus cinctus), Fusarium crown rot, and cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum): assessing the ecological basis of a total systems approach to pest management strategies. 94th Ecological Society of America Meeting. Albuquerque, New Mexico
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Progress 08/01/07 to 07/31/08
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Activities: Between October 2007 and April 2008, three representative fields were selected in Montana to conduct the first year of our study aimed at evaluating the role of agronomic practices in the development of integrated management approaches for wheat stem sawfly, Fusarium, and grassy weeds (Objective 2). These fields were located across a 470 kilometers South-North gradient in production farms located in Amsterdam, MT; Ulm, MT; and Havre, MT. Fields were selected because of their known history of wheat stem sawfly, Fusarium, and grassy weeds. Between April 7 and April 10, 2008 all fields were seeded to accommodate three seeding rates (100, 200, and 400 plants m-2) of each one of the three selected wheat varieties (Choteau, Mc Neal, and Reeder). Shortly after planting, sulfosulfuron (Maverick) was applied at 0X, 0.4X, and 0.8X of the recommended field rate (0.67 oz/a) to generate a range of cheatgrass (Downy brome) densities. Broadleaf weeds were managed in all plots with pyrasulfotole and bromoxinil (Huskie plus) applied at 11 oz/a plus fluroxypyr (Starane) applied at 0.33 pint/acre. Wild oats (Avena fatua) and other sporadic grassy weeds were controlled with pinoxaden (Axial) 8.2 oz/a plus Adigor at 9.6 oz/a. All plots were broadcast fertilized with Urea (46-0-0) at the recommended rates to maximize yields. During the 2008 growing season, crop and weed emergence and abundance was evaluated in three 0.485 m diameter rings located within each seeding density-wheat variety-herbicide rate plot. Within each ring, all wheat and cheatgrass plants were collected to determine aboveground biomass, seed production, wheat stem sawfly abundance, Fusarium infection rates. Visual estimates of cheatgrass abundance were obtained in each plot prior to harvest. All plots will be harvest between August 25 and August 27 and yield estimates will be obtained in a 1.5 m x 8 m area harvested perpendicular to row planting. We are currently analyzing the samples obtained during the 2008 growing season and we expect to start our statistical analysis within the next 4 months. To examine interactions among three pest groups (wheat stem sawfly, Fusarium, and grassy weeds) and their synergistic impacts on wheat (Objective 1), we collected and cleaned large quantities of cheatgrass seeds that will be sown at the Post Experimental Farm, Montana State University, in October 2008. We expect to conduct this study during the 2009 and 2010 growing season. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals Fabian Menalled, PI Alan Dyer, CoPI David Weaver, CoPI Richard Smith, CoPI Dale Woods, CoPI Eric Eriksmoen, CoPI Juan Manuel Alvarez, CoPI Juliet Windes, CoPI Ilai Keren, PhD candidate Evette Allison, Research Associate Partner Organizations Montana State University University of Wyoming North Dakota State University University of Idaho TARGET AUDIENCES: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
Impacts
Although premature, we expect that the knowledge generate in this research and outreach program will enhance producers' understanding of multi-trophic level interactions. This knowledge will, in turn, allow producers to develop specific actions to jointly manage cheatgrass, wheat stem sawfly and Fusarium.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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