COORDINATING IPM SUCCESSES IN UTAH`S SPECIALTY CROPS, COMMUNITIES, AND SCHOOLS

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: 3D GRANT
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 1000978
• Grant No.: 2013-41534-21215
• Cumulative Award Amt.: $70,000.00
• Proposal No.: 2013-04130
• Project Start Date: Sep 1, 2013
• Project End Date: Aug 31, 2015
• Grant Year: 2013
• Program Code: [QQIPM]- Extension Integrated Pest Management - Coordination

Recipient Organization
UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION
(N/A)
LOGAN,UT 84322

Performing Department
Biology

Non Technical Summary
Integrated pest management (IPM) is the practice of managing pests on crop lands, landscapes, and structures to minimize pest injury using methods that are safe for the environment and humans and profitable for commercial operations. The state of Utah is committed to building upon its past successes to increase implementation of IPM for specialty crops, urban communities, and schools, thereby providing economic benefit and human and environmental protection for Utah's citizens in accordance with the National IPM Roadmap. Unique characteristics of Utah's geography and population base create specific critical needs for development and adaptation of appropriate IPM technologies. Utah has a history of small farm food production and interest in cultivation of specialty crops. It is the 8th most urbanized and the 2nd driest state in the country, and most of its arable lands are at elevations of 2,500-6,000 ft. Protection of natural resources and human safety in the urban corridor of the state demands the implementation of thoughtful and tailored pest management approaches. This project will support infrastructure to enable the Utah IPM Program to increase implementation of progressively higher levels of IPM practices. The Utah IPM program will conduct numerous research projects, conduct face to face trainings and develop print, online, and mobile outreach products for commercial and residential audiences in urban horticulture and fruit and vegetable crops, and for facilities workers in schools. Collaborations include multi-state tree fruit and vegetable guides, regional and state small farm working groups, Utah Climate Center, state school districts, and commodity organizations and state partner agencies. We will address National IPM Roadmap goals, maintain IPM information networks, build partnerships with stakeholder communities, assess impacts of IPM adoption, communicate program outcomes to stakeholders, and evaluate the program through a variety of means.

Animal Health Component

100%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

(N/A)

Applied

100%

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
216	1199	1130	30%
216	1119	1160	10%
216	1499	1130	20%
216	1499	1160	10%
216	2199	1130	10%
216	2199	1160	10%
216	6050	1130	10%

Knowledge Area
216 - Integrated Pest Management Systems;

Subject Of Investigation
1119 - Deciduous tree fruits, general/other; 1499 - Vegetables, general/other; 2199 - Ornamentals and turf, general/other; 1199 - Deciduous and small fruits, general/other; 6050 - Communities, areas, and regions;

Field Of Science
1130 - Entomology and acarology; 1160 - Pathology;

Keywords

utah

advisory

decision aid tools

disease

fruit

insect

ornamental

profitability

vegetable

Goals / Objectives
The major goal of the Utah IPM Program at Utah State University is to build upon its past successes to increase implementation of integrated pest management for specialty crops, urban communities, and schools, thereby providing economic benefit and human and environmental protection for Utah's citizens in accordance with the National IPM Roadmap. The Utah IPM Program is stakeholder-driven, trans-disciplinary, and coordinated across extension and research IPM activities to provide timely and accurate pest management information. Objectives of the Utah IPM Program are to: 1. Provide a core of IPM-dedicated resources that facilitates effective IPM team-building and communication with all relevant groups in Utah. 2. Provide relevant, effective, and trans-disciplinary training and education on IPM concepts and technologies to Utah stakeholder groups targeted in this proposal, and coordinate IPM outreach by others to stakeholder groups not directly targeted by the IPM Program. 3. Coordinate collaborative, trans-disciplinary IPM research and educational efforts. 4. Address and facilitate collaborations on ecologically- and economically-based applied research needs. 5. Serve as the IPM resource center for Utah. In this capacity, the Utah IPM Program will maintain contact with all relevant stakeholder groups and continually promote IPM resources and capabilities to new stakeholders in the State through multiple avenues. 6. Coordinate planning and reporting of local, state, and regional IPM activities and outcomes through participation in meetings and committees relative to the NIFA and Utah IPM Program missions.

Project Methods
Primary Emphasis Area 1: IPM Implementation in Communities a) Pest Advisories. The IPM pest advisory program includes subscription-based updates that provide the green industry and homeowners with pest biology, treatment timing and recommendations, and timely articles. The information provided in the newsletters will come from scouting by the IPM program and a team of trained Master Gardeners. b) IPM/SA Mini-grant. The Utah IPM Program will partner with Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Center to administer the Utah IPM/Sustainable Agriculture Mini-grant Program. Awards (up to $10,000) will be made to USU Extension faculty in the winter of each year. We estimate that 20-30% of mini-grant projects over the next three years will focus on IPM for Communities. c) Outreach Activities. To increase our reach to the Master Gardener organization, we will utilize USU Extension interactive video conferencing to train Master Gardeners in pest diagnostic and IPM practices To address the needs of green industry professionals, we will establish a monthly twilight meeting series from May to September to cover a range of general IPM topics. We plan to expand our YouTube IPM channel by adding at least 2 videos per year over the next 3 years and will continue to provide face-to-face and written training, and also add online and interactive training. Evaluation Stakeholders will be directly involved in guiding the content and usefulness of outreach products and programs. All subscribers (currently 4,000) to the IPM pest advisories will be surveyed in 2014. In 2016, we will implement a formal IPM implementation survey of the green industry to measure the success of the IPM program, document practices, structure future programming, and compare results to our 2010 survey. Other measurement tools include web analytics, advisory subscription rates, consumer requests, number of downloads for documents and viewings for videos, and individual contacts. To evaluate the IPM/SA mini-grant program, we discuss each project's outputs generated, evaluation, budget expenditures, final report, and timeliness of submissions. Participating agents provide feedback on the granting process and are required to fill out a review form, helping to evaluate overall impacts to IPM use and adoption in Utah. Primary Emphasis Area 2: IPM Implementation for Specialty Crops a) Pest Advisories and TRAPs. Subscriptions for the Utah IPM pest advisories for specialty crops increase each year, with a current base of 6,000 each for the fruit and vegetable editions. The IPM Program will conduct weekly pest monitoring from April - September each year in 18 fruit and vegetable locations in northern Utah. In addition, Master Gardener "scouts" will be trained in March and April of each year. Utah TRAPs (Timing Resource and Alert for Pests) is an online pest management degree day calculator and decision aid tool. Improvement plans for the next three years are to add four to six additional insect phenology models, improve the weather data output options, provide irrigation scheduling, and offer a site-specific email/text alert system for user-defined options. b) IPM/SA Mini-grant. We estimate that 55-70% awards will have a focus in this area. c) Research. Research in specialty crops will be concentrated in fruit crops, onions, and greenhouse crops. Primary emphasis examples that the team will focus on from 2014-16 include peach twig borer, cherry fruit fly, raspberry horntail, onion thrips, cytospora canker, and fire blight, and biocontrol in greenhouses. The team will adjust efforts based on emerging pest issues. d) Outreach Activities. Educational efforts will be focused on economic and environmental sustainability of small farms and will include 2 to 4 fact sheets/year on fruits, vegetables, and greenhouse IPM, 1 to 2 how-to videos per year, 1 to 2 training workshops/year in collaboration with USU's Small Farms Working Group, annual grower meetings, and a series of small farm IPM webinars through eXtension. We will also implement bi-weekly grower meetings from April to August of each year. In 2014, the Program will develop an IPM vegetable guide and in 2015, will leverage funding to expand the guide to include expertise from Nevada and Wyoming. The Intermountain Tree Fruit Guide and website will be edited in each of the next 3 years, with the addition of input from Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. Another outreach project planned for 2014-15 is to develop a mobile app for tree fruit pests, tentatively titled "Western Fruit PestFinder". Evaluation At all workshops, most annual grower meetings, and for all applicable research projects, we will disseminate a before and after survey. The subscribers of the IPM advisories will be surveyed in fall of 2014 and 2016 (online survey). To hear the needs of the berry growers in the state, we will survey this group for the first time in 2014. The results of these surveys will provide us with the level of knowledge gained, as well as more specific details, such as the adoption of a certain IPM practice or change in pesticide use. The surveys will also measure grower perceptions of IPM implementation, effectiveness, costs, and profitability. Other evaluation tools include: poll widgets and "rate this site" surveys on the Utah IPM and intermountainfruit.org websites, poll and short user surveys of mobile app users, website analytics, GIS mapping of trap catch data showing changes in pest population, and feedback of IPM discussions at advisory committee meetings with landscape and specialty crop grower associations. Secondary Emphasis Area 1: IPM Support for Pest Diagnostic Facilities For the next 3 years, the IPM Program will manage the Utah Pests website, add to the image database, upload new slideshows pertinent to the diagnostic lab (UPPDL), and will coordinate the UTAH PESTS newsletter (4 editions/year). The IPM Program will assist the diagnostic lab for the next 3 years by conducting farm visits and diagnostics where the UPPDL staff cannot, scouting and notification of unusual pests, and facilitation of in-service training and workshop programs on invasive pests. The IPM Program represents the UPPDL on state pest advisory committees for grasshoppers, fruits, Japanese beetle, and pest surveys. Evaluation The Utah IPM Program and UPPDL conduct monthly staff meetings to assess the collaborative program and address future needs. Secondary Emphasis Area 2: IPM Training and Implementation in Schools a) Assessments. In fall of 2014, 2 county Extension agents will join the Utah School IPM Coalition to help the adoption of school IPM within their counties, with the goal of 2 additional school districts adopting IPM in Utah by 2016. Once a school agrees to participate, the Coalition will conduct an on-site inspection to gather baseline data. The Utah IPM Program will then develop a custom-tailored IPM program and timeline for the participating schools. b) Outreach. The IPM Program and participating county agents will develop outreach materials for the school districts that have agreed to follow an IPM plan. Starting in winter 2014, we will develop 4 fact sheets per year where information is lacking or as requested by participating schools. In fall 2014, we will partner with Evaluation Post-pilot assessments are used to determine program success. Post assessments are identical to pre-pilot assessments and are used to measure improvements in knowledge, IPM skills, decreases in pest pressure, decreases in pesticide use, mitigation of pest-conducive conditions and maintenance issues. Following the program, the school district will determine if the program will be taken district-wide, including all district buildings and outdoor facilities.

Progress 09/01/13 to 08/31/15

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audiences for this project were: producers in fruits and vegetables, Master Gardeners, pesticide applicators, green industry professionals, public school administrators and staff, state and federal government agriculture and land management professionals, USU students, USU Extension agriculture and horticulture agents, and Utah's general public interested in learning about IPM. We are also targeting Spanish-speaking farmworkers through printed materials. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project paid for the co-PD to participate in the annual WERA-1017 (Western IPM) meeting and American Phytopathological Society Pacific Division conference. The project also allowed a key personnel, Ryan Davis (school IPM), to attend one professional development conference on school IPM and structural pest issues. The PD represented Utah IPM interests while attending the Orchard Pest and Disease Management Conference and national and regional Entomological Society of America conferences. These meetings provided research and review updates and network and learning opportunities. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The IPM Program uses a variety of avenues to disseminate results of projects, including talks to grower and industry association meetings, Master Gardeners, government (such as NRCS) and non-profit trainings. In addition, research reports are uploaded to the IPM website (utahpests.usu.edu/ipm/htm/fruits/tree-fruit-report) and incorporated into IPM fact sheets, grower guides, and newsletters. IPM Pest advisory newsletters are distributed via email to subscribers, and the service is marketed using a rack card to all Extension offices, commodity groups, garden centers and nurseries. Recipients of the mini-grants are required to present results to the target audience as well as at the Western U.S. County Agents Association meeting and the annual USU Extension Conference. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Utah's unique characteristics of an arid climate, agrarian-minded culture, and dense urban areas create specific needs for development and adaptation of safe and profitable pest management strategies and tactics. During this grant (2013-15), the Utah IPM Program conducted stakeholder-driven and collaborative education and applied research activates to meet those needs. Examples include timely pest advisories for fruit and vegetable growers, green industry professionals, and home gardeners; online diagnostic and pest management tools, detailed guides, training, and more. Growers and backyard consumers affected by the Program have changed practices that reflect good stewardship and economic sustainability, including increased pest monitoring (134%), increased use of non-chemical control options (34%), increased adoption of safe pesticides and biocontrol options (1,400%), and decreased use of toxic pesticides (45%). These changes in behaviors lead to a safer environment. As toxic pesticide inputs decrease, soil and water quality increase. Humans are less exposed to pesticides and growers are better able to protect workers and sell healthy, pest-free produce. Objective 1: Provide a core of IPM-dedicated resources. The IPM Pest Advisory service consists of newsletters and an online decision aid tool called Utah TRAPs (Timing Resource and Alert for Pests, climate.usurf.usu.edu/traps). On this grant, we delivered 14 fruit, 8 vegetable (3 in 2015), 3 landscape, and 4 turf newsletters. Subscription rates increased 13% over the previous year, and now total 26,550 for the four advisories. We developed several new additions for the TRAPs website, including a pest alert text message system; 3 new USU-owned weather stations and access to an additional 8 others; 2 new pest models; a "one-stop" pest summary page; and video tutorials. Subscribers to the advisories are surveyed on even years, and were distributed a link to a survey in fall 2014 (conducted under the EIP 2014-17 grant). Past impacts we have seen, from 2008 - 2012 include: pest monitoring increased by 134% the use of pheromone traps increased by 16% avoiding spraying during bloom increased by 41% adoption of reduced risk and biocontrol products increased by 1,400% use of organophosphate and pyrethroid products decreased by 45% reports of healthier plants increased by 34% We also provided 4 quarterly issues of Utah Pests News, continually updated our websites, utahpests.usu.edu/ipm, and intermountainfruit.org, produced the comprehensive Utah Vegetable Production and Pest Management Guide (9 authors), updated and maintained timely fact sheets, and responded to client needs via personal contacts, phone, email, and eXtension "Ask the Expert" answers. Objective 2: Provide relevant, effective, and multi-disciplinary IPM training and education. The IPM Program core focuses on entomology and plant pathology, with cooperators covering many other disciplines, including weed science, horticulture, soils, plant nutrition, water conservation, and economics. With those cooperators, we produced 1 fruit pest mobile app and 40 fact sheets and journal articles (3 translated to Spanish), including a series of 16 school IPM fact sheets during this grant period. We conducted 3 workshops, participated in 10 fruit grower meetings and 10 call-in radio programs, and delivered 45 talks. The School IPM team held over 30 training sessions for 18 school districts, and additional training sessions for Utah Health Department employees who will be enforcing the new IPM in schools law. In addition, 10 schools were assessed to determine pest levels and areas where improvements could be made. These educational efforts have resulted in an increased adoption of USU-recommended IPM practices, and reduced human and environmental exposure to pesticides. For example, in late 2013, we surveyed recipients of the tree fruit production guide after 2 years of use, and found that 60% increased their level of monitoring, 48% used the "organic/reduced risk" recommendations, 73% learned more about pest biology from the guide, and 72% said they are more likely to adopt recommended IPM practices. Objectives 3 and 4: Organize collaborative IPM research. On this grant, the IPM Program coordinated and conducted 4 applied research projects in 2013-14 and one in 2015. Results of applied research have led to increases in IPM practices, cost savings, and/or reductions in pesticide use, and results include: peach twig borer mating disruption dispensers hung in mid-June provided the same protection and lower cost than when hung at biofix, saving growers up to $70/acre four common perennial and biennial weeds in onion fields have been identified as key overwintering hosts for onion thrips and iris yellow spot virus; targeted weed removal can prevent a crop loss of up to $1,010/acre positioning a systemic insecticide as the first cover spray in an insecticide program for western cherry fruit fly prevented 5-10% crop loss, a savings of $300-600/acre for tart cherries and $185-370/acre for sweet cherries use of birdsfoot trefoil as a cover crop in peach orchards provided an average of 35% of the crop's nitrogen requirements and enhanced arthropod biodiversity for a value of more than $100/acre (ongoing project) testing biochar for benefits of vegetable production Objective 5: Maintain contact with all relevant stakeholder groups and continually promote IPM resources and capabilities Stakeholder advisory committees (tree fruit research, onion research, TRAPs, and Utah Nursery and Landscape Association Board) guided the activities of the USU IPM Program, and in some cases, provided grant support and evaluation. In addition, the Utah Plant Pest Diagnostic Lab coordinated monthly meetings of all USU Extension pest management faculty to plan workshops, outreach activities, and budgets. All of these committees allowed us to disseminate new IPM information to leaders in the industries we target, increasing interaction among grower peers and between growers and USU specialists. The USU IPM Program's ongoing collaboration with Western SARE offers mini-grants to Extension agents and specialists, focusing on IPM and sustainable agriculture. The grants covered by this project gave un-tenured faculty research opportunities. Three awards were made in this grant cycle. Some of the impacts include: 22 Salt Lake County Extension Master Gardeners received in-depth diagnostic training that allowed them to diagnose over 800 plant problems, freeing up time for county agents. Ten alfalfa varieties were compared for resistance to alfalfa stem nematode and results showed that growers can increase their returns by approximately $16/acre using resistance. A Guide to Common Organic Gardening Questions was written by 18 authors and, in combination with organic workshops, was found to influence 83% of those surveyed to change behaviors from conventional to organic options. Objective 6: Support communication on IPM activities through participation in committees. The USU IPM Program participated in and coordinated several committees whose goals were to advise and evaluate the IPM Program, provide updates on new IPM research, and coordinate educational and research projects. Committee participants included USU employees, government employees, and members of commodity and non-profit groups. A truly effective one is the annual western region IPM Coordinators meeting where each state shares IPM impacts and projects. Other committees included Fruit IPM, Landscape IPM, Invasive Pests, Small Farms, Horticulture, and a School IPM Coalition. Committees met once or twice a year, and resulted in several collaborative research and educational projects. The School IPM Coalition, for example, helped to pass a bill in the Utah Legislature that now requires IPM in all Utah schools.

Publications

• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Bunn, B., Diane Alston, Marion Murray. 2015. Flea Beetles on Vegetables. USU Extension Fact Sheet ENT-174-15. 8 pp. http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/factsheet/flea-beetles.pdf

Progress 09/01/13 to 08/31/14

Outputs
Target Audience: The target audiences for the Utah Extension IPM Program’s field days, grower meetings, workshops, online content, newsletters and social media, classroom teaching, and general contacts are: producers in fruits and vegetables, Master Gardeners, pesticide applicators, green industry professionals, public school administrators and staff, state and federal government agriculture and land management professionals, USU students, USU Extension agriculture and horticulture agents, and Utah’s general public interested in learning about IPM. We are also targeting Spanish-speaking farmworkers through printed materials. Changes/Problems: The only major problem was a delay in hiring a new member in the IPM staff to focus on vegetable IPM. This new hire was made in late summer 2014. There were no other major problems or delays, no deviations from project goals, no unexpected outcomes, and this project did not use animal or human subjects or biohazards. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? The project paid for the co-PD to participate in the annual WERA-1017 (Western IPM) meeting and American Phytopathological Society Pacific Division conference. The project also allowed a key personnel, Ryan Davis (school IPM), to attend one professional development conference on school IPM and structural pest issues. The PD represented Utah IPM interests while attending the Orchard Pest and Disease Management Conference and national and regional Entomological Society of America conferences. These meetings provided research and review updates and network and learning opportunities. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? The IPM Program uses a variety of avenues to disseminate results of projects, including talks to grower and industry association meetings, Master Gardeners, government (such as NRCS) and non-profit trainings. In addition, research reports are uploaded to the IPM website (utahpests.usu.edu/ipm/htm/fruits/tree-fruit-report and utahpests.usu.edu/ipm/htm/vegetables/vegetable-research-reports) and incorporated into IPM fact sheets, grower guides, and newsletters. IPM Pest advisory newsletters are distributed via email to subscribers, and the service is marketed using a rack card to all Extension offices, commodity groups, garden centers and nurseries. Recipients of the mini-grants are required to present results to the target audience as well as at the Western U.S. County Agents Association meeting and the annual USU Extension Conference. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? The new vegetable IPM associate (see below) will compile additional vegetable IPM advisories and generate 2 vegetable pest fact sheets. We expect this work to be completed in fall 2014, and to submit a final report in early winter 2015.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Utah’s unique characteristics of an arid climate, agrarian culture, and dense urban areas create specific needs for development and adaptation of safe and profitable pest management strategies and tactics. During 2013-14, the Utah IPM Program conducted stakeholder-driven and collaborative education and applied research activates to meet those needs. Examples include timely pest advisories for fruit and vegetable growers, green industry professionals, and home gardeners; online diagnostic and pest management tools, detailed guides, training, and more. Growers and backyard consumers affected by the Program have changed practices that reflect good stewardship and economic sustainability, including increased pest monitoring (134%), increased use of non-chemical control options (34%), increased adoption of safe pesticides and biocontrol options (1,400%), and decreased use of toxic pesticides (45%). These changes in behaviors lead to a safer environment. As toxic pesticide inputs decrease, soil and water quality increase. Humans are less exposed to pesticides and growers are better able to protect workers and sell healthy, pest-free produce. Objective 1: Provide a core of IPM-dedicated resources. The IPM Pest Advisory service consists of newsletters and an online decision aid tool called Utah TRAPs (Timing Resource and Alert for Pests, climate.usurf.usu.edu/traps). During 2013-14, we delivered 14 fruit, 5 vegetable, 3 landscape, and 4 turf newsletters. Subscription rates increased 13% over the previous year, and now total 26,550 for the four advisories. We developed several new additions for the TRAPs website, including a pest alert text message system; 3 new USU-owned weather stations and access to an additional 8 others; 2 new pest models; a “one-stop” pest summary page; and video tutorials. Subscribers to the advisories are surveyed on even years, and will be distributed a link to a survey in fall 2014. We expect results to be similar to our surveys conducted in 2010 and 2012, where we found the following impacts: • pest monitoring increased by 134% • the use of pheromone traps increased by 16% • avoiding spraying during bloom increased by 41% • adoption of reduced risk and biocontrol products increased by 1,400% • use of organophosphate and pyrethroid products decreased by 45% • reports of healthier plants increased by 34% We also provided 4 quarterly issues of Utah Pests News, continually updated our websites, utahpests.usu.edu/ipm, and intermountainfruit.org, produced the comprehensive Utah Vegetable Production and Pest Management Guide (9 authors), updated and maintained timely fact sheets, and responded to client needs via personal contacts, phone, email, and eXtension “Ask the Expert” answers. Objective 2: Provide relevant, effective, and multi-disciplinary IPM training and education. The IPM Program core focuses on entomology and plant pathology, with cooperators covering many other disciplines, including weed science, horticulture, soils, plant nutrition, water conservation, and economics. With those cooperators, we produced 39 fact sheets and journal articles (3 translated to Spanish), including a series of 16 school IPM fact sheets. We conducted 3 workshops, participated in 10 fruit grower meetings and 10 call-in radio programs, and delivered 45 talks. The School IPM team held over 30 training sessions for 18 school districts, and additional training sessions for Utah Health Department employees who will be enforcing the new IPM in schools law. In addition, 10 schools were assessed to determine pest levels and areas where improvements could be made. These educational efforts have resulted in an increased adoption of USU-recommended IPM practices, and reduced human and environmental exposure to pesticides. For example, in late 2013, we surveyed recipients of the tree fruit production guide after 2 years of use, and found that 60% increased their level of monitoring, 48% used the “organic/reduced risk” recommendations, 73% learned more about pest biology from the guide, and 72% said they are more likely to adopt recommended IPM practices. Objectives 3 and 4: Organize collaborative IPM research. The IPM Program coordinated and conducted 4 applied research projects in 2013-14. Results of applied research have led to increases in IPM practices, cost savings, and/or reductions in pesticide use, and results include: • peach twig borer mating disruption dispensers hung in mid-June provided the same protection and lower cost than when hung at biofix, saving growers up to $70/acre • four common perennial and biennial weeds in onion fields have been identified as key overwintering hosts for onion thrips and iris yellow spot virus; targeted weed removal can prevent a crop loss of up to $1,010/acre • positioning a systemic insecticide as the first cover spray in an insecticide program for western cherry fruit fly prevented 5-10% crop loss, a savings of $300-600/acre for tart cherries and $185-370/acre for sweet cherries • use of birdsfoot trefoil as a cover crop in peach orchards provided an average of 35% of the crop’s nitrogen requirements and enhanced arthropod biodiversity for a value of more than $100/acre Objective 5: Maintain contact with all relevant stakeholder groups and continually promote IPM resources and capabilities Stakeholder advisory committees (tree fruit research, onion research, TRAPs, and Utah Nursery and Landscape Association Board) guided the activities of the USU IPM Program, and in some cases, provided grant support and evaluation. In addition, the Utah Plant Pest Diagnostic Lab coordinated monthly meetings of all USU Extension pest management faculty to plan workshops, outreach activities, and budgets. All of these committees allowed us to disseminate new IPM information to leaders in the industries that we target, increasing interaction among grower peers and between growers and USU specialists. As a result, growers are more willing to serve as cooperators and plan, organize, participate in, and implement, USU IPM recommendations. The USU IPM Program’s ongoing collaboration with Western SARE offers mini-grants to Extension agents and specialists, focusing on IPM and sustainable agriculture. The grants covered by this project gave un-tenured faculty research opportunities. Three awards were made in this grant cycle. Some of the impacts include: • 22 Salt Lake County Extension Master Gardeners received in-depth diagnostic training that allowed them to diagnose over 800 plant problems, freeing up time for county agents. • Ten alfalfa varieties were compared for resistance to alfalfa stem nematode and results showed that growers can increase their returns by approximately $16/acre using resistance. • A Guide to Common Organic Gardening Questions was written by 18 authors and, in combination with organic workshops, was found to influence 83% of those surveyed to change behaviors from conventional to organic options. Objective 6: Support communication on IPM activities through participation in committees. The USU IPM Program participated in and coordinated several committees whose goals were to advise and evaluate the IPM Program, provide updates on new IPM research, and coordinate educational and research projects. Committee participants included USU employees, government employees, and members of commodity and non-profit groups. A truly effective one is the annual western region IPM Coordinators meeting where each state shares IPM impacts and projects. Other committees included Fruit IPM, Landscape IPM, Invasive Pests, Small Farms, Horticulture, and a School IPM Coalition. Committees met once or twice a year, and resulted in several collaborative research and educational projects. The School IPM Coalition, for example, helped to pass a bill in the Utah Legislature that now requires IPM in all Utah schools.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Black, B., R. Heflebower, B. Hunter, S. Olsen, and D. Alston. 2013. Adaptability of primocane raspberry cultivars to a high-elevation arid climate. Journal of the American Pomological Society 67: 47-56.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Buckland, K., J. Reeve, D. Alston, C. Nischwitz, and D. Drost. 2013. Effects of nitrogen fertility and crop rotation on onion growth and yield, thrips densities, Iris yellow spot virus and soil properties. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 177: 63-74.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Jenkins, T. M., T. D. Eaton, T. E. Cottrell, A. Amis, D. L. Horton, and D. G. Alston. 2014. A DNA marker to track Conotrachelus nenuphar (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) dispersal. Journal of Entomological Science 49 (1): 91-93.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Jones, V., R. Hilton, J. Brunner, W. Bentley, D. Alston, B. Barrett, R. van Steenwyk, L. Hull, J. Walgenbach, and T. Smith. 2013. Predicting emergence of codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), on a degree-day scale in North America. Pest Management Science (wileyonlinelibrary.com) DOI 10.1002/ps.3519.
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2013 Citation: Alston, D. and M. Murray. 2013. Apple Maggot. USU Extension Fact Sheet. ENT-06-87. 6 pp. http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/factsheet/apple-maggot.pdf
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2013 Citation: Alston, D. and M. Murray. 2013. Pest Monitoring Calendar: Apple. USU Extension Fact Sheet. IPM-001-13. 1 pp. http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/factsheet/apple-calendar.pdf.
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2013 Citation: Alston, D. and M. Murray. 2013. Pest Monitoring Calendar: Pear. USU Extension Fact Sheet. IPM-004-13. 1 pp. http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/factsheet/pear-calendar.pdf.
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2013 Citation: Alston, D. and M. Murray. 2013. Pest Monitoring Calendar: Plum. USU Extension Fact Sheet. IPM-019-13. 1 pp. http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/factsheet/plum-calendar.pdf.
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2013 Citation: Alston, D. and M. Murray. 2013. Pest Monitoring Calendar: Apricot. USU Extension Fact Sheet. IPM-018-13. 1 pp. http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/factsheet/apricot-calendar.pdf.
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2013 Citation: Alston, D. and M. Murray. 2013. Pest Monitoring Calendar: Cherry. USU Extension Fact Sheet. IPM-002-13. 1 pp. http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/factsheet/cherry-calendar.pdf.
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2013 Citation: Davis, R. 2013. Spiders. Utah Pest Press School IPM Fact Sheet #1. 2 pp. English: http://utahpests.usu.edu/schoolIPM/files/uploads/Pest_Press_Fact_Sheets/PDF/Spiders-2013PP.pdf. Spanish: http://utahpests.usu.edu/schoolIPM/files/uploads/Pest_Press_Fact_Sheets/Spanish_PDF/aranas.pdf.
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2013 Citation: Alston, D. and M. Murray. 2013. Pest Monitoring Calendar: Peach and Nectarine. USU Extension Fact Sheet. IPM-003-13. 1 pp. http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/factsheet/peach-calendar.pdf.
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2014 Citation: Beddes, T., M. Murray, M. Caron. 2014. Flatheaded Borers. USU Extension Fact Sheet. ENT-170-14PR. 4 pp. http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/factsheet/flatheaded-borers.pdf
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2014 Citation: Bunn, B., D. Alston, D. Drost, M. Murray, C. Nischwitz, T. Beddes, B. Hunter, M. Pace. 2014. Utah Vegetable Production and Pest Management Guide. USU Extension Publications. https://utahpests.usu.edu/IPM/files/uploads/Publications/UT-veg-guide-2014.pdf.
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2013 Citation: Davis, R. 2013. Cockroaches. Utah Pest Press School IPM Fact Sheet #2. 2 pp. English: http://utahpests.usu.edu/schoolIPM/files/uploads/Pest_Press_Fact_Sheets/PDF/Cockroaches-2013PP.pdf. Spanish: http://utahpests.usu.edu/schoolIPM/files/uploads/Pest_Press_Fact_Sheets/Spanish_PDF/cucarachas.pdf
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2013 Citation: Davis, R. 2013. Masked Hunter. Utah Pest Press School IPM Fact Sheet #6. 2 pp. English: http://utahpests.usu.edu/schoolIPM/files/uploads/Pest_Press_Fact_Sheets/PDF/MaskedHunter-2013PPb.pdf. Spanish: http://utahpests.usu.edu/schoolIPM/files/uploads/Pest_Press_Fact_Sheets/Spanish_PDF/cazadores.pdf.
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2013 Citation: Davis, R. 2013. Springtails. Utah Pest Press School IPM Fact Sheet #5. 2 pp. English: http://utahpests.usu.edu/schoolIPM/files/uploads/Pest_Press_Fact_Sheets/PDF/Springtails-2013PP.pdf. Spanish: http://utahpests.usu.edu/schoolIPM/files/uploads/Pest_Press_Fact_Sheets/Spanish_PDF/colembolos.pdf.
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2013 Citation: Davis, R. 2013. Ants. Utah Pest Press School IPM Fact Sheet #8. 2 pp. English: http://utahpests.usu.edu/schoolIPM/files/uploads/Pest_Press_Fact_Sheets/PDF/ut_ants2013PP.pdf. Spanish: http://utahpests.usu.edu/schoolIPM/files/uploads/Pest_Press_Fact_Sheets/Spanish_PDF/hormiga.pdf.
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2013 Citation: Davis, R. 2013. Bats. Utah Pest Press School IPM Fact Sheet #9. 2 pp. English: http://utahpests.usu.edu/schoolIPM/files/uploads/Pest_Press_Fact_Sheets/PDF/ut_bats2013PP.pdf. Spanish: http://utahpests.usu.edu/schoolIPM/files/uploads/Pest_Press_Fact_Sheets/Spanish_PDF/murcielago.pdf
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2013 Citation: Davis, R. 2013. Bed Bugs. Utah Pest Press School IPM Fact Sheet #10. 2 pp. English: http://utahpests.usu.edu/schoolIPM/files/uploads/Pest_Press_Fact_Sheets/PDF/bed-bugs2013PP.pdf. Spanish: http://utahpests.usu.edu/schoolIPM/files/uploads/Pest_Press_Fact_Sheets/Spanish_PDF/chinches.pdf.
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2013 Citation: Davis, R. 2013. Mice. Utah Pest Press School IPM Fact Sheet #11. 2 pp. English: http://utahpests.usu.edu/schoolIPM/files/uploads/Pest_Press_Fact_Sheets/PDF/mice2013PP.pdf. Spanish: http://utahpests.usu.edu/schoolIPM/files/uploads/Pest_Press_Fact_Sheets/Spanish_PDF/raton.pdf
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2013 Citation: Davis, R. 2013. Mold and Mildew. Utah Pest Press School IPM Fact Sheet #12. 2 pp. English: http://utahpests.usu.edu/schoolIPM/files/uploads/Pest_Press_Fact_Sheets/PDF/mold-mildew2013PP.pdf. Spanish: http://utahpests.usu.edu/schoolIPM/files/uploads/Pest_Press_Fact_Sheets/Spanish_PDF/moho.pdf
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2013 Citation: Davis, R. 2013. Pigeons. Utah Pest Press School IPM Fact Sheet #13. 2 pp. English: http://utahpests.usu.edu/schoolIPM/files/uploads/Pest_Press_Fact_Sheets/PDF/pigeons2013PP.pdf. Spanish: http://utahpests.usu.edu/schoolIPM/files/uploads/Pest_Press_Fact_Sheets/Spanish_PDF/palomas.pdf.
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2014 Citation: Davis, R. 2014. Silverfish. Utah Pest Press School IPM Fact Sheet #20. 2 pp. English: http://utahpests.usu.edu/schoolIPM/files/uploads/Pest_Press_Fact_Sheets/PDF/silverfish-2014PP.pdf. Spanish: http://utahpests.usu.edu/schoolIPM/files/uploads/Pest_Press_Fact_Sheets/Spanish_PDF/plata.pdf.
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2013 Citation: Davis, R. 2013. Wasps, Yellow Jackets and Hornets. Utah Pest Press School IPM Fact Sheet #14. 2 pp. English: http://utahpests.usu.edu/schoolIPM/files/uploads/Pest_Press_Fact_Sheets/PDF/social-wasps2013PP.pdf. Spanish: http://utahpests.usu.edu/schoolIPM/files/uploads/Pest_Press_Fact_Sheets/Spanish_PDF/avispas.pdf.
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2013 Citation: Davis, R. 2013. Ticks. Utah Pest Press School IPM Fact Sheet #15. 2 pp. English: http://utahpests.usu.edu/schoolIPM/files/uploads/Pest_Press_Fact_Sheets/PDF/ticks2013PP.pdf. Spanish: http://utahpests.usu.edu/schoolIPM/files/uploads/Pest_Press_Fact_Sheets/Spanish_PDF/garrapatas.pdf.
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2013 Citation: Davis, R. 2013. Carpet Beetles. Utah Pest Press School IPM Fact Sheet #16. 2 pp. English: http://utahpests.usu.edu/schoolIPM/files/uploads/Pest_Press_Fact_Sheets/PDF/carpet-beetles2013PP.pdf. Spanish: http://utahpests.usu.edu/schoolIPM/files/uploads/Pest_Press_Fact_Sheets/Spanish_PDF/alfombra.pdf
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2013 Citation: Davis, R. 2013. Using Pest Monitors. Utah Pest Press School IPM Fact Sheet #18. 2 pp. English: http://utahpests.usu.edu/schoolIPM/files/uploads/Pest_Press_Fact_Sheets/PDF/insect-monitors2013.pdf. Spanish: http://utahpests.usu.edu/schoolIPM/files/uploads/Pest_Press_Fact_Sheets/Spanish_PDF/monitoreo.pdf.
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2013 Citation: Davis, R. 2013. Pest Monitors FAQ. Utah Pest Press School IPM Fact Sheet #19. 2 pp. English: http://utahpests.usu.edu/schoolIPM/files/uploads/Pest_Press_Fact_Sheets/PDF/insect-monitor-faq2013.pdf. Spanish: http://utahpests.usu.edu/schoolIPM/files/uploads/Pest_Press_Fact_Sheets/Spanish_PDF/faq.pdf.
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2013 Citation: Davis, R., D. Alston, C. Vorel., N. Pena. 2013. Spotted Wing Drosophila (Spanish Translation). USU Extension Fact Sheet. ENT-140-10-S. 3 pp. http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/factsheet/swd-ESP.pdf
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2013 Citation: Davis, R. and M. Caron. 2013. Shothole Borers. USU Extension Fact Sheet. ENT-171-13. 3 pp. http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/factsheet/ENT-171-13.pdf. Heflebower, R. F., Hunter, B., Olsen, S. H., Black, B. L., Alston, D. G., Lindstrom, T. 2013. A Comparison of Ten Fall Bearing Raspberry Cultivars for Northern Utah. USU Extension Fact Sheets: Horticulture/Fruit/2013-01PR. 6 pp. http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/publication/Horticulture_Fruit_2013n-01pr.pdf.
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2013 Citation: Kopp, K., R. Davis and R. Ramirez. 2013. Chinch Bugs. USU Extension Fact Sheet. ENT-169-13PR. 4 pp. http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/factsheet/chinch_bugs2013PR.pdf.
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2014 Citation: Murray, M. and D. Alston. 2014. Peach Twig Borer Mating Disruption. USU Extension Fact Sheets ENT-172-14. 6 pp. http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/factsheet/ptb-MD.pdf.
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2014 Citation: Spears, L., R. Davis, and R. Ramirez. 2014. Emerald Ash Borer. USU Extension Fact Sheet. ENT-171-14-PR. 5 pp. http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/factsheet/ENT-171-14-pr.pdf