Source: UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA submitted to
2017 CROP PROTECTION AND PEST MANAGEMENT EXTENSION IMPLEMENTATION PROJECT FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
TERMINATED
Funding Source
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1013962
Grant No.
2017-70006-27149
Project No.
FLA-ENY-005649
Proposal No.
2017-04448
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Program Code
EIP
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2017
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2022
Grant Year
2020
Project Director
Leppla, N. C.
Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
G022 MCCARTY HALL
GAINESVILLE,FL 32611
Performing Department
Entomology and Nematology
Non Technical Summary
The University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences IPM Program provides statewide, interdisciplinary and inter-unit coordination and assistance in IPM to protect agriculture, communities and the environment (http://ipm.ifas.ufl.edu ). This IPM program, conducted in partnership with the well-established Extension community, is helping to develop and deliver more effective, safe and sustainable IPM options, along with the training required for them to be widely adopted. In addition to coordination (20%), the 2017 CPPM, EIP project includes four sub-projects: "Non-traditional IPM change agents (NICA) providing programming for housing and residential environments" (Priority- IPM Implementation in Communities, 20%), "Enhance the Florida Collaborative Plant Pest and Disease Diagnostic System" (Priority- IPM Support for Pest Diagnostic Facilities, 20%), "Pest and natural enemy profiles in conventional and GMO cotton cultivars in North Florida" (Priority- IPM Implementation in Agronomic Crops, 20%), and "A searchable database website and trained citizen scientist network to promote vetted pollinator plants and enhance pollinator health" (Priority- IPM for Pollinator Health, 20%). The sub-projects will be conducted by four workgroups consisting of 10 Project Directors and Co-PIs, and initially eight county Extension faculty members from seven counties. The overall objective will be to expand the Extension IPM programs into as many counties as resources permit, particularly for the housing and residential environments and enhanced diagnostic system sub-projects. The pollinator project will apply statewide and at least in the southeast. Results of the GMO cotton project also will benefit the region. All sub-projects are new and will be self-sustaining after three years.
Animal Health Component
0%
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
21624101130100%
Goals / Objectives
IPM Coordination for the University of Florida1. Support and encourage Extension faculty in conducting IPM projects2. Coordinate and report on the multi-disciplinary IPM projects3. Assist county-level IPM activities and collaborative workgroupsHousing and Residential Environments Housing1. Diversify IPM messengers who will incorporate IPM into existing housing programs2. Develop and deliver materials and tools needed to increase residential IPMPlant Pest and Disease Diagnostic System1. Revitalize the Florida Plant Diagnostic Network (FPDN)2. Expand partnerships and involvement in the UF/IFAS Pest Alert listservIPM for Cotton Cultivars in North Florida1. Establish a sentinel cotton plot at WREC following agronomic practices of the Florida panhandle2. Evaluate the occurrence and abundance of the pests and beneficial insects in the WREC plot and commercial cotton fields3. Produce and disseminate management guidelines, and train cotton producer's and agricultural professional's to identify cotton pests and natural enemies Pollinator Plants and Pollinator Health1. Expand the Ecological Plant Database by adding vetted pollinator plants2. Develop and deliver training in identifying plants, plant parts and arthropods3. Conduct a citizen science project to provide training in submitting pollinator plants
Project Methods
IPM Coordination for the University of Florida- Form collaborative project teams; collaborate with state and county Extension faculty to develop and deliver IPM training and services; provide educational resources, such as high caliber instruction and publications; conduct applied IPM research to generate new IPM technologies; partner with federal, state, county and commodity organizations; and mentor faculty and students.Housing and Residential Environments Housing- Conduct annual in-service training on IPM through UF/IFAS Extension's on-site Pest Management University or other appropriate alternative, provide feedback as the Non-Traditional IPM Change Agents (NICA) project working group on amendments to better target resident clientele, provide 1 hour of IPM programming as part of existing Extension housing programs, provide measureable impacts on IPM knowledge, attitude, and behavior change through agent and clientele assessments.Plant Pest and Disease Diagnostic System- Increasing the speed, accuracy and effectiveness of local plant pest and disease scouting and identification; increase high-risk sample submission; enhance first detector and diagnostic capabilities; provide resources for appropriate sample submission; assure rapid digital and actual specimen delivery; enhance the "Florida Pest Diagnostic System;" and revitalize the "Florida Pest Alert listserv."IPM for Cotton Cultivars in North Florida- Organize a select producer and county Extension agent advisory committee, establish sentinel plots, identify pest and beneficial insects in the plots, develop a downloadable APP, deliver science-based knowledge on the seasonal, stage-specific occurrence and abundance of the pests and beneficial insects associated with cotton.Pollinator Plants and Pollinator Health- Expand a searchable website containing a comprehensive database of vetted pollinator plants, add plant information and pollinator plants based on research literature, solicit online or mobile submission of photographs and associated information, conduct a train-the-trainer workshop curriculum with presentations, educational resources (printed and electronic), activities (i.e. transects) and methods and resources for identifying plants, plant parts and arthropods, as well as methods for determining pollinator presence through use of transects, traps and digital photography.

Progress 09/01/17 to 08/31/22

Outputs
Target Audience:IPM Coordination for the University of Florida: (no change) IPM Coordination: IPM Florida provides statewide, inter-disciplinary and inter-unit coordination and assistance in IPM to all entities involved in protecting agriculture, communities and the environment. This includes state, regional and national IPM stakeholders; commodity associations; agricultural producers; the general public; end users or consumers; underserved communities; land-grant university partners; research, teaching and Extension faculty; staff and students; and federal, state and county governmental agencies. Housing and Residential Environments Housing: (Add school IPM personnel.) Homeowners with emphasis on first time home buyers, pest control operators, and county faculty. Plant Pest and Disease Diagnostic System: (no change) Extension faculty, the general public, graduate and undergraduate students, gardening organizations and staff (including but not limited to Master Gardeners) benefit from the plant pest and disease diagnostic systems and related communications. Efforts also support and work collaboratively with state (FDACS-DPI) and federal (USDA-APHIS-PPQ) regulatory entities and coordinate with appropriate organizations. IPM for Cotton Cultivars in North Florida: (Add local farmers, Extension agents in North Florida counties, Extension specialists, students, and the community in general.) Local farmers, Extension agents in North Florida counties, Extension specialists, students, and the community in general. Pollinator Plants and Pollinator Health: (no change) Extension faculty, the general public, Green Industry professionals, NRCS program staff or users, plant and gardening organizations (Master Gardeners, garden clubs, plant societies, etc.), environmentally focused societies (Xerces Society, etc.), honey producers, and urban planners. Changes/Problems:IPM Coordination for the University of Florida: (nothing to report). Housing and Residential Environments Housing: (nothing to report). Plant Pest and Disease Diagnostic System: (nothing to report). IPM for Cotton Cultivars in North Florida: (nothing to report). Pollinator Plants and Pollinator Health: During the COVID-19 pandemic, closings, shut-downs and restricted activities limited opportunities to train volunteers as previously outlined. Following the pandemic, many potential volunteers have been slow to engage in new activities, again hindering our outreach. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?IPM Coordination for the University of Florida: Training in IPM research and Extension was provided to 24 students who graduated: 11 Doctor of Plant Medicine (DPM) and 4 Ph.D. and 10 M.S. in entomology. Team taught ENY2890, course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE). Provided lectures in two International Organization for Biological Control, Mass Rearing and Quality Control Workshops. Led a short course, "Workshop on Breeding and Quality Control of Entomophagous Insects and Entomopathogenic Fungi", at the XL Congreso Nacional de Control Biologico at Merida, Mexico and provided annual lectures on quality assurance in insect rearing at Mississippi State University and two at Stellenbosch University, South Africa. Delivered Extension in-service and crop advisor training in IPM biannually. Presented and posted on the IPM Florida website 40 IPM PowerPoint presentations. Lectured in ENY 6932 a Special topics course on entomophagy and provided follow-up student guidance. Also see Other Products section. Housing and Residential Environments Housing: Presentations delivered to the pest control industry, including the New Jersey Pest Control Association and Colorado Pest Management Association. (see Other Products). Plant Pest and Disease Diagnostic System: (see Other Products). IPM for Cotton Cultivars in North Florida: During the performance of the laboratory and field activities of the project, the grad and undergrad students working on the project have been trained in pest sampling, insect rearing, and pest and natural enemy identification. Extension Agents, Ethan Carter, and Libbie Johnson co-authored an EDIS Extension publication documenting the population dynamic of Chrysodeixis includens the inventory of plusiines in the landscape of the Florida Panhandle. The undergraduate student at WFREC participated in the 2022 ESA SE Branch meeting in Puerto Rico and won first place in the undergraduate student competition. Pollinator Plants and Pollinator Health: Objectives 1-3: Results of graduate student Heather Kalaman's research vetting pollinator plants were published in refereed journals. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?IPM Coordination for the University of Florida: Engaged in teaching and advising university students in IPM (UF, FAMU, UGA), maintained the IPM Florida website, provided recorded presentations (4), delivered information at scientific meetings (ESA, IOBC, International IPM Symposium), participated in IPM meetings (UF, FDACS, Oxitec, W5185 and S1073 regional biological control projects, provided consultation to stakeholders daily, served on ANBP Board of Directors, chaired FAMU CBC Advisory Council, appointed to Sysco Sustainable Agriculture IPM Advisory Council, and served on UF/IFAS North Florida REC-SV Advisory Committee. Invited for 4-5 television appearances per year, was a keynote speaker at Doctor of Plant Medicine Annual conference. Worked with growers (watermelon, tomato, snap beans, palmetto, pasture, others). Served as Journal of Insect Science editorial board and subject editor. Published book chapters (2), refereed publications (19), Extension bulletins (19), and infographics (2). Housing and Residential Environments Housing: (no change). Plant Pest and Disease Diagnostic System: (no change). IPM for Cotton Cultivars in North Florida: The project findings have been disseminated to farmers in the region and presented in the following ten Extension/outreach events: Pace High School (30 students); Santa Rosa Leadership Class 35 Agribusiness (20 people); WFREC 75 years Field Day (around 250 people); NW Extension Meeting (bimonthly online meetings); Alabama Florida Trade Show; Jay, FL Field day (50 people). Pollinator Plants and Pollinator Health: We continue to seek opportunities to promote and advance knowledge and use of pollinator plants by working with state and county faculty and stakeholder groups. Upcoming programs for target audiences will provide them with the new UF Pollinator app to teach them about pollinators and pollinator plants and use the app as citizen scientists to collect data and provide it to our database. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? IPM Coordination for the University of Florida: 1. Support and encourage Extension faculty in conducting IPM projects. Conducted cooperative IPM projects (8/yr), biological control (7/yr), mole cricket (5/yr), and organic agriculture (1/yr). Provided onboarding consultation in Extension IPM for 14 new faculty members. Publicized successful IPM projects (3 award nominations/yr). Maintained the IPM Florida website (1,541-2,516 visits/yr). Engaged in IPM Extension activities: trained students, participated in Extension in-service and other training (6/yr). Assisted more than 100 UF/IFAS state specialists and county Extension faculty to deliver the latest IPM science and technology to Florida's residents and visitors. 2. Coordinate and report on the multi-disciplinary IPM projects. Served as the UF/IFAS IPM Coordinator. Coordinated the CPPM, EIP project (5 subprojects). Cooperatively developed grower recommendations for wireworm IPM in sweet potato. Served on SERA003 project that developed regional research priorities. Served as a Regulatory Science Network (RIN) contact to provide pesticide registration feedback to EPA. 3. Assist county-level IPM activities and collaborative workgroups. Sent an average of 54 email messages per year on IPM activities to about 250 members of the IPM Florida listserv, plus 117 Team Members of the UF/IFAS Extension IPM initiative. Increased consultations from 377 to 667 per year. Provided leadership for the UF/IFAS IPM Academy, served as a point of contact for clientele, and provided IPM consultation. Assisted development of an integrated weed management plan for Pinellas County. Cooperatively developed Extension materials (guides, apps, infographics, etc.). Recorded a video for Certified Crop Advisor training. Housing and Residential Environments Housing: 1. Diversify IPM messengers who will incorporate IPM into existing housing programs. Worked with county faculty outside the discipline of entomology. While COVID-19 derailed our original methods of implementation, the pandemic made us rethink content delivery that provided a wider reach. I led two in-service trainings (IST) and county faculty lead subsequent urban IPM ISTs. The first IST included 12 faculty from 8 counties. The second IST was delivered to 38 faculty from >20 counties. 2. Develop materials and tools needed to increase residential IPM. Our initial cohort of county faculty incorporated IPM into various programs for homeowners and are now working on a series of 13 EDIS publications intended for homeowner audiences. The lead author of Landscaping Methods to Prevent Pests from Entering Your Home is County Extension Director Jim Davis. It is being submitted. Other articles led by Family, Youth, and Community county faculty will be posted on the Pests in the Home website. We are recruiting colleagues from other states to contribute content to the website. Branded pens, notebooks, and hand lenses are being distributed at public events, such as home shows and fairs, to promote the Pests in the Home content. Plant Pest and Disease Diagnostic System: 1. Revitalize the Florida Plant Diagnostic Network (FPDN). We re-engaged county Extension agents in the Florida Plant Diagnostic Network (FPDN). A major collaborative county-level faculty engagement included partnering with Morgan Pinkerton in Seminole County for a statewide First Friday series to further inspire counties across the state to participate in Florida First Detector training and the early detection of exotic, invasive pests. Increasing partnership with county Extension has also occurred through further engagement of county agents in hosting Florida First Detector trainings or county-specific educational sessions related to pest diagnosis. Build-A-Bug kits were distributed to county extension offices and county faculty have begun the process of delivering Build-A-Bug training on their own. Emphasis also was placed on the Distance Diagnostics and Identification System (DDIS). 2. Expand partnerships and involvement in the UF/IFAS Pest Alert listserv. Pest Alert has continued to expand, and increased involvement and re-engagement of county extension faculty in the FPDN assisted with this effort. Dr. Bill Lester, Hernando County, and Dr. Morgan Pinkerton, Seminole County, are both innovators in not only local but statewide virtual programs. As this occurs and other opportunities are available for connecting Pest Alert to existing Extension programs, Pest Alert continues to be revitalized through connecting the most relevant virtual news for the state of Florida. IPM for Cotton Cultivars in North Florida: 1. Establish a sentinel cotton plot at WREC following agronomic practices of the Florida panhandle. A sentinel cotton area was established following the agronomic practices of the Florida panhandle. It was used to document the occurrence, abundance, and phenology of pests and natural enemies in the region. The results were demonstrated at field days. The "Cotton Pest in Florida" flipbook was developed and delivered to clientele. Specimens of Helicoverpa zea were provided to collaborators in LSU and NCSU to document the susceptibility to Bt traits. 2. Evaluate the occurrence and abundance of the pests and beneficial insects in the WREC plot and commercial cotton fields. Documented the year-round flight of noctuid pests associated with cotton and other crops in the region. Visited commercial fields and growers (10). Published abundance of Chrysodeixis includens throughout the year. Determined the phenology of flight of C. includens and related plusiines, cross-attracted to C. includens sex pheromone traps. The occurrence of plusiines species during the pheromone trapping was the same in cotton and peanut. Overall, these results support with region-specific information the improvement of the IPM/IRM program for the region. 3. Produce and disseminate management guidelines, and train cotton producer's and agricultural professional's to identify cotton pests and natural enemies. The online diagnostic system "App Cotton Pests in Florida" was completed and broadly disseminated (https://wfrec.ifas.ufl.edu/directory/dr-silvana-v-paula-moraes/, logo Cotton Pests in Florida) and is now available to growers and other agricultural professionals for the identification of cotton pests and natural enemies. The App is hosted on the UF/IFAS Agroclimate homepage, eliminating the costs of maintenance. Based on suggestions of farmers, a searchable table was added on insecticides labeled, mode of action, rate, and link to a PDF of the label. Pollinator Plants and Pollinator Health: 1. Expand the Ecological Plant Database by adding vetted pollinator plants. Previous research by graduate student Heather Kalaman vetted pollinator plants which were added to the "Finding pollinator attractive plants" website after being published in a refereed journal. 2. Develop and deliver training in identifying plants, plant parts and arthropods. 3. Conduct a citizen science project to provide training in submitting pollinator plants. I collaborated with Ag/Food Scientist II Kelly Thomas to create the UF Pollinator app that educates citizen scientists on pollinators and counting flowers, tests the knowledge of these citizen scientists about pollinators and counting flowers to generate a credibility score, and then allows citizen scientists to identify and record pollinators on plants in their own gardens or in public spaces; data are then accessible by us that will enable us to contribute to and expand a database on plants that benefit pollinators. This tool and citizen scientist experiences will be used to further develop and deliver training materials.

Publications

  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Leppla, N. C. 2022. Concepts and Methods of Quality Assurance for Mass-Reared Parasitoids and Predators, Chapter 9. In Juan Morales Ramos, David Shapiro and Guadalupe Rojas (Eds), Mass Production of Beneficial Organisms: Invertebrates and Entomopathogens, 2nd Edition.
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Leppla, N. C., Morales-Ramos, J. A., Shapiro-Ilan, D. I., and Rojas, M. G. 2022. Introduction, Chapter 1. In Juan Morales Ramos, David Shapiro and Guadalupe Rojas (Eds), Mass Production of Beneficial Organisms: Invertebrates and Entomopathogens, 2nd Edition.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Penca, C., Goltz, N. C., Hodges, A. C., Leppla, N. C., Eger, J. E., and Smith, T. R. 2022. Use of pyriproxyfen to induce oogenesis in diapausing Megacopta cribraria (Heteroptera: Plataspidae), and evaluation of pyriproxyfen-induced eggs for rearing the parasitoid Paratelenomus saccharalis (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae). Insects. 13, 89. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects13010089Insects.
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Stacey, K. J. 2022. Rearing and parasitism of Trichopoda pennipes (Diptera: Tachinidae) on Nezara viridula (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) for augmentative biological control. University of Florida, 81 p.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Carter, E., Shaw, T., Johnson, L., Paula-Moraes, S.V. Know your pests when trapping soybean looper in the Florida Panhandle. EDIS/IFAS Extension/UF. https://doi.org/10.32473/edis-in1359-2022.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Kalaman, Heather, Sandra B. Wilson, Rachel E. Mallinger, Gary W. Knox, Taehoon Kim, Kevin Begcy, and Edzard van Santen. (2022) Evaluation of Native and Nonnative Ornamentals as Pollinator Plants in Florida: II. Floral Resource Value. HortScience 57(1):137-143. (https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI16124-21).
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Kalaman, Heather, Sandra B. Wilson, Rachel Mallinger, Kevin Begcy, and Gary W. Knox (2021) Pollinator-Friendly Proclamations: Evaluating the Pollen and Nectar Content of Native and Non-Native Ornamentals in Florida. HortScience 56(9): S245. (Abstr.)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2022 Citation: Leppla, N.C. 2022. DPM Alumni and Friends Symposium presentation and panel discussion, Advancing Technology in Florida Agriculture. Austin Carey Forest Stern Learning Center.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2022 Citation: Leppla, N.C. 2022. 10th International IPM Symposium, Opening Plenary Session welcome and moderator. Denver, CO.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2022 Citation: Leppla, N.C. 2022. Tips on Becoming a Highly Successful Entomologist, Entomological Society of America, SEB.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2022 Citation: Stacey, Kendall, Norman Leppla, Glynn Tillman, Lillie Rooney, and Nolan Missigman. 2022. Parasitism rates of Trichopoda pennipes on Nezara viridula in Corn. International IPM Symposium, Denver, CO.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2022 Citation: Rooney, Lillie, Kendall Stacey, and Norman Leppla. 2022 Occurrence and Duration of Mating in the Southern Green Stink Bug, Nezara viridula (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) International IPM Symposium, Denver, CO.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2022 Citation: Leppla, N.C. 2022. History, Purpose and Importance of IOBC, MRQA. 15th IOBC-MRQA Workshop, Bologna, Italy
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2022 Citation: LeBeck Lynn M., Norman C. Leppla, and Andrew G. Parker. 2022. Ongoing Programs and Recent Advancements in Mass Rearing and Quality Assurance for SIT. 15th IOBC-MRQA Workshop, Bologna, Italy.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2022 Citation: Leppla, N.C. 2022. Concepts and methods of quality assurance for mass-reared parasitoids and predators. 15th IOBC-MRQA Workshop, Bologna, Italy
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2022 Citation: Leppla, N.C., S. Houston Wilson, Lynn M. LeBeck, and Marshall W. Johnson. 2022. Recent History and Future Trends in Biological Control. ESA National Meeting, Vancouver, Canada Denver, CO.
  • Type: Websites Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Pests in the Home website (https://pestsinthehome.extension.org/)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2022 Citation: Paula-Moraes, S.V. Rabelo, M.M., Carter, E., Karrei, M.A.X., Fraisse, C.W. 2022. Pest Cotton App in Florida: keep simple with identification and IPM information to farmers. In symposium section: Fresh from the Field: New IPM Technologies in Entomology, Plant Pathology, and Weed Science. 10th International IPM Symposium, Denver, CO.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2022 Citation: Paula-Moraes, S.V. 2022. Promoting and disseminating research based IPM and IRM recommendations considering local needs. In: Promoting the Role of Extension in IPM. 2022 Entomological Society of America, Southeastern Branch Meeting. San Juan, PR.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2022 Citation: Gamble, A.M., Rabelo, M.M., Paula-Moraes, S. 2022. Solenopsis invicta predation on Helicoverpa zea eggs and pupae in different row crops in the Southeastern U.S. In 2022 Entomological Society of America, Southeastern Branch Meeting, San Juan, PR.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2022 Citation: Paula-Moraes, S.V. 2022. Managing FAW resistance in the US and synthetic chemical control. In: Webinar training - Development of the regional IPM package of technology for the sustainable management of the fall armyworm (FAW) National Crop Protection Center, Laguna, Philippines and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)., virtual event hosted in the Philippines.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2022 Citation: Santos, I.B., Paula-Moraes, S.V., Beuzelin, J., Hahn, D., Fraisse, C. 2022. Phenology of occurrence of Helicoverpa zea Boddie (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in the Florida Panhandle: weather association and host plant origin. In: 2022 Florida Entomological Society (FES) Annual Meeting, Gainesville, FL.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2022 Citation: Santos, I.B., Paula-Moraes, S.V. 2022. Genetics and ecology of Spodoptera frugiperda in an interbreeding region. In: USDA Multistate NC246 Annual meeting., virtual meeting hosted by Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama.
  • Type: Websites Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Carr, Jennifer, Shannon McAmis, Heather Kalaman, Morgan Pinkerton, and Amanda Hodges. Florida First Detector (http://www.flfirstdetector.org/ )
  • Type: Websites Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Carr, Jennifer, Shannon McAmis, and Amanda Hodges. Protect U.S.website (http://www.protectingusnow.org )
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Bania, Clayton. 2022. Seasonal Emergence and Distribution by Vine Age and Cultivar of Vitacea polistiformis (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae) on Muscadine Grapes in a Commercial Central Florida Vineyard.
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Birkmire, Sarah. 2022. Assessment of Egg Parasitoids of Halyomorpha halys (St�l) and Nezara viridula (L.) in Central Florida.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Birkmire, S., C. Penca, E. Talamas, M.R. Moore, and A.C. Hodges. 2021. Psix striaticeps (Dodd) (Hymenoptera, Scelionidae): an Old World parasitoid of Stink Bug Eggs Arrives in Florida, USA. Journal of Hymenoptera Research. 87: 503-521.


Progress 09/01/20 to 08/31/21

Outputs
Target Audience:IPM Coordination: IPM Florida provides statewide, inter-disciplinary and inter-unit coordination and assistance in IPM to all entities involved in protecting agriculture, communities and the environment. This includes State, regional and national IPM stakeholders, commodity associations, agricultural producers, general public, IPM end users, consumers, underserved communities, land-grant university partners (research, teaching and Extension faculty, staff and students), federal, state and county governmental agencies (USDA, National Institute of Food and Agriculture; USDA, Agricultural Research Service; USDA, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service; Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry, Bureau of Methods Development and Biological Control; Association of Natural Biocontrol Producers; Regional Biological Control Project S-1073; and Florida A&M University, Center for Biological Control), nursery personnel, maintenance and pest management professionals, green industry, grower, and nursery professionals, landscape and nursery industry associations, K-12 teachers, homeowners, Master Gardeners and volunteers, county Extension faculty, urban planners, landscape architects, developers, conservation personnel, plant community organizations and societies, industry professionals, state and regional IPM stakeholders, community associations, home fruit growers, mosquito control districts, landscape workers, Hispanic/Latino Stakeholders. Housing and Residential Environments Housing: County faculty and general public. Plant Pest and Disease Diagnostic System: County faculty and general public. IPM for Cotton Cultivars in North Florida: Local farmers, Extension agents in North Florida counties, Extension specialists, students, and the community in general. Pollinator Plants and Pollinator Health: Extension faculty, the general public, Green Industry professionals, NRCS program staff or users, plant and gardening organizations (Master Gardeners, garden clubs, plant societies, etc.), environmentally focused societies (Xerces Society, etc.), honey producers, and urban planners (655 total). Changes/Problems:This grant received a no-cost extension to obtain and post educational materials on the IPM Florida website, train students to participate in county and state Extension programs, and produce educational materials. A homeowner's guide to ant management was to be drafted along with written, video, and PowerPoint information on homeowner IPM. Infographics was to be developed to support county Extension faculty via the UF/IFAS Pest Alert. Additional information was to be disseminated on the seasonal occurrence and risk of pests during the cotton growing season and occurrence and role of different beneficial insects. An associated downloadable APP and transgenic technologies available for managing insects in the region were to be disseminated. The pollinator plant database website continues to be enhanced with additional plants and associated pollinators. The related curriculum was implemented for training Extension faculty members and Master Gardeners via statewide workshops and video conferences. This grant has had 19 modifications due to personnel changes and shifting funds between budget categories. For the subproject, "Pollinator Plants and Pollinator Health", the COVID-19 pandemic and associated closings, shut-downs and restricted activities have limited opportunities to train volunteers on how to evaluate plants for attractiveness to pollinators. Progress on the "IPM for Cotton Cultivars in North Florida" subproject was lower than previous years due to the pandemic that restricted travel and Extension meetings. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?IPM Coordination: Extension IPM training was provided to three Doctor of Plant Medicine graduate students, Clayton Bania, Keir Hamilton, and Nicholas Goltz, Drs. Hamilton and Goltz graduated. An additional five Master's students were Clayton Bania, Kendall Stacey, Cassandra Kelm, Sarah Birkmire, and Lillie Rooney. Nolan Missigman was an undergraduate student. All of the students were engaged in a considerable number of Extension trainings with emphasis on specialty crop IPM and diagnostics. Experience was gained in research on stink bugs, especially the southern green stinkbug and its parasitoid, Trichopoda pennipes. The purpose was to learn methods for improving mass rearing of the host and parasitoid. Assisted in developing and provided lectures in IPM-related classes: Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience ENY 2890, IPM 3022, and Florida Certified Crop Advisers, certified through the American Society of Agronomy. Housing and Residential Environments Housing: We held an in-service training for agents, July 21, 2021. What's Biting me? (#319921). Topics included bed bugs, mites, delusory parasitosis in partnership with Eva Buckner and Roberto Perreira. 36 registrants from 26 counties (Alachua, Bay, Brevard, Charlotte, Collier, Columbia, Desoto, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Lee, Manatee, Martin, Okaloosa, Orange, Other-non-County, Miami-Dade. Palm Beach, Pinellas, St. Johns, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, Sumter, Suwanee, Washington, Volusia). Average knowledge gain: 29%. As a result of this in-service, 100% of agents felt somewhat confident to very confident in being able to provide general recommendation on bed bugs; 80% of agents felt somewhat confident to very confident in being able to distinguish delusory parasitosis from itches that have explicit or obscure causes, 18% felt a little confident, 2% were still not confident after the IST. Mites: 80% of agents felt somewhat confident to very confident in being able to provide general recommendations on indoor mite management, 18% were a little confident, 2% were not confident after the IST. In working closely with agents over the course of this grant, we have been able to submit presentations to scientific meetings. This year, county faculty was lead author on a poster that included data from some presentations listed under "Accomplishments." (J. Davis, F. Oi, E. Buckner) "Distance Education to Florida Residents about Medically Important Pests," accepted to 2021 EPAF. Results: A total of 121 participants attended the webinars. 102 pretest/86 posttest attendees participated in the polling process. Topics included the biology of mosquitoes and ticks, genetically modified mosquitoes, and arthropod diseases. Each presentation taught IPM practices. Surveyed participants demonstrated a 60% gain in knowledge measured by pre- and post-tests. Surveyed participants demonstrated a 41% gain of intent to practice integrated pest management practices. Recorded webinars have received 141 YouTube views. A 6-month and 12-month follow-up survey will be delivered to measure behavior change. Plant Pest and Disease Diagnostic System: Expand partnerships and involvement in the UF/IFAS Pest Alert listserv: Professional development and training in extension writing specifically occurred for three graduate students, one undergraduate student, and one post-doctoral associate. In addition to the official students funded through the project, the educational impacts of the Plant Pest and Disease Diagnostic System positively impacted all 19-23 students enrolled in the University of Florida, DPM program. A statewide webinar is planned before the end of the current project cycle to further provide train-the-trainer educational information to county extension faculty. Educational materials, through UF/IFAS Pest Alert, DPM Twitter, and YouTube subscriptions, reached over 1,500 users annually. IPM for Cotton Cultivars in North Florida: During performance of the laboratory and field activities of the project, the students working in the project have been trained in pest sampling, insect rearing, and pest and natural enemy identification. Extension Agent, Ethan Carter co-authored an EDIS Extension publication under review documenting the population dynamic of Chrysodeixis includens and the inventory of Plusiinae in the landscape of the Florida Panhandle. Pollinator Plants and Pollinator Health: Results of graduate student Heather Kalaman's research vetting pollinator plants were presented to horticulture professionals and colleagues at the 2021 national meeting of the American Society for Horticultural Science. Programs on pollinators and plants attractive to pollinators were presented to 655 participants in six programs, including a UF undergraduate class, a garden club, a thesis seminar, a live Zoom for Panhandle Florida gardeners, the YouTube recording of the live Zoom, and the annual statewide meeting of Florida Master Gardener volunteers. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?IPM Coordination: The IPM information was communicated primarily via four refereed publications, three Extension publications, numerous reports, presentations at scientific and Extension meetings, participation in technical meetings, email and telephone consultations, and many distance presentations both virtual and recorded (see products). Written reports were on USFWS inspection of commercial biological control shipments entering the U.S. and associated delays, damage and fees; Oxitec, EUP application support for EPA; Bayer, insect rearing communication platform for ESA; guidance on organic farming IPM for FOG; sources of natural enemies for aquaponic operations in St. Croix; School IPM consultation, U. Arizona; and fly management in manure. The IPM Academy was a 1-day workshop; six papers were presented at scientific meetings; and notable presentations included: Flip My Florida Yard video for Florida Friendly Landscaping, Discover Florida channel and Ornamental and Turfgrass IPM for Duvall County Extension. County IPM plans obtained from California, Florida and Texas were circulated; and the IPM Florida website was continuously updated. Housing and Residential Environments Housing: Numerous webinars that will continue into 2022, website (now rebuilt), and in-service training as previously detailed. Pest and Disease Diagnostic System: The Florida Plant Diagnostic Network (FPDN) was revitalized, increasing awareness of existing digital diagnosis resources through UF-DDIS as a focal area for 2020-2021. The UF-DDIS website has been simplified and improved modules for use have been released. To continually engage county Extension faculty, county Extension educators have been engaged in the program through social medial interactions and Florida First Detector training sessions. The "Build-A-Bug" resource has been released during 2021, and a virtual "Build-A-Bug" was provided free to county Extension educators during 2020-2021. Information related to programmatic efforts was presented at the 2021 Southeastern Branch of the Entomological Society of America virtual meeting and during the in-person Entomological Society of America Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado. IPM for Cotton Cultivars in North Florida: The project findings have been disseminated to famers in the region and presented in the following ten Extension meetings: In-service training IST row crops; In-service training IST IPM; Row crop short courses; Tristate pest scout school; IPM Academy; Santa Rosa Leadership Class 34 Agribusiness Day; Cross-attraction of Plusiinae species in soybean looper pheromone trapping; inventory of species and phenology of the flight; and updates regarding to insecticide susceptibility. Annual Meeting S1080 - Improving Soybean Arthropod Pest Management in the U.S, March 25, virtual meeting hosted by University of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Living on the edge: Ecology of lepidopteran pests in the overwintering and migratory intersection region of the U.S. Gulf Coast. Annual Meeting NC246 - Ecology and Management of arthropods in corn, January 25-26, virtual meeting hosted by University of Florida; Experience in the U.S. and Brazil in managing FAW resistance tactics, challenges, and opportunities. In: ASEAN action plan on fall armyworm. Workshop: regional resistance management plan for southeast Asia. April 27, online event hosted in Singapore; Paula-Moraes, S.V., Barbosa, I. 2021. Building an IPM/IRM program to lepidopteran pests in the Florida Panhandle. In: ASEAN action plan on fall armyworm - women as IPM leader program. April 20, online event hosted in Singapore. Pollinator Plants and Pollinator Health: Research results and trainings about pollinators and pollinator plants have been disseminated via a website, a professional conference, a YouTube video, and several presentations to target audience groups. The website, Find Plants - Protecting Bees (rutgers.edu), helps homeowners, gardeners and horticulture professionals identify pollinator plants suitable for the viewer's climate, environmental conditions and desirable plant characteristics. Our group is collaborating with the team operating this website and plants that we vet for pollinators are added to this website. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?IPM Coordination: Continue to serve as the UF/IFAS IPM Coordinator, complete the 2017-2020 USDA, NIFA Crop Protection and Pest Management, Extension IPM project. Establish an IPM advisory committee with grower representation to meet NIFA stakeholder requirements. Continuously update the IPM Florida website and add content to help solve pest problems. Send pertinent messages from national IPM sources to about 250 members of the IPM Florida listserv, plus 30 Team Members of the UF/IFAS Extension initiative in IPM. Add Entomology and Nematology Department faculty members when appropriate. Maintain IPM Extension activities: train students, participate in Extension in-service and other training, provide leadership for the new IPM Academy, produce and update IPM guides, develop and deliver IPM training materials, assist in maintaining up-to-date IPM-related EDIS publications, serve as a point of contact for clientele, and provide IPM consultation. Continue to seek opportunities to advance and fund the UF/IFAS statewide IPM program by working with state and county faculty, and key cooperators; mentor graduate students, host visiting scholars, lecture on IPM topics in the Entomology and Nematology Department, Plant Medicine Program, and other UF/IFAS units; and deliver invited guest lectures for other organizations. Prepare and submit grant proposals and cooperative agreements to support research, Extension and M.S., Ph.D., and DPM students. Assist state specialists and county Extension faculty with designing and funding IPM projects; serve as a point of contact for clientele, and provide IPM and biological control consultation; serve as the Florida Regional Information Network (RIN) liaison; and provide technical support for IPM and biological control to reduce the impact of invasive arthropod pests of specialty crops. Housing and Residential Environments Housing: As county offices open, we will anticipate returning to some level of in-person programming similar to what was delivered online. Online programming works if agents have a clientele following for e-newsletters and existing programming online. Not all counties had that capacity. The pandemic has forced us to rethink how we reach the general public and options such as webinars that are now recorded and uploaded to online platforms (i.e., YouTube) are now more commonplace. Online options have mitigated geographic barriers, so we plan to invite other counties to join webinars in counties that have a strong online base. We plan to continue developing content and maintaining the Pest in the Home Website. Learn how to write for the Internet more effectively is a priority. The number of phone calls and emails received in response to our programming has increased so it is even more important to have online resources where homeowners/public can find science-based pest management information. We have invited partners at other universities to contribute to the website. We were encouraged by the response to our in-service training when we opened it to all agents, will continue to provide ISTs. We will continue to emphasize the theme that IPM is part of home maintenance. Plant Pest and Disease Diagnostic System: This sub-project will continue to engage county Extension agents and increasingly involve more counties throughout the state in diagnostics communications. The promotion of county-level activities through retweets and cross-posting on the UF/IFAS Pest Alert liserv and blog will assist in this process. In addition to standard posts on UF/IFAS Pest Alert, many of our posts will also be available as infographics. As county Extension faculty members are engaged in providing content for UF/IFAS Pest Alert, collaboratively working with them to develop infographics will be another component of our 2021-2022 activities. Continued efforts to evaluate, assess, and promote posts on a weekly basis will assist with continued FDPN expansion and revitalization. During 2021-2022, we intend to promote the highly revised UF online plant biosecurity modules and continue to expand partnerships through connecting with the DPM Twitter and the UF plant protection efforts. UF/IFAS DDIS educational activities will continue to be important for 2021-22. Some free 'Build-A-Bug' products will be distributed to county Extension cooperators who are participation in educational programmatic efforts. IPM for Cotton Cultivars in North Florida: The activities of the project will continue, including the dissemination of the downloadable system "App Cotton Pests in Florida". This App also will be used in the course "IPM 3022 - Principles of Plant Pest Management". This course is taught to undergrad students of several Life Science majors from IFAS/UF and certification programs. A booklet also has been produced with photographic material and information provided in the APP system and waiting authorization of UF to use funds from "Publication expenses" to print and distribute copies to farmers and ag professionals in the Florida Panhandle. In addition, the expectation of the pos-pandemic scenario is that participation in Extension meetings will be possible and contact with farmers will be used to continually disseminate the data collected. Commercial fields will continue to be visited during and after the crop season. We will participate in technical and scientific meetings, as a way to share the results from the project and reach different audiences. Pollinator Plants and Pollinator Health: : We continue to seek opportunities to promote and advance knowledge and use of pollinator plants by working with state and county faculty and stakeholder groups. Results of graduate student Heather Kalaman's project vetting pollinator plants will be published in refereed journals and will be shared with the "Protecting Bees" website team. Additional programs for target audiences will teach them about pollinators and pollinator plants. We continue to develop training materials for volunteers to learn about pollinators and evaluate plants for their attractiveness to pollinators.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? IPM Coordination: 1. Provided guidance on organic farming IPM; consultation on biological control of air potato vine; pesticides as a last resort in IPM; tussock moth larvae; Alachua, Miami-Dade, Brevard, Marion, Suwannee county Extension; UF/IFAS IPM Academy coordination; IPM guidance to new Extension agents; and a total of 667 consultations were provided plus 140,000 IPM Florida website visits. 2. Cooperatively conducted year 4 of the CPPM, EIP project with considerable county Extension collaboration; co-lead the UF/IFAS Pesticide Recommendation Task Force to establish standard pesticide tables with an IPM statement for all Extension publications; and participated in the FDACS minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) Leadership Summit; 3. Provided Extension support for mole cricket IPM (Florida Southern College); lovebug information (Hometown News, PBS and NPR, WCJB Gainesville); biological control sources of natural enemies (Eurofins); SERA003 regional pest priorities; a pollinator project for a USDA, NIFA grant proposal; North American Coalition for Insect Agriculture insect mass rearing sources; Southern IPM Center, possible invasive species initiative; and environmental safety of commercial biological control (ANBP). Housing and Residential Environments Housing: 1. Delivered 16 programs with county faculty on IPM as it relates to Home Maintenance to 148 people whose average pre-assessment practice of IPM was 75.1%. As a result of the webinars, intent to practice IPM post-assessment was 98.3% for an average intent to practice gain of 23.2%. Additional programs included Ticks and the Diseases They Carry (Feb. 10, n=38), Mosquitoes (March 23, n=25), Termites (May 13, n=40), Rodents and Other Vermin (June 29, n=47), Bed Bugs (July 20, n=11), Ant Wars (Aug 31, n=66), Fall Pests (Sept 21, n=39). The average pre-assessment practice of IPM elements was 69%. After the webinar, intent to practice IPM was 88% for a 19% gain. Content knowledge pre-test average was 55.4%, post-test 75.9% for a knowledge gain of 20.5%. Every respondent in the Home Maintenance programs said that they would be more successful in managing pests in and around their homes as a result of the webinars. Questions for intent to practice IPM included: 1) I remove all food, water, and shelter from my house; 2) I clean to deal with pests in my home; 3) I currently seal and know how to prevent all pests from coming into my home; 4) I carefully read and follow labels on pest products used in my home; and 5) I regularly check my home for pests. 2. The priority was to complete the rebuild of the Pest in the Homes Website so that homeowners would have a reference for common pests and commonly asked questions. Detail under "Other Products." Plant Pest and Disease Diagnostic System: 1. Increased awareness of existing digital diagnosis resources through UF-DDIS has been a focal area for 2020-2021. The UF-DDIS website has been simplified, and new online modules for improving site use have been released. The 33 online modules available through Canvas Catalog are currently under major revision and reorganization. To continually engage county Extension faculty in the process of promoting the online modules for statewide pesticide continuing education units, Florida First Detector and special topic module Extension educational sessions periodically occur through collaborative communication with county Extension specialists. 2. A total of 26 pest alert blogs were posted during 2020-2021 and blogs were sourced from events occurring throughout the state. In addition to the blog and the pest alert listserv with over 700 subscribers, pest alert blog announcements are currently highlighted through the UF, Doctor of Plant Medicine twitter account. This account currently has 824 followers, an increase from 150 followers in 2019-2020. Connecting the UF/IFAS Pest Alert listerv back to the UF, DPM Program, the online UF Plant Biosecurity Courses, UF/IFAS DDIS, UF/IFAS Plant Protection Website and Information for Advanced Taxonomic Training, and the IFAS Diagnostic services website has been an important component of this year's activities. IPM for Cotton Cultivars in North Florida: 1. A sentinel cotton area was established in the 2020 crop season, following the agronomic practices of the Florida panhandle. This sentinel area will be used for pest biweekly sampling to document the occurrence, abundance, and phenology of pests and natural enemies in the region. The sentinel cotton area was planted for demonstration to farmers and consultants participating in the annual row crop meeting at WFREC. Also, laboratory colonies of lepidopteran pests from different counties were kept in laboratory to be used at Extension events that did not occur. Specimens of Helicoverpa zea were provided to collaborators at LSU and NCSU to document the susceptibility to Bt traits. 2. The year-round flight of noctuid pests was documented using pheromone traps in cotton and other crops in the region. Region-specific abundance of Chrysodeixis includens was determined throughout the year, another species targeted by Bt technology in cotton. An inventory and phenology of flight of related Plusiinae cross-attracted to C. includens sex pheromone traps in the Florida Panhandle also were provided. This included the highly abundant C. oxygramma, so that producers could make accurate management decisions. An Extension publication was submitted to UF/IFAS that can be used by producers to identify Plusiinae that commonly occur in the region. Overall, these results support region-specific improvement of the IPM/IRM program for the region. 3. The final version of the online system "App Cotton Pests in Florida" was completed (https://wfrec.ifas.ufl.edu/directory/dr-silvana-v-paula-moraes/, logo Cotton Pests in Florida) and is now available to growers and other agricultural professionals for the identification of cotton pests and natural enemies. The App is hosted on the UF/IFAS Agroclimate homepage, eliminating the costs associated with maintenance of the APP. Based on suggestions of farmers from focus meetings in previous years, a searchable table was added in the system for information about insecticides labeled in Florida, including access of mode of action, rate, and PDF of the label to access safety information when adopting an insecticide. Pollinator Plants and Pollinator Health: 1. Heather Kalaman graduated with a M.S. in Horticultural Sciences for her project-funded thesis, "Evaluating Floral Attraction and Resource Value of Native and Non-native Ornamentals for Pollinating Insect Communities". This project vetted pollinator plants which will be added to the "Finding pollinator attractive plants" website after results are published in refereed journals. The searchable database website was expanded and enhanced by adding vetted pollinator plants searchable by pollinator, season, hardiness zone, plant species, plant type, and other plant characteristics. We are collaborating with the "Protecting Bees" grant team (USDA, NIFA, SCRI Grant 2016-51181-25399) which operates the searchable database website, "Finding pollinator attractive plants" (https://protectingbees.njaes.rutgers.edu/find-plants/). Additional pollinator plants were vetted in two Florida locations in 2020, data was analyzed, and two manuscripts were submitted to refereed journals. 2. Graduate student Heather Kalaman and I collaborated with the Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ Program to develop the "Florida Bee Gardens" app. This app provides information on bees, plants that attract bees, garden tips to attract bees, and gives users an option to design a personalized bee garden. These experiences and tools will be used to further develop and deliver training materials. 3. A preliminary training method for citizens to identify and record pollinators on plants was developed and tested with citizen science volunteers.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: LeBeck, L. M. and N. C. Leppla. 2021. Guidelines for Purchasing and Using Commercial Natural Enemies and Biopesticides in North America. UF, IFAS EDIS.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Gideon Alake, Gideon, Kevin Bigsby, Amanda Hodges, Norman Leppla, and Trevor Smith. Modeling and pathway analysis of Oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel), in Florida. ESA, SEB virtual meeting. 3/29/21.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Stacey, Kendall, Lillie Rooney, Norman Leppla. Developing mass rearing protocols for the stink bug endoparasitoid, Trichopoda pennipes, and its host, Nezara viridula. ESA, SEB virtual meeting. 3/29/21.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Lillie Rooney, Stacey, Kendall, Norman Leppla. ESA, SEB virtual meeting. Interpreting the reproductive potential of field-collected Nezara viridula females. 3/29/21.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Clayton Bania, Amanda Hodges, and Norman Leppla. Vine Age and Cultivar Preference of Vitacea polistiformis (Lepidoptera:Sesiidae) on Muscadine Grapes in a Central Florida Vineyard. ESA, SEB virtual meeting. 3/29/21.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: 2021 FEA Family and Consumer Sciences Outstanding Specialist (Faith Oi) because of this grant that connected FCS with IPM. EPAF, September 14-16, 2021. Virtual.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: 2021 FEA Family and Consumer Sciences ⿿ Best Poster. Creating a Virtual Home Maintenance Workshop. (J. Davis, L. Duncan, F. Oi) (Included IPM component). EPAF, September 14-16, 2021. Virtual.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Davis, J., F. M. Oi, and E. Buckner. 2021 distance Education to Florida Residents about Medically Important Pests. EPAF, September 14-16, 2021. Posters. Virtual.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Davis, J. and F. M. Oi. 2021 The Future of Urban Pest Management Education: Virtual Webinars for Distance Education. NACAA, July 6-9, 2021. Poster. Virtual.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Grabarczyk, Erin E. Daniel A. Olson, Patricia G. Tillman, Amanda C. Hodges, Gregory Hodges, Dan L. Horton, and Ted E. Cottrell. 2021. Spatiotemporal distribution of stink bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) in peach orchards and surrounding habitat. Florida Entomologist. 104(1): 27-35.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Pinkerton, Morgan, Craig Frey, Sage Thompson, and Amanda Hodges. 2021. Expanding the curricula for Florida⿿s youth: Outreach efforts in agricultural literacy. Journal of Integrated Pest Management. 12(1) 21: https://doi.org/10.1093/jipm/pmab016
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Shaw, T.J.G, Paula-Moraes, S.V., Hahn, P.G., Specht, A. 2021. Seasonal Flight Patterns of Chrysodeixis includens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in the Florida Panhandle and Inventory of Plusiine Species Cross-Attracted to Synthetic Pheromone. J. Econ. Entomol., https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toab179
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Shaw, T., Paula-Moraes, S.V., Hahn, P.G. 2020. Seasonal patterns of Chrysodeixis includens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and inventory of plusiine species cross-attracted to C. includens pheromone traps in the Florida Panhandle. In: 2020 Entomology Society of America Meeting, November 11-25, virtual annual meeting.
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Kalaman, Heather. (2020) Evaluating Floral Attraction and Resource Value of Native and Non-native Ornamentals for Pollinating Insect Communities. M.S. Thesis, University of Florida.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Stacey, Kendall, Lillie Rooney and Norman Leppla. 2021. Developing mass rearing protocols for the endoparasitoid, Trichopoda pennipes, and its stink bug host, Nezara viridula. ESA National Meeting, Denver, CO. 11/1/21.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Rooney, Lillie 2021. Kendall Stacey and Norman Leppla. 2021. Interpreting the reproductive potential of field-collected Nezara viridula females. ESA National Meeting, Denver, CO. 11/1/21.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Eger, Jr. Joseph E, Adam J. Pitchter, Susan E. Halbert, Cory Penca, and Amanda C. Hodges. 2020. First report of Brachyplatys subaneus (Westwood) (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Plataspidae) in the United Stated. Insecta Mundi. 0814:1-6.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Kalaman, Heather, Gary W. Knox, Sandra B. Wilson and Wendy Wilber. (2020) A Master Gardener survey: Promoting pollinator-friendly plants through education and outreach. HortTechnology 30(2):163-167. April 2020. (https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTTECH04460-19).
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Kalaman, Heather, Sandra B. Wilson, Rachel Mallinger, Kevin Begcy, and Gary W. Knox (2021) Pollinator-Friendly Proclamations: Evaluating the Pollen and Nectar Content of Native and Non-Native Ornamentals in Florida. HortScience 56(9S): S246. (Abstr.)
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Kalaman, H., Wilson, S., Knox, G. and Mallinger, R. 2020. Evaluating Floral Attraction for Foraging Bee Communities in Native and Non-Native Garden Plots (poster). HortScience 55(9) S222. (Abstr.)
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Florida-Friendly Landscaping⿢ Program (including contributions from Heather Kalaman and Gary Knox). (2021) Florida Bee Gardens App. FL Bee Gardens (ufl.edu) June 28, 2021.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Kalaman, Heather, Sandra B. Wilson, Rachel Mallinger, Kevin Begcy, and Gary W. Knox (2021) Pollinator-Friendly Proclamations: Evaluating the Pollen and Nectar Content of Native and Non-Native Ornamentals in Florida. American Society for Horticultural Sciences Conference. Denver CO. Aug. 2021
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Accepted Year Published: 2021 Citation: Leppla, N. C. 2021. Concepts and Methods of Quality Assurance for Mass-Reared Parasitoids and Predators, Chapter 9. In Juan Morales Ramos, David Shapiro and Guadalupe Rojas (Eds), Mass Production of Beneficial Organisms: Invertebrates and Entomopathogens, 2nd Edition (accepted 3/5/21).
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Khadka, Arjun, Amanda C. Hodges, Norman C. Leppla and P. Glynn Tillman. 2021. Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) nymph development and adult feeding on crop plants in Florida. Florida Entomologist. 104:136-139.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Penca, Cory, Amanda C. Hodges, Norman C. Leppla and Ted E. Cottrel. 2021. Analysis of the Spatial Distribution and Development of Sequential Sampling Plans for Heteropteran-Associated Fruit Injury in Florida Peaches. Journal of Economic Entomology. 114:1823-1833.
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Accepted Year Published: 2021 Citation: Leppla, Norman C., Juan A. Morales-Ramos, David I. Shapiro-Ilan, and M. Guadalupe Rojas. Introduction Chapter 1. In Juan Morales Ramos, David Shapiro and Guadalupe Rojas (Eds), Mass Production of Beneficial Organisms: Invertebrates and Entomopathogens, 2nd Edition (accepted 7/27/21).
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Hochmuth, R. C., D. Seal, N. C. Leppla, D. Fenneman, R. Broughton, and A. Baniya. 2021. Managing Wireworms in Florida Sweet Potatoes. UF/IFAS EDIS.


Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/20

Outputs
Target Audience:IPM Coordination: IPM Florida provides statewide, inter-disciplinary and inter-unit coordination and assistance in IPM to all entities involved in protecting agriculture, communities and the environment. This includes state, regional and national IPM stakeholders; commodity associations; agricultural producers; the general public; end users or consumers; underserved communities; land-grant university partners; research, teaching and Extension faculty; staff and students; and federal, state and county governmental agencies. Housing and Residential Environments: Homeowners with emphasis on first time home buyers, pest control operators, and county faculty. Plant Pest and Disease Diagnostic System: Extension faculty, the general public, graduate and undergraduate students, gardening organizations and staff (including but not limited to Master Gardeners) benefit from the plant pest and disease diagnostic systems and related communications. Efforts also support and work collaboratively with state (FDACS-DPI) and federal (USDA-APHIS-PPQ) regulatory entities and coordinate with appropriate organizations. IPM for Cotton Cultivars in North Florida: Local farmers, Extension agents in North Florida counties, Extension specialists, students, and the community in general. Pollinator Plants and Pollinator Health: Extension faculty, the general public, Green Industry professionals, NRCS program staff or users, plant and gardening organizations (Master Gardeners, garden clubs, plant societies, etc.), environmentally focused societies (Xerces Society, etc.), honey producers, and urban planners. Changes/Problems:The number of Co-PDs has been reduced to four to simplify project administration and reporting. The following were the Co-PDs for 2019: Norman C. Leppla, Faith M. Oi, Amanda C. Hodges, Silvana V. de Paula Moraes and Gary W. Knox. The Co-PDswho were eliminated include Russell F. Mizell, Randall A. Cantrell, John M. Diaz, Michael J. Mulvaney, and Xavier P. Martini. The eliminated PDs served as cooperators on the project based on their expertise and geographic location. Each cooperator reported activities and accomplishments via the most appropriate Co-PD. The only other major change wasa recentincrease in distance delivery of Extension IPM programming due to COVID-19. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?IPM Coordination: Objectives 1-3.Extension IPM training was provided to six Doctor of Plant Medicine graduate students, including Alex Gannon, Sage Thompson, Morgan Pinkerton, Keir Hamilton, Clayton Bania, and Nicholas Goltz. Additional Master's students were Cleveland Ivey, Kendall Stacey, and Cassandra Kelm. Lillie Rooney was an undergraduate student. Drs. Cory Penca, Yasaman Moghaddasssi and Lanette Sobel graduated, along with Arjun Khadka, a Master's student. Experience was gained in research on stink bugs, biological control agents, trap cropping, tropical fruit flies, and pests of avocado. All of the students were engaged in a considerable number of Extension trainings. A graduate-level course was developed and taught on research design and planning. Housing and Residential Environments: Objective 1. On Jan 21, 2020, we held in-service training for three additional counties: Sumter, Manatee, and Orange. Training in Osceola County was handled separately. County faculty from Manatee and Sumter counties attended several Pest Management University (PMU) courses in 2019-2020. We provided in-service training to about 30 people at the 2019 Extension Professional Associationof Florida Conference, 75 Master Gardeners at the Florida Statewide Master Gardener's Conference, 30 school facilities managers and 30 colleagues at the Entomological Society of America nationalmeeting. We will continue to offer in-service training through EventBrite-Zoom webinar series. 2. We produced two peer reviewed EDIS Extension publications (Oi et al. 2019, Oi et al. 2020 accepted) that included the county faculty co-authors as partners with this program. We continue to work on building the publication library for homeowners. Plant Pest and Disease Diagnostic System: Objectives 1 & 2.Expanded partnerships and involvement in the UF/IFAS Pest Alert listserv: Professional development and training in extension writing specifically occurred for two graduate students, two undergraduate students, and one post-doctoral associate. In addition to the official students funded through the project, the educational impacts of the Plant Pest and Disease Diagnostic System positively impacted all 23 students enrolled in the University of Florida, Doctor of Plant Medicine (DPM) program. A statewide webinar is planned before the end of the current project cycle to further provide train-the-trainer educational information to county extension faculty. A total of 122 students enrolled in online learning during 2019, and the anticipated number in 2020, is expected to increase based on additional awareness, content revisions, and promotion by county extension faculty. Educational materials, through UF/IFAS Pest Alert, DPM Twitter, and YouTube subscriptions, reach approximately 1,383 users annually. IPM for Cotton Cultivars in North Florida: Objectives 1-3. During performance of the laboratory and field activities of the project, the students involvedweretrained in pest sampling, insect rearing, and pest and natural enemy identification. In addition, the students have participated in Extensionand scientific meetings. At the 2019 Entomological Society of America national meeting, Christopher Hemphill, Marcelo M. Rabelo, and Phillip Barn delivered poster and oral presentations. In addition, the Regional Crop IPMExtension Agents, Ethan Carter and Libbie Johnson co-authored and presented a poster documenting the information of pests associated with cotton in the Florida Panhandle and the delivery of pest and natural enemy profiles in the 2020Beltwide Cotton Meeting. Pollinator Plants and Pollinator Health: Objectives 1-3. Training on pollinators and pollinator-friendly plants was presented to about 20 Extension faculty, volunteers and green industry professionals. Additional volunteers were engaged to test sampling protocols for the citizen science project. Finally, more than 400 Master Gardeners and county/state Extension faculty learned about this citizen science pollinator plant project during the October 2019 Florida Statewide Master Gardener Conference. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?IPM Coordination: Recommendations of the UF/IFAS Pesticide Recommendation Task Force were disseminated in a written report presented to the affected department chairs (entomology, plant pathology, Agronomy); members of the IPM Academy met for a 1-day workshop; five papers were presented at scientific meetings; eight consultations were contributed to colleagues in the private sector; county IPM plans were reviewed for Extension agents, Jeffery Gellermann (Pinellas County) and Yvette Goodiel (Martin County) and their cooperators and feedback was delivered on IPM principles; a major waterfront development in Sanford Florida requested guidance on managing blind mosquitoes; advice was provided to the Association of Natural Biocontrol Producers on food safety and requirements for international movement of their products; a lecture was developed and delivered to the Harris County, Texas Biological Control laboratory on mass-rearing beneficial arthropods; information was provided at the first Plant Doctors and Plant Health Professionals Annual meeting. Housing and Residential Environments: County faculty continued to provide in-person training in the second half of 2019. In 2020, all first and second quarter in-person programming was cancelled due to COVID-19, including Washington, Holmes, Suwanee, Volusia, and Seminole counties. We are re-grouping so that we can work with counties to offer training via the EventBrite-Zoom system we built. In January 2020, Sumter County Extension Director, Jim Davis, attended the 3-day Bobby Corrigan Rodent Academy. Sumter county provides monthly training, often using material from in-service trainingsin the Villages, a large retirement community. Sumter is the first county to reschedule program delivery to homeowners (May 26, 2020). Our EDIS publications have been shared with homeowners and the pest control industry. The two industry trade journals have carried not only the EDIS publications, but all fourarticles on COVID-19 and their impact on the pest control industry, a target audience for this grant. Plant Pest and Disease Diagnostic System: Revitalizingthe Florida Plant Diagnostic Network (FPDN) and increasingawareness of existing digital diagnosis resources through UF-DDIS havebeen focusareas for 2019-2020. The UF-DDIS website has been simplified, and new online modules for improving site use are in development and will be released prior to August 31, 2020. The 33 online modules available through Canvas Catalog are currently under major revision and reorganization, the revised online training along with at least five new modules is scheduled for release in July 2020. To continually engage county extension faculty in the process of promoting the online modules for statewide pesticide continuing education units, statewide biannual pest alert updates will begin in the summer of 2020 through Zoom virtual meeting. During the summer 2020 meeting, release of the "Build-A-Bug" resource will also be discussed, as this was of interest to county extension faculty during the 2019 Statewide Extension Symposium. IPM for Cotton Cultivars in North Florida: The project findings have been disseminated to famers in the region and presented in the following ten Extension meetings: 1) 2020 Row Crop Production Meeting: Update on Bulimulus sporadicus (snails). Jay, FL. February 21, 2020; 2) Farm Day 2020 -Snails: identification, life cycle, and control options, and Updates in pest management in cotton and peanut. Atmore, FL, January 29, 2020; 3) Annual Ag-In-service training - Ag Row Crop: Updates of pests and management in peanut and cotton in the Florida Panhandle. Quincy, FL, January 21, 2020; 4) In-Service Training IST: #31811 Row Crop, Marianna, FL. January 17, 2020; 5) In-Service Training IST: #31699 IPM Academy. Insecticide Resistance Management. September 19, 2019; 6) Focus group with farmers and extension agents to present first version of the App for pest identification. Marianna, FL. September 13, 2019; 7) Focus group with farmers and extension agents to present first version of the App for pest identification. Jay, FL. August 30, 2019; 8) 2019 Extension Farm Field Day. Jay, FL, August 22, 2019. Title of the presentation: Snails in row crops: what you need to know. 134 participants; 9) Tristate scout school. Marianna, Fl. June 13, 2019. Title of the presentation: Use of Bt traits to manage insects in cotton andcorn: trait identification and target pests; 10) Row crop subcommittee meeting. Marianna, FL. May 30, 2019. In addition, the following outreach activities have been used to disseminate results of the project to the communities of the region: 1) Pace High School Outdoor Club Student Field Trip, WFREC, Jay, Florida - presentation: insect taxonomic identification - genitalia dissection of insect pests. November 11, 2019. 35 participants; 2) Santa Rosa Leadership Agrobusiness Tour of the WFREC, Jay, Florida - visit the entomology lab and attend the presentation: Building an IPM/IRM program for Field Crops in the Florida Panhandle. October 17, 2019. 35 participants; 3) Jolly Jays Field Trip to the Jay REC - 8 attendees have an overview of the work that an entomologist does and the researchthat isperformed with row crops. October 10, 2019. Pollinator Plants and Pollinator Health: The pollinator Ecological Plant Database was expanded by adding vetted pollinator plants.We developed an extension publication relating to pollinator plants and landscape design.The information being gathered and archived in cooperation with the "Protecting Bees" grant team (USDA, NIFA, SCRI Grant 2016-51181-25399) is assisting residents and professionals with the selection and use of plants that enhance pollinator health in Florida and throughout the Nation. To develop citizen scientists, a refereed journal article was published about this IPM program. Presentations to Extension faculty, green industry professionals and Master Gardeners are promoting this citizen science program (see other products for a list of presentations). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?IPM Coordination: Continue to seek opportunities to advance the UF/IFAS statewide IPM program by working with state and county faculty, and key cooperators. Add content to the IPM Florida website and deliver Extension training in IPM. Seek funding for Extension IPM; mentorgraduate students (9 officially), host visiting scholars, and post educational materials on the IPM Florida website. Lecture on IPM topics in the Entomology and Nematology Department, Plant Medicine Program, and other UF/IFAS units; and deliver invited guest lectures for other organizations. prepare and submit grant proposals and cooperative agreements to support research, Extension and M.S., Ph.D., and DPM students. Assist state specialists and county Extension faculty with preparation of proposals; effectively manage the 2017-20 USDA, NIFA, CPPM, EIP project for the University of Florida and submit a renewal proposal for year 4; Extension IPM activities will include training students, participating in county and state Extension training, producing educational materials, serving as a point of contact for clientele, and providing IPM and biological control consultation; serve as the Florida contact for the Regional Information Network (RIN); and provide technical support for IPM and biological control. Housing and Residential Environments: We continue to develop written, video, and PowerPointcompanion pieces that can support county faculty's homeowner IPM needs. These include rodents and behavior changes the general public may see because of COVID-19, changes that you may see with your pest control company because of COVID-19, homeowner's guide to ant management. Plant Pest and Disease Diagnostic System: 1. The sub-project will continue to engage county extension agents and increasingly involve more counties throughout the state in diagnostics communications. The promotion of county-level activities through retweets and cross-posting on the UF/IFAS Pest Alert liserv and blog will assist in this process. In addition to standard posts on UF/IFAS Pest Alert, many of our posts will also be available as infographics. As county extension faculty members are engaged in providing content for UF/IFAS Pest Alert, collaboratively working with them to develop infographics will be another component of our 2020-2021 activities. The biannual Zoom webinars and interactions with county extension faculty at appropriate meetings and conferences also will serve to increasingly promote IPM statement engagement. Continued efforts to evaluate, assess, and promote posts on a weekly basis will assist with continued Florida PestDiagnostic Network expansion and revitalization. 2. During 2020-2021, we intend to promote the highly revised UF online plant biosecurity modules and continue to expand partnerships through connecting with the DPM Twitter and the UF plant protection efforts. UF/IFAS DDIS educational activities will continue to be important for 2020-2021. Some free 'Build-A-Bug' products will be distributed. IPM for Cotton Cultivars in North Florida: The activities of the project will continue, including the conclusion of the development of a downloadable APP. Photographic material has been included in the APP to illustrate and help inpest identification. The App will be hosted in the UF/IFAS Agroclimate homepage, eliminating the costs associated with maintenance of the APP. In addition, participation in Extension meetings and contact with farmers will be used to continually disseminate the data collected during the 2018 and 2019 cotton crop season. Included will be information on the seasonal occurrence and risk of pests during the cotton growing season, occurrence and role of different beneficial insects, and the transgenic technologies available for managing insects in the region. The reference collections of lepidopteran pests associated with cotton in the region will be used during Extension and outreach meetings, emphasizing the different life cycles of species targeted by the transgenic Bt technology. A sentinel area will be cultivated with Bt and non-Bt cotton without insecticide against lepidopteran pests to increase the infestations and provide material for photographs. This sentinel area will be used for presentations to farmers during the annual row crop meeting at WFREC, Jay, FL. Commercial fields will continue to be visited during and after the crop season. In addition, the life history traits of pests associated with cotton and the susceptibility of cotton to these pests will be performed to provide region-specific information to farmers. We will participate in technical and scientific meetings, as a way to share the results from the project and reach different audiences. Pollinator Plants and Pollinator Health: Data from 2019 field plot experiments are being analyzed. Results of plants vetted as benefitting pollinators will be contributed to the searchable database website "Protecting Bees" in collaboration with their grant team (USDA, NIFA, SCRI Grant 2016-51181-25399). The pollinator plant database website will continue to be enhanced with additional plants and associated pollinators. In collaboration with the UF/IFAS Florida Friendly Landscaping Program, a mobile web application is being developed, "Plants for Florida Bees." Additional resources will be developed as part of the curriculum to train citizen scientists. The curriculum will be implemented for training extension faculty and Master Gardeners via statewide workshops and video conferences (Kalaman et al., 2020). The following presentations are planned: 1) Kalaman, H., S.B. Wilson, R.E. Mallinger, and G.W. Knox. June 2020. Evaluating floral attraction for foraging insect communities in native and non-native garden plots. Florida State Horticultural Society Conference. Oral and paper competition. 500-600 people in attendance, 2) Kalaman, H. June 2020. Planting for pollinators, some plants are just better! Master Gardener Volunteers, State Garden Club short course. Straughn Center, Gainesville, FL. Hour-long oral presentation on research findings. 120-140 people in attendance, and 3) Kalaman, H. S.B. Wilson, R.E. Mallinger, and G.W. Knox. August 2020. Evaluating floral attraction for foraging insect communities in native and non-native garden plots. American Society for Horticultural Sciences Conference. Scholars Ignite oral competition and poster presentation. 500-600 people in attendance.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? IPM Coordination: Objective 1. Provided guidance to new Extension agents, Morgan Pinkerton (Seminole County) and Craig Frey (Hendry County); continued to as a faculty mentor to Extension faculty, Dr. Silvana Paula-Moraes; assisted in establishing the UF/IFAS IPM Academy to coordinate new IPM faculty members; contributed technical support to Alicia Halbritter (Baker County) to study stink bugs in corn; Caitlin Bainum (Marion County) on mole cricket management and Bob Hochmuth (Live Oak), Henry Pittman (Gilchrist), and Mark Warren (Levy) to study squash bugs in watermelon. 2. Cooperatively conducted year 3 of the CPPM, EIP project, including four subprojects, with considerable county Extension collaboration; completed co-leading the UF/IFAS Pesticide Recommendation Task Force established by Associate Dean Mukhtar to draft guidelines for standardized pesticide tables in Extension publications; served on a team to create an "IFAS Diagnostic Services" website that links all available diagnostic resources (https://diagnostics.ifas.ufl.edu/); co-wrote an Extension publication "Managing Wireworms in Sweet Potatoes in North Florida". 3. A total of 1190 consultations were provided plus 222,000 IPM Florida website visits. Housing and Residential Environments: Objective 1. In response to agent feedback, we developed an evaluation and survey instrument in Qualtrics to capture knowledge gained and a behavioral baseline. The survey is based on the Theory of Planned Behavior. The initial survey was submitted for IRB approval. StudyID: IRB201703304. Survey data from Washington, Holmes and Suwannee counties after the Housing IPM presentation: 96.8% felt that they understood IPM; 81% felt that they knew how to take care of pests effectively, and 82.5% felt that they knew what questions to ask a pest professional. The survey also asked about training in various aspects of IPM and 63.3% said they would remove food, water, and shelter for insects from their homes; 65.1% said they would clean to deal with pests in their home; 74.6% would seal their home to keep pests from coming in; and 65.1% said they would regularly look for pests in their homes. Additionally, 74.6% said they would carefully read and follow the label of pest products, 82.5% would contact Extension for help with pests in their homes.2. We produced twoEDIS publications and were in process of developing additional homeowner-directed guidance when COVID-19 began to emerge as a clear danger. One target audience for this grant is the pest control industry. We necessarily shifted emphasis on how pest control operators could work safety as an "essential service."There are currently fourarticles posted at pestmanagementuniversity.org that have also been carried by the two industry trade journals. Also, to complete the training objectives for the grant, our team built a program delivery system using EventBrite and Zoom, that cancapture knowledge gained andmeet certification requirements,i.e., document time, knowledge gainedfor several states. Plant Pest and Disease Diagnostic System: Objective 1. Increased awareness of existing digital diagnosis resources through UF-DDIS has been a focal area for 2019-2020. The UF-DDIS website has been simplified, and new online modules for improving site use are in development and will be released prior to August 31, 2020. The 33 online modules available through Canvas Catalog are currently under major revision and reorganization, the revised online training along with at least 5 new modules is scheduled for release in July 2020. In order to continually engage county extension faculty in the process of promoting the online modules for statewide pesticide continuing education units, statewide biannual pest alert updates will begin in the summer of 2020 through Zoom virtual meeting. During the summer 2020 meeting, release of the 'Build-A-Bug' resource also will be discussed, as this was of interest to county extension faculty during the 2019 statewide extension symposium. 2. Routine pest alert blogs were posted during 2019-2020. Currently, several faculty and staff members, and students contribute to the blog activity. In addition to the blog and the pest alert listserv with over 700 subscribers, pest alert blog announcements are currently highlighted through the UF, Doctor of Plant Medicine twitter account. This account currently has over 150 followers. As the DPM Twitter account retweets other pest news of interest, this information also will be added to the pest alert blog. This serves to expand the reach and focus of the Pest Alert blog beyond the original listserv. As the DPM Twitter account follows several county extension faculty members, itprovides another mechanism for promoting pest news and information from the county level. IPM for Cotton Cultivars in North Florida: Objective 1. A sentinel cotton area with 8 cotton cultivars, including two non-Bt cultivars and the six Bt traits commercially available, were established at WREC during the 2019 crop season. Cultivation of the sentinel area followed agronomic practices of the Florida panhandle. This sentinel area was used for presentations to farmers during the annual row crop meeting. Biweekly samples were taken to document the occurrence, abundance, and phenology of pests and natural enemies in each plot. Lab colonies of lepidopteran pests from Escambia, Santa Rosa and Jackson counties were established at WFREC. Specimens of different stages were mounted, and reference collections were assembled and used in field days and outreach activitiesfor pest identificationand to producehigh-quality photos. In addition, life table studies of Helicoverpa zea feeding on Bt cotton were developed for populations from different counties in the Florida Panhandle. This information supported improvement of the IRM program for the region. 2. Cotton producers were contactedand arthropod sampling was performed during the 2019 cotton crop season in commercial fields in Escambia, Santa Rosa, and Jackson counties. The population dynamics of corn earworm, fall armyworm, and soybean looper was documented year-round using pheromone traps, and photographs of the pests and natural enemies were produced. The susceptibility to insecticides, particularly Bt toxins of corn earworm were documented and disseminated. 3. The information gathered has been disseminated to train cotton producer's and agricultural professionals in identifying cotton pests and natural enemies. Two focus meetings were conducted with extension agents and leading farmers from Escambia, Santa Rosa and Jackson counties to present the first version of the App for identifying pests associated with cotton in Florida. Suggestions and demands for information about IPM/IRM for cotton cultivated in the Florida Panhandle was noted and several improvements have been included in the App. Pollinator Plants and Pollinator Health: 1. The searchable database website was expanded and enhanced by adding vetted pollinator plants searchable by pollinator, season, hardiness zone, plant species, plant type, and other plant characteristics. We are collaborating with the "Protecting Bees" grant team (USDA, NIFA, SCRI Grant 2016-51181-25399). The searchable database website, "Finding pollinator attractive plants" (https://protectingbees.njaes.rutgers.edu/find-plants/), now includes 847 plants. Additional pollinator plants were vetted in two Florida locations in 2019, and data is being analyzed to verify results. 2. As part of curriculum development, a lesson plan on pollination biology and plant floral resources was developed and tested. Pollinator plants in two Florida plantings were used to design a plant survey and sampling protocol for pollinator visitation that volunteers canuse to capture plant use by pollinators. These experiences and tools will be used to further develop and deliver training materials.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Moghaddassi, Y., A. Ashouri, A. Bandani, N. C. Leppla and P. D. Shirk. 2019. Effect of Ephestia kuehniella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) larval diet on egg quality and parasitism by Trichogramma brassicae (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae). Journal of Insect Science. 19:10.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Szyniszewska, Anna M., Norman C. Leppla, Nicholas C. Manoukis, Travis Collier, John M. Hastings, Darren J. Kriticos, and Kevin Bigsby. 2020. MedFoes and Climex models for predicting the variability and growth potential and persistence of Mediterranean fruit fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) populations. Annals ESA. (https://doi.org/10.1093/aesa/saz065)
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Penca, Cory, Amanda C. Hodges, Norman C. Leppla and Ted E. Cottrel. 2020. Trap-Based Economic Injury Levels and Thresholds for Euschistus servus (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) in Florida Peaches. Journal of Economic Entomology (doi: 10.1093/jee/toaa044)
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Khadka, Arjun, Amanda C. Hodges, Norman C. Leppla, and Patricia G. Tillman. 2020. The Effects of Relative Humidity on Halyomorpha halys (St�l) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) Egg Hatch, Nymph Survival and Adult Reproduction. Florida Entomologist. 103:136-138.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2020 Citation: Pinkerton, M.G., S.M. Thompson, A.C. Hodges, N.C. Leppla, and J.C. Palumbo. 2020.Laboratory Rearing of Bagrada hilaris (Hemiptera: Pentatomoidea) Under Quarantine Conditions in Florida. Florida Entomologist. Accepted.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Kalaman, Heather, Gary W. Knox, Sandra B. Wilson and Wendy Wilber. (2020) A Master Gardener survey: Promoting pollinator-friendly plants through education and outreach. HortTech. 30(2):163-167. April 2020. (https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTTECH04460-19). NIFA was acknowledged.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Baldwin, J., Paula-Moraes, S.V., Pereira, R. 2020. The good side of the bad guys: predation of lepidopteran pests by Solenopsis invicta Buren (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Florida Panhandle. Florida Entomologist. 183:68-71.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Rabelo, M.M. (g), Matos, J.M., Orozco-Restrepo, S.M., Paula-Moraes, S.V., Pereira, E.J.G. 2020. Like parents, like offspring? Susceptibility to Bt toxins, development on dual-gene Bt cotton, and parental effect of Cry1Ac on a nontarget lepidopteran pest. Journal of Economic Entomology, (https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toaa051).
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Thompson, Sage. 2020. Establishment Potential and Impact of Bagrada hilaris (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) in Florida Cole Crops. Thesis, University of Florida.
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Penca, C. J. 2019. The Heteropteran Pest Complex in Florida Peaches and the Use of Pyriproxyfen for Diapause Interference and Parasitoid Rearing. Dissertation, University of Florida.
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Yeboah, S. 2019. Development of IPM Tools for Managing Anastrepha suspensa and Bactrocera dorsalis in Guava and mango Orchards. Dissertation, University of Florida.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Thompson, S., C. Ivey, A. Hodges, and N. Leppla. 2019. Humidity as a Barrier for Bagrada hilaris (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) to Establish in Florida. Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America. St. Louis, MO.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Ivey, C., A. Hodges, and N. Leppla. 2019. Potential Establishment of Bagrada hilaris in Florida Based on Temperature, Humidity, and Weed Hosts. Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America. St. Louis, MO.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Awad, J., A. Hodges, E. Talamas, and R. Cave. 2019. Building a Diagnostic Framework for the Genus Synopeas (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae) Using Reared Specimens from Papua New Guinea. Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America. St. Louis, MO.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Lennon, K., N. Leppla, A. Gannon, A. Hodges, and R. Hochmuth. 2019. Parasitism and Ovary Development of Nezara virudula on Organic Sorghum and Tomato. Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America. St. Louis, MO.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Pinkerton, M., S. Thompson, L. Espinoza, and A. Hodges. 2019. Insects, Biosecurity, and International Collaboration in Ecuador. Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America. St. Louis, MO.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Thompson, S., M. Pinkerton, M. Borden, J. Awad, and C. Ivey. November 2019. The Doctor of Plant Medicine (DPM) Program. ESA Annual Meeting. St. Louis, MO.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Rabelo, M.M. (g), Matos, J.M., Santos-Amaya, O., Fran�a, J.C., Gon�alves, J., Paula-Moraes, S.V., Guedes, R.N.C., Pereira, E.J.G. 2020. Bt-toxin susceptibility and hormesis-like response in the invasive southern armyworm (Spodoptera eridania). Crop Protection. 132. (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2020.105129).
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2020 Citation: Hochmuth, Robert, Dakshina Seal, Norman Leppla, Daniel Fenneman, De Broughton, and Anil Baniya. 2020. Managing Wireworms in Florida Sweet Potatoes UF/IFAS Extension EDIS
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Mallinger, Rachel E., Wayne Hobbs, Anne Yasalonis, and Gary Knox. (2019) Attracting Native Bees to Your Florida Landscape, ENY2042. Entomology and Nematology Department, UF/IFAS Extension. October 2019. (https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in1255)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Lynn LeBeck, Norman Leppla, and Richard Ward. Challenges to the biological control industry to improve IPM. Entomological Society of America, National Meeting, St. Louis, MO November 17/19 (invited, presented by N. C. Leppla)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Norman Leppla, Creation and Applications of Insect Rearing Science and Technology, Symposium, Latest advancements and challenges in insect rearing and testing, Entomological Society of America, National Meeting, St. Louis, MO November 17/19 (invited)
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Sobel, J. L. 2019. Prophylactic Management Techniques to Maintain Ecological Services of Persea palustris, Swamp Bay, and Persea borbonia, Redbay, Exposed to Laurel Wilt. Thesis, University of Florida.
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Pinkerton, M. 2019. Species and Plant Biosecurity Education with a Focus on Rearing Stink Bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) of Concern to Florida. 2019. Thesis, University of Florida.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Paula-Moraes, S.V. 2019. (invited). Developing IRM in an IPM framework in the Gulf Coast region. In: 2019 Entomology Society of America Meeting, November 17-20, Saint Louis, MO.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Rabelo, M.M., Paula-Moraes, S., Siegfried, B., Pereira, E.J.G. 2019. Lepidopteran pests in the Florida Panhandle and their susceptibility to pyrethroid and diamide insecticides. In: 2019 Entomology Society of America Meeting, November 17-20, Saint Louis, MO.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Rabelo, M.M., Paula-Moraes, S., Siegfried, B., Pereira, E.J.G. 2019. Growth potential of Helicoverpa zea populations from the Florida Panhandle in pyramided cotton expressing Bacillus thuringiensis toxins. In: 2019 Entomology Society of America Meeting, November 17-20, Saint Louis, MO.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Bann, P., Paula-Moraes, S., Ledbetter-Kish, L. 2019. Spodoptera frugiperda populations from the Florida Panhandle: phenology of occurrence and carbon isotopic signatures. In: Entomology Society of America Meeting, November 17-20, Saint Louis, MO.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Hemphill, C.N., Rabelo, M.M., Paula-Moraes, S. V. Sampling, trapping, and pesticide efficacy for snails in the Florida panhandle. In: 2019 Entomology Society of America Meeting, November 17-20, Saint Louis, MO.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Paula-Moraes, S.V. 2019. Noctuids associated with maize in tropical and temperate areas: updates and what we still need to learn. In: Emerging lepidopteran challenges in the maize agroecosystem. 27th International Working Group on Ostrinia and other maize pests. October 13-17, Engelberg, Switzerland. (speaker and session organizer).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Oi, Faith. 2019. Broadening our audience by diversifying the messenger, Part II. Entomological Society of America, National Meeting, St. Louis, MO November 17/2019.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Oi, F., J. Davis, J. M. Diaz, S. M. Ellis,, R. A. Cantrell, N. Nelson, J. Corbus. 2019. Homeowners Guide to Selecting a Pest Control Service. ENY-2043
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Oi, F. M. J. Davis, J. McConnell, J. Corbus, N. Nelson, and M. Atkinson. Termite Prevention and Control. ENY-2044.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Hodges, A.C. Caribbean Plant Diagnostic Network and Sample Submission. June 2019. Presentation delivered through Zoom to approximately 50 participants at workshop for the Caribbean Food Crop Society (CFCS) Annual Meeting in the Dominican Republic.


Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/19

Outputs
Target Audience:IPM Coordination: IPM Florida provides statewide, interdisciplinary and interunit coordination and assistance in IPM to all entities involved in protecting agriculture, communities and the environment. This includes state, regional and national IPM Stakeholders; commodity associations; agricultural producers; the general public; end users or consumers; underserved communities; land-grant university partners; research, teaching and Extension faculty; staff and students; and federal, state and county governmental agencies. Housing and Residential Environments: Homeowners with emphasis on first time home buyers, pest control operators, county faculty. Plant Pest and Disease Diagnostic System: Extension agents, producers, the general public, and the community in general. IPM for Cotton Cultivars in North Florida: Local farmers, Extension agents in North Florida counties, Extension specialists, students, and the community in general. Pollinator Plants and Pollinator Health: Extension faculty, the general public, Green Industry professionals, NRCS program staff or users, plant and gardening organizations (Master Gardeners, garden clubs, plant societies, etc.), environmentally focused societies (Xerces Society, etc.), honey producers, and urban planners. Changes/Problems:Approval was requested from NIFA for the following changes: 1) There was an error on Randall Cantrell's Current and Pending form that was submitted with the original application. His effort was listed at 8% incorrectly and has been adjusted to 1%. An updated Current and Pending form was provided, 2) Shanika Preston, Co-PI, was no longer at the University of Florida, effective June 30, 2018, and 3) Barbara Hughes, Co-PI, retired effective December 31, 2018. She continued on the project until her retirement. Dr. Faith Oi, a co-PI on this project, assumed the responsibilities of the subproject objectives of both Shanika Preston (effective 06/30/2018) and Barbara Hughes (effective 12/31/2018) without a change in her original effort. The subproject had no change in scope or objectives. Approval for these changes was requested from NIFA on October 3, 2018 and received on May 4, 2019. Thus, funding was not available for about seven months for Dr. Oi's subproject and also for work in Dr. Silvana Paula-Moraes's subproject. Dr. Oi replaced Dr. Katie Stoffer with Dr. John Diaz as the evaluation specialist for Year 3 of her subproject. Dr. Knox recruited graduate student Heather Kalaman to carry out portions of this grant previously allocated to a staff member who resigned early in Year 1. This delayed accomplishment of some aspects of the Year 2 goals. Dr. Silvana Paula-Moraes will include more resources for personnel in the third year of the project. The objective is to have more labor to prepare training materials, including specimens of pests and beneficial insects, and to provide assistance in conducting meetings and visiting sentinel area and commercial cotton fields. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?IPM Coordination: The following Doctor of Plant Medicine ½-time assistants have received training on the project: Lanette Sobel, 2015-2019, forest entomology research on IPM; Alex Gannon 2017-2020 applied IPM research, stink bugs, Extension presentations; Sage Thompson 2018-2020, applied IPM research, stink bugs, Extension presentations and materials; Morgan Pinkerton, 2017-2020, applied IPM research, stink bugs, Extension presentations and materials; Keir Hamilton, 2018-2022; Clayton Bania, 2018-2022; Nicholas Goltz, 2018-2022; Cleveland Ivey, 2018-2020; Ph.D. Cory Penca, 2016-2019, applied research, stink bugs; Simon Yeboah, 2017-2019, applied research, tropical fruit flies; Yasaman Moghaddassi, 2017-2019, applied research, biological control; and M.S. Arjun Khadka, 2017-2018, applied IPM research, stink bugs; Undergraduate; Kylie Lennon. Housing and Residential Environments: In-service training scheduled for January 17, 2019 is being rescheduled. All agents are welcome to attend Pest Management University (PMU) as in-service training and the registration fee will be waived. PMU courses are held year-round (Pestmanagementuniversity.org). Plant Pest and Disease Diagnostic System: Approximately 60 agents attended the in-service training at the UF-IFAS statewide extension symposium. Additionally, approximately 60 nature stewardship volunteers received training and information about pest alert in February of 2019. The following Doctor of Plant Medicine ½ graduate research assistants have been affiliated with the project: Cory Penca, Alicia Kelley, Andy Jean-Louis, and Ariane McCorquodale. The following undergraduate students have also received some professional development training as a component of this project: Kendall Stacey, Trevor Forsberg, and Harrison Edwards. The following professional staff member has also received training as a component of this project: Jennifer Carr. IPM for Cotton Cultivars in North Florida: Two undergraduate students from the University of Florida, one undergraduate student from the University of West Florida, and one Ph.D. student have taken the Life Sciences Responsible Conduct of Research Course. During performance of the laboratory and field activities of the project, the students were trained in pest sampling, insect rearing, and pest and natural enemy identification. In addition, the students have participated in Extension and scientific meetings. At the 2019 ESA Southeastern Branch meeting, Christopher Hemphill, Marcelo M. Rabelo, and Phillip Barn delivered poster and oral presentations. Marcelo M. Rabelo won the first place for his Ph.D. student oral presentation and Christopher Hemphill won second place in the undergraduate poster competition. In addition, the Regional Crop IPM Extension Agent, Ethan Carter presented a poster with the data documenting the pest risk aversion and knowledge of transgenic technology of farmers from the Florida Panhandle. Pollinator Plants and Pollinator Health: Widespread delivery of train the trainer workshops and curriculum is increasing, but some citizen scientists already are using the iNaturalist app. Heather Kalaman, a Doctor of Plant Medicine ½-time graduate assistant has received training on the project. In addition, more than 200 county and state Extension faculty learned about this IPM project during the March 2019 Urban Landscape Summit in Gainesville, FL. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?IPM Coordination: Based on a needs survey, a comprehensive set of pesticide recommendation links was provided via the IPM Florida website to the South Central (30 Extension agents), Northeast (11 agents), Central (20 agents), and South District Horticulture Green Team members (9 agents). Provided in person guidance to an informal "Vegetable IPM Working Group" to facilitate communication and collaboration among Entomology and Nematology Department faculty and Extension personnel with responsibilities for managing arthropod pests of vegetable crops (about 15 members). Delivered information in person on mosquito IPM at a Bradford County Commission and the public (about 50 people), Introduced IPM Florida to established and new North East Extension District agents at their annual retreat (about 150 participants), Conducted a workshop on improving reporting for IPM and determining real impacts for programs (about 50 participants), moderated a session on Invasive Pest and Pathogen Education at the annual Florida Extension Symposium (68 participants), co-authored more than 14 presentations at scientific meetings (average 25 attendees), There were 174,831 website visits in 2017 and 222,314 in 2018, indicating a significant increase in IPM information delivery. Also, there were 333 email consultation contacts in 2018. Housing and Residential Environments: Agents provide IPM information directly to homeowners, n>250 thus far. Products are being developed continuously for homeowner use. Social media contacts in 2018 included Facebook (224,488 engagements) and Twitter (1808 engagements). Social media are used to notify communities of interest, as well as internal UF/IFAS contacts. A change in personnel has delayed more widespread delivery. Plant Pest and Disease Diagnostic System: As the project has been communicated directly to agents, the overall project impact has been amplified. In addition to direct communication from project personnel, agents will then continue to directly communicate to producers, community members, and homeowners. Direct contacts from the project in 2018-2019 were at least 220 individuals. Over 700 individuals subscribe to the listserv, and over 20 individuals have completed online e-learning modules. Project outcomes have also been directly communicated to partners in the Caribbean region as Florida invasive species and diagnostic issues significantly relate to Caribbean concerns. IPM for Cotton Cultivars in North Florida: The project findings have been disseminated to famers in the region and presented in the following Extension meetings: Tristate scout school, Marianna, FL., "Use of Bt traits to manage insects in cotton and corn: trait identification and target pests;" Row crop subcommittee meeting, Marianna, FL.; meeting with Extension agents from the Florida Panhandle to present results of monitoring pests associated with cotton in the region and the idea of the App for pest identification, currently in development; Row Crops short course, Auburn, AL. "Managing caterpillars with Bt technology;" Farm Field Day, Jay, FL. "Pest management in field crops," surveyed farmers to document baseline knowledge about pests associated with cotton and delivered "How to sample cotton bollworm in Bt cotton and caterpillars in peanut; Farm Day, Atmore, AL. "Identifying and timing control of Lepidoptera species to reduce pesticide applications," farmers completed an exercise to identify and categorize the economic importance of different insect pests in the Florida Panhandle. Additionally, activities and results of this project have been disseminated in outreach activities with community and elementary, middle, and high school students from the Florida Panhandle to create awareness about the economic importance of cotton in the region and IPM to farmers. The following outreach activities were performed: Jay High School, 25 students, overview of the research that is performed in row crops; North Baldwin County Horticulture Program, Pace High School outdoor club, a career in the outdoors class; the entomology teaching program showcased; UF at Milton campus, 75 students; Bagdad Elementary School, Jay Florida, visited the entomology lab and attended the presentation, "What a bug doctor does, the bad and the good bugs;" Jim Allen Elementary Field Trip to the WFREC, 74 students, visited the entomology lab and attended presentations; Program for Youth and Workforce Development, presented "Predators of caterpillars in field crops: the good side of the red imported fire ants;" additional high school programs, Kids Day in the Park, Benny Russell Park in Pace, Florida, Santa Rosa Leadership Agrobusiness Tour of the WFREC, Jay, Florida, and Building an IPM/IRM program for Field Crops in the Florida Panhandle, 44 participants. Pollinator Plants and Pollinator Health: The information being gathered and archived in cooperation with the "Protecting Bees" grant team (USDA, NIFA, SCRI Grant 2016-51181-25399) is assisting residents and professionals with the selection and use of plants that enhance pollinator health in Florida and throughout the Nation. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?IPM Coordination: The 2017-20 USDA, NIFA, CPPM, EIP project for the University of Florida will be managed effectively, including overseeing the four subprojects. The IPM Florida website will be continuously updated with new content, especially links for ornamental and landscape IPM. The website structure leads clientele directly to information that can help them solve pest problems. Extension IPM activities will include training students, participating in Extension training, producing guides, developing and delivering materials, assisting in maintaining up-to-date IPM-related EDIS publications, serving as a point of contact for clientele, and providing IPM and biological control consultation. A 20-Year accomplishment brochure for IPM Florida will be produced and circulated widely. The UF/IFAS IPM Coordinator will participate as a member of SERA IEG-003 (Southern Region IPM Coordinators) and submit the required USDA REEports. He will coordinate development of IPM grant proposals in cooperation with UF/IFAS research and Extension faculty members and collaborators, and serve as the Florida contact for the Regional Information Network (RIN). The primary function of the RIN is to address regulatory decisions regarding IPM, most often involving pesticide registrations. The IPM Coordinator will continue to advance the UF/IFAS IPM program, especially funding, staffing, and collaboration. He endeavors to institutionalize the IPM approach to solving pest problems, rather than perpetuating reliance primarily on pesticides, i.e., not trying something else only after pesticides are considered not effective or affordable. It is expected that the UF/IFAS IPM program will serve as a model for cooperation between state IPM specialists and county Extension faculty. Statewide consultation and technical support in IPM and biological control will be provided continuously. Housing and Residential Environments Housing: This scalable sub-project will continue to be expanded by increasing the number of counties that participate by engaging homeowners directly on IPM education and implementation. In-service training will be provided to Extension agents and they will be offered training at PMU, waiving registration fees. The surveys will be streamlined, using a retrospective method of collecting and capturing "after-training" data more effectively. Homeowner recommendations to prevent pests, as well as control them using IPM, will be increased. Plant Pest and Disease Diagnostic System: This sub-project will continue to engage county extension agents, and increasingly involve more counties throughout the state in diagnostic communications. Ongoing communications with county extension agents are needed in order to improve the frequency of pest news and deliver the most relevant pest information to the pest alert listserv. The in-service training session at the UF-IFAS statewide extension meeting was a pivotal engagement opportunity for the sub-project during 2018-2019. IPM for Cotton Cultivars in North Florida: The activities of the project will continue, including the conclusion of the development of a downloadable APP. The App will be hosted in the UF/IFAS Agroclimate homepage, eliminating the costs associated with maintenance of the APP. The first version of the App will be presented to Extension agents and farmers to the region during meetings in order to receive suggestions for an updated version. In addition, participation in Extension meetings and contact with farmers will be used to continually disseminate the data collected during the 2018 and 2019 cotton crop season related to the seasonal occurrence and risk of pests during the cotton growing season, occurrence and role of different beneficial insects in the region, and the transgenic technologies available for managing insects. The work of preparation of reference collections of lepidopteran-pests associated to cotton in the region will continue, considering the different life cycles, and species targeted by the transgenic technology Bt. Photographic material will also continue to be included in the APP as a way to illustrate and help in the pest identification. A sentinel area will be cultivated with cotton without insecticide against lepidopteran-pests to increase the infestation the pests and provides material for the pictures. This sentinel area will be used for presentations to farmers during the annual row crop meeting at WFREC, Jay, FL. Commercial fields will continue to be visited during and after the crop season. It is expected participation in several technical and scientific meetings, as a way to share the results from the project and reach different audiences. Pollinator Plants and Pollinator Health: The pollinator plant database website will continue to be enhanced with additional plants and associated pollinators. The "Pollinators of Florida" app will be mined for additional data to add to the database website. This app will be promoted to clientele as a citizen scientist project to assist with data collection. In collaboration with the UF/IFAS Florida Friendly Landscaping Program, a mobile web application is being developed, "Plants for Florida Bees." Additional resources will be developed as part of the curriculum to train citizen scientists. The curriculum will be implemented via statewide workshops.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? IPM Coordination 1. Support and encourage Extension faculty in conducting IPM projects: 1) Conducted a collaborative project to develop and deliver an IPM system for organic tomato production using a sorghum trap crop and OMRI-approved insecticides. The results of this project will help organic vegetable growers with limited options to reduce environmental impacts of invasive pests and diseases, 2) Co-led a UF/IFAS Extension Horticulture Green Team Pesticide Recommendation Task Force to determine the best and most efficient ways to effectively assist clients regarding pesticide recommendations. The horticulture Extension Agents can assist clientele in Increasing knowledge and implementation of new IPM practices and system. 2. Coordinate and report on the multi-disciplinary IPM projects: 1) Cooperatively conducted the 2017 CPPM, EIP project, including four subprojects, with considerable county Extension collaboration. The long-term outcome is a sustained Extension effort to enhance knowledge of IPM practices, 2) Continued to chair or serve on IPM committees to increase knowledge of IPM practices, 3) Assisted cooperators in writing grant proposals (9), IPM success stories, and joint publications to adapt existing science?based IPM knowledge to novel agricultural and urban situations. 3. Assist county-level IPM activities and collaborative workgroups: 1) Provided more than 30 IPM consultations to create an IPM culture to replace the automatic dependence on pesticides. 2) Attended 11th Annual Caribbean Plant Health Directors Forum in Jamaica to discuss the best course of action for diagnosing plant pest and disease problems in the Caribbean, e.g., the Caribbean Plant Diagnostic Network. This effort will lead to an increased ability to diagnose and manage pest and disease problems before they reach the U.S. mainland. Housing and Residential Environments 1. Diversify IPM messengers who will incorporate IPM into existing housing programs: . In-service training was provided to eight counties in year 1; training was delayed in year 2, as described in the Changes/Problems section. In the process of rescheduling, IPM modules were completed and are being used in training by county faculty. IPM programming for county-level training is being used by 250 people in Escambia, Seminole, Suwannee, Volusia, Washington and Holmes counties. After training, more than 90% of homeowners know what the term "IPM" means. In 2019, Manatee, Palm Beach. Sumter. Osceola counties will be added for training. The following counties may reconfirm their request for training that was delayed: Duval, Gadsden, Jackson, Miami-Dade, Orange, and Santa Rosa. 2. Develop and deliver materials and tools needed to increase residential IPM: The housing IPM presentation was shared will all participating counties and Alabama and Texas as a part of this CPPM, EIP, IPM project. A draft of "How to choose a pest control company for homeowners" was completed and will be submitted for publication in EDIS. Plant Pest and Disease Diagnostic System 1. Revitalized the Florida Plant Diagnostic Network (FPDN). Increasing awareness of existing digital diagnosis resources through the UF-DDIS has been a focus of 2018-2019 activities. County Extension agent Dr. Bill Lester presented his use of UF-DDIS system at a recent statewide Extension in-service training. Extension agents in Florida are currently integrally involved in connecting with Caribbean partners through the Caribbean portal of the DDIS network (Caribbean Plant Diagnostic Network). Additional educational materials related to DDIS will be included in 2019-2020 Florida First Detector program efforts. The availability of 33 online educational materials has also been a component of the revitalization of the Florida-based diagnostics communications. County Extension agent faculty were engaged in discussions related to promoting online materials for State of Florida pesticide license continuing education units (CEUs) at the recent statewide extension symposium. 2. Expand partnerships and involvement in the UF/IFAS Pest Alert listserv. Routine pest alert blogs have been posted during 2018-2019. The organization and delivery of the in-service training at the statewide Extension symposium in Gainesville, FL was a major emphasis with county Extension faculty continuing to improve pest alert posts. IPM for Cotton Cultivars in North Florida 1. Establish a sentinel cotton plot at WREC following agronomic practices of the Florida panhandle: Sentinel plots with 10 cultivars of cotton were cultivated at WFREC during the 2018 crop season. Weekly samples were taken to document the occurrence, abundance, and phenology of pests and natural enemies in each plot. Lab colonies of lepidopteran pests from Escambia, Santa Rosa and Jackson counties were established at WFREC. Specimens of different stages of species of the lepidopteran pest species were mounted, and reference collections are being assembled for larval identification. These reference collections will be used in field days and outreach activities, pest identification, and production of high quality photos. 2. Evaluate the occurrence and abundance of the pests and beneficial insects in the WFREC plot and commercial cotton fields: Cotton producers were contacted and arthropod sampling was performed during the 2018 cotton crop season in commercial fields in Escambia, Santa Rosa, and Jackson counties. The population dynamics of corn earworm, fall armyworm, and soybean looper was documented year-round using pheromone traps and photographs of the pests and natural enemies were produced. Additional collaborations and resources were secured, enabling more studies of Lepidoptera in the Florida Panhandle. The susceptibility to insecticides, particularly Bt toxins, and the carbon signature of corn earworm were documented and disseminated. 3. Produce and disseminate management guidelines, and train cotton producer's and agricultural professionals to identify cotton pests and natural enemies: The information gathered has been disseminated at Extension and technical meetings. A farmer survey was conducted (IRB/UF/n. 201800401) in the Florida Panhandle to document the perception of the seasonal occurrence and risk of pests during the cotton growth season, the capacity to recognize the pests and beneficial insects associated with the cotton crop, and knowledge of transgenic technologies for managing insect resistance and herbicide tolerance. The survey was conducted during Extension meetings, representing different counties in the Florida Panhandle. Pollinator Plants and Pollinator Health 1. Expand the Ecological Plant Database by adding vetted pollinator plants: The searchable database website was expanded and enhanced by adding vetted pollinator plants searchable by pollinator, season, hardiness zone (8-11), plant species, plant type, and other plant characteristics. We are collaborating with the "Protecting Bees" grant team (USDA, NIFA, SCRI Grant 2016-51181-25399) who currently list more than 370 plants for Florida on the website, "Finding pollinator attractive plants" (https://protectingbees.njaes.rutgers.edu/find-plants/). Additional pollinator plants are being vetted in two Florida locations. 2. Develop and deliver training in identifying plants, plant parts and arthropods: Pollinator plants in two Florida plantings are being used to test a citizen science project. A total of at least 500 people attended three presentations. 3. Conduct a citizen science project to provide training in submitting pollinator plants (Objective 2 was combined with Objective 3, "Conduct a citizen science project to provide training in submitting pollinator plants."): We are collaborating with Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission to use "Pollinators of Florida" as part of our grant's objective of developing a training program for citizen scientists. Some citizen scientists already are using "Pollinators of Florida", the iNaturalist app.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Pinkerton, M. G., S. M. Thompson, N. A. Casuso, A. C. Hodges, and N. C. Leppla. 2019. Engaging Floridas Youth to Increase their Knowledge of Invasive Species and Plant Biosecurity. Journal of Integrated Pest Management. 10, https://doi.org/10.1093/jipm/pmy019.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Leppla, N. C. and P. De Clercq. 2019. History of the International Organization for Biological Control Global Working Group on Mass Rearing and Quality Assurance (MRQA) Journal of Insect Science Special Collection. Volume 19, https://doi.org/10.1093/jisesa/iey125.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Zahedi, A S, J. Razmjou, H. Rafiee-Dastjerdi, N. C. Leppla, A. Golizadeh, M. Hassanpour, and A. Ebadollahi. 2019. Tritrophic interactions of cucumber cultivar, Aphis gossypii (Hemiptera: Aphididae) and its predator Hippodamia variegata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae). Journal of Economic Entomology. toz072,https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toz072.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Mallinger, R. E., W. Hobbs, A. Yasalonis, and G. Knox. 2018. Attracting Native Bees to Your Florida Landscape. UF/IFAS, EDIS.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Awad, J., A. Hodges, S. Hight, M. Srivastava, A. Howe, and E. Rohrig. 2019. Laboratory rearing and sex ratio of Apanteles opuntiarum (Hymenoptera: Baconidae), a potential biocontrol agent of Cactoblastis cactorum (Lepidoptera: Pyrlalidae). Florida Entomologist 102: 216-221.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Jafary-Jahed, Mahdieh, Jabraeil Razmjou, Gadir Nouri-Ganbalani, Bahram Naseri, Mahdi Hassanpour, and Norman C. Leppla. 2018. Life Table Parameters and Oviposition Preference of Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) on Six Brassicaceous Crop Plants. Journal of Economic Entomology.112: 932-938.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Espinoza-Lozana, L.S., S. Guerrero, L.S. Osborne, N.C. Leppla, A.C. Hodges, and M.C. Guirucanu. 2018. Alternatives to a synthetic pyrethroid for controlling Madeira mealybug on coleus cutting. Florida Entomologist. 101: 1-6.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Penca, C. and A. Hodges. 2019. Brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (St�l) (Insect: Hemiptera: Pentatomidae). UF-IFAS Featured Creatures Publication. Publication No. EENY346, https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in623.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Penca, C. and A. Hodges. 2019. Caribbean fruit fly management in Florida Peaches. UF-IFAS EDIS publication no. ENY343 https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in1242.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Penca, C. and A. Hodges. 2018. First report of the brown marmorated stink bug (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) reproduction and localized establishment in Florida. Florida Entomologist. 101: 708-712.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2018 Citation: Yeboah, S., N. D. Epsky, N. C. Leppla, D. Carrillo, and O. E. Liburd. 2018. Comparison of Lures for Monitoring Caribbean Fruit Flies, Anastrepha suspensa (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Guava Orchards. 10th International Symposium on Fruit Flies of Economic Importance, Tapachula, Mexico. March 22. (Invited poster)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2018 Citation: Hodges, A. C., N. C. Leppla, M. G. Pinkerton, S. M. Thompson, and A. M. Gannon. 2018. Systems Approach to Excluding Invasive Species. Florida Entomological Society annual conference, St. Augustine, FL July 25.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2018 Citation: Leppla, Norman C., Amanda C. Hodges, Morgan G. Pinkerton and Sage M. Thompson. 2018. Agricultural Producers Increasingly Depend on Professional IPM Practitioners to Effectively Manage Crop Pests. Entomological Society of America annual conference, Vancouver, Canada. November 11-14. (presenter, co-moderator)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2018 Citation: Pinkerton, Morgan G., Amanda C. Hodges, and Norman C. Leppla. 2018. Novel Methods for Rearing the Bagrada Bug, Bagrada hilaris. Entomological Society of America annual conference, Vancouver, Canada. November 11-14.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2018 Citation: Thompson, Sage, Morgan Pinkerton, Amanda Hodges, Norman Leppla. 2018. Contributions to Risk Assessment for Arrival of Bagrada hilaris to Florida. Entomological Society of America annual conference, Vancouver, Canada. November 11-14.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Leppla, N. C. 2018 (review). Introduction to the Growers IPM Guide for Florida Tomato and Pepper Production. IN-732 (IPM-200) UF/IFAS EDIS (http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu). (3-year review & update)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Frey, C., Morgan Pinkerton, Sage Thompson, Amanda Hodges, Norman Leppla. 2019. Expanding a Florida Invasive Species Youth Outreach Program. Entomological Society of America, Southeastern Branch. Mobile, AL March 3-6.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Pinkerton, Morgan G., Amanda Hodges, and Norman Leppla. 2019. Rearing Protocol for the Redbanded Stink Bug, Piezodorus guildinii (Westwood) Entomological Society of America, Southeastern Branch. Mobile, AL March 3-6.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Gannon, A., Norman Leppla, Amanda Hodges, Oscar Liburd and Xin Zhao. 2019. Trap Cropping Strategies for Stink Bugs in Organic Tomato Production. Entomological Society of America, Southeastern Branch. Mobile, AL March 3-6.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Ivey, C., Amanda Hodges2 and Norman Leppla. 2019. Evaluation of Squash Bug Damage to Watermelon Cultivars Grafted on to Squash Root Stock. Entomological Society of America, Southeastern Branch. Mobile, AL March 3-6.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Leppla, N. C., F. Oi, A. Hodges, S. V. Paula-Moraes, and G. Knox. 2019. 2017 Crop Protection and Pest Management Extension Implementation Project for the University of Florida. In: 2019 Southeastern Branch Meeting, March 03 - 06, Mobile, AL.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Moghaddasi, Y., Leppla, N. C., Shirk, P. D., and Gannon, A. M. 2019. Ephestia kuehniella larval diets affect the quality of host eggs and Trichogramma brassicae, SEB Biocontrol Symposium- S1073: Biological Control of Arthropod pests and weeds. March 3-6.
  • Type: Other Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Hodges, A., Norm Leppla, Bryan Benson, Bill Lester, Sage Thompson, Keir Hamilton, and Morgan Pinkerton. 2019. Invasive Pest and Pathogen Education. In-service training, Extension Symposium Gainesville, FL May 6.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Leppla, N. C. 2019. pest/beneficial cycles for managing landscapes for commercial landscape and turf managers, golf course superintendents, and Master Gardeners SE Pest Management Conference May 9.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2018 Citation: Oi, F. M., B. Hughes, K. Allen, J. Corbus, K. McCormick, K. Stofer, S. Preston, R. Cantrell, A. Appel, L.F. Graham, J. Hurley. 2018. Broadening Our Audience by Diversifying the Messenger. In Symposium: Crossing Borders of Understanding: Sharing Your Science with the Public. Joint ESA-BC Meeting, Vancouver Canada. Nov. 11-14, 2018. Invited.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Oi, F. M., J. Hurley, A. Appel, and L. F. Graham. 2018. EIP provided preliminary information to secure: Supporting Homeowner IPM Programs. Funding Opportunity: USDA-NIFA-CPPM-006536. 2018-2021.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Carter, E., Paula-Moraes, S., Moraes Jr, A.M., Mulvaney, M., Devkota, P. 2019. Cotton growers in the Florida Panhandle: Pest risk aversion and knowledge of transgenic technology. In: 2019 Southeastern Branch Meeting, March 03 - 06, Mobile, AL.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Bann, P., Paula-Moraes, S., Ledbetter-Kish, L. 2019. Carbon isotopic signatures of Helicoverpa zea populations from the Florida Panhandle. In: 2019 Southeastern Branch Meeting, March 03 - 06, Mobile, AL.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Baldwin, J., Paula-Moraes, S. V., Pereira, R. 2019.The good size of the bad guys: predation of noctuids by red imported fire ants in agroecosystems. In: 2019 Southeastern Branch Meeting, March 03-06, Mobile, FL.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Hemphill, C.N., Rabelo, M.M., Paula-Moraes, S. V. 2019. Infestation method with natural egg deposition of Helicoverpa zea for ecological studies. In: 2019 Southeastern Branch Meeting, March 03 - 06, Mobile, FL.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Yu, W., Oyediran. I. O., Guo, J., Niu, J., Reay-Jones, J., Cook, D., Ni, X., Reisig, D., Paula-Moraes, S., Brown, S., Dimase, M., Huang, F. 2019. Initial estimation of resistance allele frequency in corn earworm populations collected from southeast region of the U.S. to Cry1Ab and Vip3A proteins. In: 2019 Southeastern Branch Meeting, March 03 - 06, Mobile, AL.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2018 Citation: Paula-Moraes, S.V. 2018. Round table: Beyond genetics and lethal toxicity: ecology, behavior, and life history in the evolution of insect resistance to transgenic Bt plants. XXVII Congresso Brasileiro e X Congresso Latino Americano de Entomologia, September 1-6, Gramado, RS. (speaker and organizer).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2018 Citation: Paula-Moraes, S.V. 2018 (invited). Bt technology worldwide: use and management of insect resistance.. American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) 2019 meeting. December 5, Chicago, IL.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Paula-Moraes, S.V. (symposium organizer). 2019. Helicoverpa zea: genetic population structure, life history traits, susceptibility and economic impact on Bt crops, and management alternatives. In: 2019 Southeastern Branch Meeting, March 03 - 06, Mobile, AL.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Paula-Moraes, S.V. 2019 (invited). EPA SAP Resistance of Lepidopteran Pests to Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) Plant Incorporated Plants in the U.S. NC246: Ecology and Management of Arthropods in Corn January 22-24, 2019. Cleveland, Ohio.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Kalaman, Heather., Knox, G., Wilson, S.B., Wilber, W. 2019. Promoting Research-verified Pollinator Plants to Promote Overall Pollinator Health. Center for Landscape Conservation and Ecology Urban Landscape Summit. Gainesville, FL. March 20-21, 2019.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Kalaman, Heather, Knox, G., Wilson, S.B., Wilber, W. 2019. Poster: Promoting Research-verified Pollinator Plants to Promote Overall Pollinator Health. Florida Wildflower Symposium. Gainesville, FL. April 12-13, 2019.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Kalaman, Heather., Knox, G., Wilson, S.B., Wilber, W. 2019. Poster: Promoting Research-verified Pollinator Plants to Promote Overall Pollinator Health. Florida State Horticulture Society. Orlando, FL. June 9-11, 2019.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Hodges, A.C. 2019. Interception of Pests at the Border or Ports-of-Entry. May 7-9, 2019. Southeastern Pest Management Conference. Gainesville, Florida.


Progress 09/01/17 to 08/31/18

Outputs
Target Audience:IPM Coordination for the University of Florida: State, regional and national IPM Stakeholders; commodity associations; agricultural producers; the general public; end users or consumers; underserved communities; land-grant university partners; research, teaching and Extension faculty; staff and students; and federal, state and county governmental agencies. Housing and Residential Environments Housing: Early adopter housing and horticulture agent teams from eight different counties (Citrus, Escambia, Holmes, Jefferson, Seminole, Suwanee, Volusia, Washington) and others in Florida for delivery to housing program participants, 1,200 total residents from up to 12 counties (Proportionate by population). Plant Pest and Disease Diagnostic System: Extension programs in pest and disease diagnostics, UF/IFAS; FDACS, DPI; USDA, APHIS; and USDA, ARS. IPM for Cotton Cultivars in North Florida: Extension agents, Extension specialists, and cotton producers from the Florida Panhandle, Cotton Incorporated. Pollinator Plants and Pollinator Health: Extension faculty, the general public, Green Industry professionals, NRCS program staff or users, plant and gardening organizations (Master Gardeners, garden clubs, plant societies, etc.), environmentally focused societies (Xerces Society, etc.), honey producers, and urban planners. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?For Coordination: The following Doctor of Plant Medicine ½-time assistants have received training on the project: Nicole Casuso, graduated 2017, Extension materials; Lanette Sobel, 2015-2019, forest entomology research; Alex Gannon 2017-2019, applied research, stink bugs, Extension presentations; Sage Thompson 2018-2021, applied research, stink bugs, Extension presentations and materials; Morgan Pinkerton, 2017-2019, applied research, stink bugs, Extension presentations and materials; Ph.D. Cory Penca, 2016-2018, applied research, stink bugs; Simon Yeboah, 2017-2019, applied research, tropical fruit flies; Yasaman Moghaddassi, 2017-2019, applied research, parasitoid wasp; and M.S. Arjun Khadka, 2017-2018, applied research, stink bugs. For Housing and Residential Environments Housing: On January 29-20, 2018, an Extension in-service training was attended by Judy Corbus (Washington and Holmes counties), Julie Shoup (Jefferson), Katherine Allen (Suwanee), Carolyn Saft (Suwanee), Lisa Hamilton (Volusia), Dorothy Lee (Escambia), Sarah Ellis (Citrus), Barbara Hughes (Seminole), Karen Stauderman (Volusia), and Kaydie McCormick (Seminole). Katherine Allen taught the IPM segment at least three times through her homebuyer program. For Plant Pest and Disease Diagnostic System: On May 17, 2018, a Master Gardener photography and entomology training was conducted in Sumter County led by DPM students Sage Thompson and Clayton Bania, and DPM Director Amanda Hodges. For IPM for Cotton Cultivars in North Florida: In the first year, the co-PI received the following training and professional development: A) Mandatory training Group 1, IRB-01 on the Human Subjects Research and Group 3, Social/Behavioral Research Investigators and Key Personnel, B) Assessing needs and priorities in Extension programming, and C) Program evaluation training - Extension Road Map. The project will have the participation of a UF Ph.D. student and a Visiting Scientist from Brazil. For Pollinator Plants and Pollinator Health: Active training will occur in Year 2 but some citizen scientists already are using an app (https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/pollinators-of-florida). How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?For Coordination: Future outcomes of the project may affect society in general primarily by reducing the environmental impact of invasive pests and diseases, thereby increasing the profitability and sustainability of agricultural and horticultural enterprises.We endeavor to disseminate information that will create an IPM culture among Florida's citizens that will replace the automatic dependence on pesticides. For Housing and Residential Environments Housing: We seek to increase IPM awareness among the general public by delivering a science-based IPM message directly to consumers and diversifying the IPM messengers to encourage the practice of IPM. We provided training to the pest management industry, Extension agents, homebuyers, and others throughout the State. For Plant Pest and Disease Diagnostic System: This state-wide collaborative effort has been directed at potential first detectors, e.g., Extension agents and their clientele. Specialty crop growers are primary recipients and beneficiaries. For IPM for Cotton Cultivars in North Florida: We are continuously producing and disseminating management guidelines and training cotton producers and agricultural professionals to identify cotton pests and natural enemies. Extension materials related to cotton pests and Bt technology is produce and delivered to farmers and agricultural professionals via presentations and hands-on exercises. For Pollinator Plants and Pollinator Health: Our project will increase the use of plants that enhance pollinator health by creating a pollinator plant database website using engaged citizen scientists to contribute nominations of pollinator plants that are further vetted by our expert workgroup. The resulting database website will assist residents and professionals with the selection and use of plants that enhance pollinator health in Florida and throughout the Nation. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?For Coordination: The 2017-20 USDA, NIFA, CPPM, EIP Project for the University of Florida will be managed effectively, including overseeing the four subprojects. The IPM Florida website will be continuously updated with new content. The website structure leads clientele directly to information that can help them solve pest problems. There were 174,831 website visits in 2017. Extension IPM activities will include training students, participating in Extension training, producing guides, developing and delivering materials, assisting in maintaining up-to-date IPM-related EDIS publications, serving as a point of contact for clientele, and providing IPM and biological control consultation. There were 417 email consultation contacts in 2017. The UF/IFAS IPM Coordinator will participate as a member of SERA IEG-003 (Southern Region IPM Coordinators), and submit the required USDA REEports. He will coordinate development of IPM grant proposals in cooperation with UF/IFAS research and Extension faculty members and serve as the Florida contact for the Regional Information Network (RIN). The primary function of the RIN is to address regulatory decisions regarding IPM, most often involving pesticide registrations. The IPM Coordinator will continue to advance the UF/IFAS IPM program, especially funding, staffing, and collaboration. He endeavors to institutionalize the IPM approach to solving pest problems, rather than perpetuating reliance primarily on pesticides, i.e., not trying something else only after pesticides are considered not effective or affordable. It is expected that the UF/IFAS IPM program will serve as a model for cooperation between state IPM specialists and county Extension faculty. Statewide consultation and technical support in IPM and biological control will be provided continuously. For Housing and Residential Environments Housing: In the second year of our project, we will recruit county Extension faculty from two additional counties, provide in-service training to new and existing agents, support on-site county program development, collect evaluation data, and begin a six month follow up subsample of clientele attitudes and IPM implementation. We will complete the basic recommendations and begin video segments that support homeowner IPM training. Material will be posted at UF/IFAS and eXtension urban CoP sites. We will submit an invited article to the Journal of IPM based on our housing IPM session at the 9th International IPM Symposium. For Plant Pest and Disease Diagnostic System: The Florida Collaborative Plant Pest and Disease Diagnostic System will be improved further by implementing plans to strategically update the Florida First Detector website (http://www.flfirstdetector.org/ ). Increasingly, the Florida First Detector website will be used as a portal to direct First Detectors to diagnostic resources in Florida, including the plant pathology and entomology diagnostic clinics, DDIS (Distance Diagnostic and Identification System), and partnering external diagnostic resources at the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry (FDACS-DPI). We will increase the number of blog posts per week and expand the county Extension faculty audience. Additional real-time information relevant to current plant pest pressure in Florida will be provided by the Extension plant clinics. For IPM for Cotton Cultivars in North Florida: Documentation of the population dynamics of key pests associated with cotton will continue with year-round trapping and field sampling in experimental and commercial cotton fields in the ecological transition zone between temperate and subtropical climates and exists in North Florida. The project will generate specific information on cotton cultivation and provide IPM recommendations for producers in the Florida Panhandle region that will be disseminated through presentations at technical meetings. The development of a downloadable app for mobile devices describing the prevalent pests and natural enemies associated with cotton in the Florida Panhandle will be initiated in the second year of the project. For Pollinator Plants and Pollinator Health: The pollinator plant database website will continue to be enhanced with additional plants and associated pollinators. We will continue to promote this pollinator plant database website (https://protectingbees.njaes.rutgers.edu/find-plants/) and tabulate website visits and usage. The "Pollinators of Florida" app will be mined for additional data to add to the database website. This app will be promoted to clientele as a citizen scientist project to assist with data collection. Additional resources will be developed as part of the curriculum to train citizen scientists. The curriculum will be implemented via statewide workshops.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Subproject: IPM Coordination for the University of Florida 1. Support and encourage Extension faculty in conducting IPM projects. We cooperatively developed the 2017 CPPM, EIP project including four new subprojects with considerable county Extension collaboration. The IPM coordinator assisted cooperators in writing grant proposals, new Hatch projects, IPM success stories, and joint publications (listed in Continuation Report). 2. Coordinate and report on the multi-disciplinary IPM projects. The IPM Coordinator chaired or served on national, regional and state committees involved in pest management, e.g. International Organization for Biological Control, Mass Rearing and Quality Assurance Working Group past convener, the FAMU Center for Biological Control Advisory Council chair, an ANBP- Liaison to the Board of Directors, on the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, DPI Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey Advisory Committee, on the Doctor of Plant Medicine Program, Internal Advisory Committee, on several committees of the International IPM Symposium, on the FAMU College of Agriculture and Food Sciences Advisory Board and Advisory Council of the College of Agriculture and Food Sciences, and on the Sysco Sustainable/IPM Program Advisory Council. IPM consultation was provided continuously. 3. Assist county-level IPM activities and collaborative workgroups. The IPM Coordinator was appointed to a UF/IFAS Extension Horticulture Green Team Pesticide Recommendation Task Force to determine the best and most efficient ways to effectively assist clients regarding pesticide recommendations and to provide much needed new resources to county Extension agents to fill information gaps. Additionally, guidance was contributed on UF/IFAS diagnostic services and also on pest identification and cultural practices that help to prevent pest infestations, mechanical and biological control, and chemical control as part of a systematic approach to avoiding or managing pests and diseases. Subproject: Housing and Residential Environments Housing 1. Diversify IPM messengers who will incorporate IPM into existing housing programs. We completed our first in-service training on IPM through UF/IFAS Extension's on-site Pest Management University, January 29-30, 2018, that included county faculty from Citrus, Escambia, Holmes, Jefferson, Seminole, Suwanee, Volusia, and Washington counties. We also made final edits to the evaluation tool for agent in-servicing and the evaluation tool to be administered after they deliver the IPM module through their programs. 2. Develop and deliver materials and tools needed to increase residential IPM. We drafted IPM documents on bats, bed bugs, birds, filth flies, fire ants, German cockroaches, head lice, rodents, ticks, stinging insects (wasps, yellow jackets, bees), and tramp ants that have been sent to colleagues (external and Non-Traditional IPM Change Agents, Non-traditional IPM change agent team) for review. German cockroach guidance was published in December 2017. Subproject: Plant Pest and Disease Diagnostic System 1. Revitalize the Florida Plant Diagnostic Network (FPDN). Collaboration with Master Gardeners at plant clinics was enhanced with photography-based diagnosis. A training session was conducted in May 2018 with Sumter County Master Gardeners. In addition to photography-based training, participants were taught basic entomology skills. 2. Expand partnerships and involvement in the UF/IFAS Pest Alert listserv. Graduate students enrolled in the UF Doctor of Plant Medicine (DPM) program have been updating the UF/IFAS Pest Alert website on a routine basis as of January 2018 under the supervision of the DPM Director. Facilitating a routine and consistent blog presence has been key for initial revitalization of the blog posts. Subproject: IPM for Cotton Cultivars in North Florida 1. Establish a sentinel cotton plot at West Florida Research and Education Center (WFREC) following agronomic practices of the Florida panhandle. Varieties of cotton cultivated in the Florida Panhandle have been selected to be included in sentinel cotton plots at the West Florida Research and Education Center in the 2018 crop season. 2. Evaluate the occurrence and abundance of the pests and beneficial insects in the WREC plot and commercial cotton fields. The pest insects in experimental areas at WFREC and in commercial cotton fields in the region have been identified. The population dynamics of cotton bollworm, soybean looper and fall armyworm have been documented by year-round pheromone trapping. Since August 2017, experimental areas at WFREC and cotton commercial fields have been sampled with beat cloth, plant inspection and sweep net to determine the occurrence of pests and natural enemies. 3. Produce and disseminate management guidelines, and train cotton producer's and agricultural professionals to identify cotton pests and natural enemies. In the first year of the project, an initial survey was designed to gather baseline data on the current knowledge of producers from the Florida Panhandle to recognize species of pests and beneficial insects associated with cotton fields, and the abundance of these pests throughout the cropping season. The survey was conducted during crop field days. Informative material related to pests and Bt technology in cotton was produce and disseminated via presentations and hands-on exercises with farmers and agricultural professionals at Extension meetings. Subproject: Pollinator Plants and Pollinator Health 1. Expand the Ecological Plant Database by adding vetted pollinator plants. The searchable database website was expanded and enhanced by adding vetted pollinator plants searchable by pollinator, season, hardiness zone (8-11), plant species, plant type and other plant characteristics. Collaboration was established with the USDA, NIFA, SCRI project (Grant 2016-51181-25399) titled "Protecting Pollinators with Economically Feasible and Environmentally Sound Ornamental Horticulture." 2. Develop and deliver training in identifying plants, plant parts and arthropods (combined with Objective 3). We developed a train-the-trainer workshop curriculum and conducted a citizen science project to provide training in submitting pollinator plants. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FFWC) already hosts a "Pollinators of Florida" project on the iNaturalist app website. We will collaborate with FFWC to use "Pollinators of Florida" as part of our grant's objective of developing a training program for citizen scientists to contribute information on plants being used by pollinators.

Publications

  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Kaur, G., J. Guo1, Y. Niu, S. Brown, G. P. Head, P. A. Price, S. P. Moraes, X. Ni, and F. Huang. 2018. Susceptibility of corn earworm populations from southeastern United States to Cry1A.105 and Cry2Ab2 proteins. ESA-Southeastern Branch Meeting, Orlando, FL.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Leppla, N. C., A. C. Hodges, M. G. Pinkerton, and S. M. Thompson. 2018. The crop protection community increasingly includes practitioners and scientists who effectively manage pests for agricultural producers. The New IPM: Where is Crop Protection Taking Us? 2018 International IPM symposium, Baltimore, MD.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Owens, D. R. and N. C. Leppla (co-organizers). 2018. Maintaining IPM integrity with invasive insects. 2018 International IPM symposium, Baltimore, MD.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Oi, F. M. 2018. Building capacity in extension and the pest control industry. Symposium: IPM in Housing: A Round Table to Discussion on Diversifying the Messenger. 2018 International IPM symposium, Baltimore, MD.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Paula-Moraes, S.V. 2018. IPM and IRM in field crops in a scenario of Helicoverpa armigera and Helicoverpa zea. In symposium section: Managing the former allopatric Helicoverpa zea and H. armigera in the Americas: Experience and challenges going forward. 9th International IPM Symposium, Baltimore, MD.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Preston, S. 2018. "Diversifying the IPM messenger: combining finance and mortgage training with IPM." A Round Table to Discussion on Diversifying the Messenger. 2018 International IPM symposium, Baltimore, MD.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Ratcliffe, S. T. M. Baur, B. J. Beckie, L. J. Giesler, N. C. Leppla, and J. Schroeder (presented by N. C. Leppla). 2018. Crop protection contributions toward agricultural productivity. Integrating New Technology to Meet the Future Challenges of Agriculture: A Sharing of Experiences, Northeastern Plant, Pest, and Soils Conference. Philadelphia, PA.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Thompson, S., M. Pinkerton, A. C. Hodges, and N. C. Leppla. 2018. Florida First Detector: teaching invasive species monitoring and identification to public audiences. Landscape Ornamental IPM Workshop, Gainesville, FL.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Paula-Moraes, S.V. 2017. Corn earworm and fall armyworm in Florida Panhandle: what you need to know. Corn Variety Field Day, Jay, FL.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Paula-Moraes, S.V. 2018. Identifying and timing control of Lepidoptera species to reduce pesticide applications. Farm Day, farmers did an exercise to identify and categorize the economic importance of different insect pests in the region of the Florida Panhandle, Atmore, AL.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Paula-Moraes, S.V. 2018. Caterpillars in crops. Row Crop Short Course, I surveyed farmers about the phenology of occurrence of pests during the cotton crop season and recognition of the Bt technologies available to manage caterpillars, Marianna, FL.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Leppla, N. C., M. W. Johnson, J. L. Merritt, and F. G. Zalom. 2017. Applications and Trends in Commercial Biological Control for Arthropod Pests of Tomato, pp. 283-298. In: W. Wakil, G. Brust, and T. Perring (Eds.), Sustainable Management of Arthropod Pests of Tomato, Elsevier 372 p.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Leppla, N. C., K. L. Johnson II, K. J. Juneau, J. L. Merritt, C. R. Kerr and Y. C. Newman. 2017. Pest and beneficial arthropods in a Tifton 85 Bermudagrass field in North Central Florida. Florida Entomologist. 100: 680-683.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Penca, C. J., A. C. Hodges, L. L. Davis, N. C. Leppla, and R. C. Hochmuth. 2017. Abundance and diversity of beneficial and pest arthropods in buckwheat on blueberry and vegetable farms in north Florida. Florida Entomologist. 100: 186-189.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Reisig, D., A. S. Huseth, J. S. Bachelor, A. A. Mohammad-Amir, L. Braswell, H. J. Burrack, K. Flanders, J. K. Greene, D. A. Hebert, A. Jacobson, S. V. Paula-Moraes, P. Roberts, and S. V. Taylor. 2018. Long-term empirical and observational evidence of practical Helicoverpa zea resistance to cotton with pyramided Bt toxins. J. Economic Entomology. p.1-10. doi: 10.1093/jee/toy106.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Fraisse, C. W., and S.V. Paula-Moraes. 2018. Degree-days: growing, heating, and cooling. UF/IFAS, EDIS, ABE381.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Funderburk, J. E., N. A. Casuso, N. C. Leppla, and M. C. Donahoe. 2017. Insect and mite integrated pest management in Florida cotton. UF/IFAS, EDIS, ENY-886. 14 p.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Hallberg, R., N. C. Leppla, and R. C. Hochmuth. 2017. University of Florida study helps farmers find best fields for sweet potatoes. IPM in the South (April), Southern IPM Center. 2 p
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Kerr C. R., N. C. Leppla, E. A. Rohrig, G. Lotz, R. J. Stuart, and T. R. Smith. 2017. Mass-rearing Tamarixia radiata standard operating procedures. Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry, Bureau of Methods Development and Biological Control. Technical Manual No. 1. 41 p.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Oi, F., E. N. I. Weeks, J. Jonovich, and D. Miller. Assessment-based pest management of german cockroaches. EDIS ENY-989. (http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in1190)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Baldwin, J., S. P. Moraes, L. Ledbetter-Kish, and R. Pereira. 2018. Red fire ants in fields crops of Florida Panhandle. ESA-Southeastern Branch Meeting, Orlando, FL.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Gannon, A., and N. C. Leppla. 2018. Trap crops for attracting the southern green stink bug, Nezara viridula (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), and its natural enemies. Biocontrol in the Southeast: from Weeds to Arthropod Pests, S-1058 Symposium at ESA-SEB conference, Orlando, FL.