Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audiences for this work are organically certified farmers and ranchers who have had trouble controlling the exotic invasive weed, Canada thistle, using methods consistent with organic certification. The target audience also includes resource managers and other weed control professionals who will be advising and working with organically certified producers to overcome problems caused by this weed. Finally, we also work with other producers who want to incorporate a control method that does not involve use of pesticides. We have worked with over 60 organically certified growers and numerous associated weed and resource managers in Colorado to use the rust fungus Puccinia punctiformis to help in the management of Canada thistle. Changes/Problems:We had one producer sell his property which was then no longer in the studyand another land owner removed his farm from organic certification. In place of these we brought on two farms, Brightwood Farm and James Ranch located in the Durango area. Both producers were very cooperative and proved to be valuable collabortors. We shifted our integrated weed mangment field trials from Palisade, CO to eastern Colorado (Tamarack Ranch). We did this becasue of infrastructure disruption at our Palisade facility as well aspest problems which impacted the condition of the Canada thistle. The Tamarack Ranch site proved to be excellent for the study and the results are intriguinging and will be published. The disruption delayed but did not alter our ability to complete the project. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Karen Rosen is the Canada thistle biocontrol technician and was hired to fill the position described in the grant. She has organized the project and she maintains databases and producer contacts. She has developed a network of organically certified producers. Kristi Gladem has headed up the scouting and collection of spores in eastern Colorado and with her sister Torri Gladem has set up a large integrated weed management field trial using multiple Canada thistle control methods and their interactions. Kristi has a degree in agricultural economics and this work has extended her practical knowledge and allowed her to learn about biocontrol in organic agriculture. She currently works full time for the Colorado Department of Agriculture. Torri started her weed biocontrol career working with the rust fungus and she has since gotten a full time job with the Colorado Department of Agriculture working on multiple biocontrol projects, the experience gained from this project has been crucial for her career. Teresa Rodriquez and Gwenn Nishimura are recent biology graduates who have worked on various aspects of the project, gaining valuable natural resources management experience. For both of them this was part of their first jobs in agriculture. Jacob Reimer, Matt Crass and Wendy Griesan (all have undergraduate degrees in biology or related fields) have all worked on the rust fungus as seasonal employees at the Palisade facility. Among other accomplishment for them was setting up garden field trials and monitoring the widespread presence of the Canada thistle mite Aceria anthocoptes. In 2021 we established a relationship with faculty members Dr. Kathy Hilimire and Dr. Kaitlin Mattos from Ft. Lewis College in Durango, CO. One of our goals was to provide training experience for Ft. Lewis students interested in natural resources management and agriculture. Following a field workshop at James Ranch three students wrote a paper titled "The Correlation Between Cattle and Rust Fungus (Puccinia punctiformis); a Biocontrol Method for Mitigating Canada Thistle (Cirsium arvense) at James Ranch, Hermosa, Colorado". Our work provided them with a real life setting for the study of invasive species methods. In 2022 we hired two students from Ft. Lewis to assist in monitoring Canada thistle biocontrol using the rust. Morgan Liebmann and Kaya Krantz worked for two months in the Durango area and assisted with monitoring on several organically certified farms and ranches. They worked closely with Dean Vidal (Brightwood Farm) as well as with James Ranch personnel. They mapped thistle infestations and monitored density and phenology of Canada thistle. We plan to maintain connections with Ft. Lewis and provide further professional and educational opportunities for students training in natural resources management. Casie Hensley provided support for the project, operating as a seasonal staff member out of our Broomfield office. She covered the Front Range and Plains, scouting and collecting infected thistle leaves for later processing. This was her first job in biocontrol. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The primary community of interest is the organically certified producers of Colorado. Other communities of interest include weed management professionals who serve producers and producers who wish to utilize biocontrol against Canada thistle to diminish reliance on pesticides and decrease weed management costs. Our information is targeted to organically certified producers but also reaches the other communities of interest. During the period of this agreement, the fall of 2018- summer of 2022, information on biological control of Canada thistle has been disseminated through workshops, presentations to weed management groups, brochures, information on our website, including a brochure describing the Canada thistle biocontrol program (https://ag.colorado.gov/conservation/palisade-insectary) and outreach to organically certified producers through the CDA organic certification program. We worked with Janet Kieft of the organic certification program to send out public service messages to over 300 certified growers in 2019 and 2020. We have just completed field trials of integrated weed management techniques for use against Canada thistle (see objective three in this report). The trials were done in cooperation with Utah State University and will be published in the coming year. The Palisade Insectary is headquarters to the Biological Control Program, Colorado Department of Agriculture. We offer tours to natural resource management groups, including weed managers, as well as to other agency groups and the curious public. Our tours include displays of Canada thistle plants that are infected by the rust fungus and descriptions of how to use the fungus in Canada thistle management. During 2019, we had 54 tours with an average of 10-12 people per tour. Although we had almost no tours in 2020 due to Covid restrictions we had several in 2021 and about 20 in 2022. Overall we had about 1,000 people visit the Insectary and see the rust fungus in action during the period from 2019-2022. Some of the presentations in which we describe the rust fungus program are listed below. Use of the rust fungus Puccinia punctiformis for control of Canada thistle Dr. Dana Berner USDA ARS (ret.) a presentation followed by a field demonstration. Rogers Mesa Organic Agriculture Research Station, 6/24/2019. This was an invited presentation. 75 years of Biological Control at the Palisade Insectary An invited presentation to the biocontrol workshop sponsored by the Delta Conservation Center and Delta Conservation District, Hotchkiss, CO, March 5, 2020 Update on the biological control of Cirsium arvense (Canada thistle) and Rhaponticum repens (Russian knapweed) in the western US Presented by Dan Bean to the North American Invasive Species Management Association (NAISMA), Biocontrol Summit, held online, October 28, 2020 Canada thistle Rust, a New Tool to Address a Persistent Foe. Dan, Bean and Karen Rosen, virtual presentation at the symposium Updates from Weed Biocontrol- An Unsung Component of Integrated Weed Management on Land and in Water Western Society of Weed Science/ Western Aquatic Plant Management Society, Joint Annual Conference, March 4, 2021 Biocontrols for Noxious Weeds. Presentations by Karen Rosen (Canada thistle rust) and Sonya Daly (Russian knapweed) Douglas County Conservation District, 4/01/2021 (this workshop was done remotely due to Covid restrictions) Use of a rust fungus to control Canada thistle. Karen Rosen presented to Ecological Agriculture, taught by Dr. Kathy Hillimire Ft. Lewis College, at Adobe House organic farm, Durango, CO. 6/2/2021. Biological Control Past, Present and Future in Colorado. John Kaltenbach presented to Colorado Conservation Tillage Association. High Plains No-Till Conference, Burlington, CO 8/24/2021. Organic Farming and Noxious Weeds. Karen Rosen, 9/22/21, discussion and demonstration given to Environmental Studies 395, taught by Dr. Kaitlin Mattos (Ft. Lewis College) with talks by Dean Vidal (Brightwood Farm) and Jenn Wheeling (James Ranch) on the practical application of rust fungus in Canada thistle control. The students wrote a paper that fall titled The Correlation Between Cattle and Rust Fungus (Puccinia punctiformis); a Biocontrol Method for Mitigating Canada Thistle (Cirsium arvense) at James Ranch, Hermosa, Colorado Weed Biological Control Options. Presented by Dan Bean at the Delta Conservation District Weed Workshop Series, CSU Organic Research Station, Rogers Mesa, Delta County, CO, July 30, 2021 The Role of Biological Control in Restoration by Dan Bean given to Restoration Ecology (ENVS 455) Colorado Mesa University, Grand Junction, CO, March 8, 2022 Biological Control in Agriculture and Natural Resources Management Presented by Dan Bean to Agroecology (ENVS 319) at Ft. Lewis College, Durango, CO, March 14, 2022 What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Obj1 During every year of this agreement, we located naturally occurring infections, collected and processed infected leaves and prepared a teliospore-rich inoculum for distribution. We supplied a total of 9.225 kg of inoculum to 61 organically certified producers to meet our project goal.We also supplied over 94 kg of inoculum to conventional farmers and ranchers interested in pesticide reduction. Obj 2 Field trials with producers We used a 12 meter transect and at six points at two meter intervals along the transect we count stem number within 0.37 m2 frame. Inoculations were of75 grams of teliospore-bearing inoculum, in most cases treating fall rosettes along the transect. We ended up with two farms and two ranches after losing two of our initial producers to changing land use or ownership and adding a farm and a ranch. Adam Ring, Ring-a-Ding Farm We had set up a 12 meter transect and Mr. Ring had inoculated several acres of Canada thistle through his irrigtaon system using 600 grams of inoculum.Mr. Ring decided to switch to conventional farming buthis field trial offers a good starting point for designing systems to deliver spores in irrigation water. Steve Ela, Ela Family Farms (elafamilyfarms.com) Ela Family Farms has orchards and some row crops.Our 12 meter transect showed a sharply declining stem density in the open field (from 60 stems in 2015 down to four stems in 2018).Within the orchard the rust was uniformly present and Canada thistle densities were low, stable, and acceptable to the landowners. Within this and other orchards the rust has been effective at suppressing Canada thistle and since low density thistle doesn't interfere with fruit production the rust should be used by organically certified growers for Canada thistle suppression. Dean and Susan Vidal, Brightwood Farm (brightwood.farm) Dean and Susan have been active partners in rust fungus testing and education since 2020 when they performed a small trial to test the impact of inoculation timing on fungal establishment. The Vidals set up six plots in areas infested with Canada thistle and inoculated one every week beginning on August 25, 2020 with the final inoculation on September 30, 2020 with stem counts thefollowing spring, 2021. The 9/20/20 inoculation wasthe most successful showing that timing of inoculation plays a key role in subsequent appearance of infected stems. Dustin Stein, Burk Beef We have monitored a 12 meter transect and tracked decline of Canada thistle even though there was only one recorded instance of a systemically infected shoot appearing near the transect.There were 76 stems in 2017, 42 in 2018, 23 in 2019, 19 in 2020 and five in 2021. Dustin Stein continues to work with us and to support biocontrol on his property. James Ranch James Ranch raises organically certified beef and pork on 400 acres along the Animas River. The pastures are infested with Canada thistle at a density of 5-20 stems per m2 and control is difficult. James Ranch set uptransects with our assistance. Following inoculation in 2020 they saw massive infection of Canada thistle in 2021 withhundreds of systemically infected shoots.In 2022 rust infection remained widespread. Monitoring, conducted on 7/7/2022, revealed a slight decline in stem density between 2021 and 2022 and no difference between mowed and unmowed transects (a 9-23% decline). Student interns from Ft. Lewis College (see training section) conducted the 2022 monitoring. Monitoring is planned for 2023. Obj. 3 Garden trials We completed trials using multiplemanagement techniques, alone or in combination, to develop integrated management recommendations. Ourexperimental site, located in eastern Colorado, is known as the Tamarack Ranch State Wildlife Area (40.8320 N, -102.80437).The experiment was a randomized complete block consisting of 10 treatments and 8 replications. Each treatment occurred once per block in 2m by 6m field plots. The plots were spaced 4m apart to avoid edge of field effects and 2m of buffer around the experimental site on all sides was added. All treatments except the control showed a decline in average C. arvense stem density. The control plots showed an average increase of 15% stem density in year 2 and around a 2% stem density increase in year 3 compared to year 1. Tillage resulted in an increase of litter and annual forb ground cover percentage with or without inoculation while inoculation with P. punctiformis resulted in a consistent decline in stem density in both year 2 and year 3, with an average 15% decline 12 months post initial treatment and an average 40% decline in stem density 24 months post initial treatment. Mowing with or without inoculation and also inoculation alone resulted in large increases of both grasses and litter. All data resulting from this IWM experiment will be analyzed further and publishedwith specific recommendations for land managers creating IWM plans for control of C. arvense. Obj 4 Field Demonstrations We had well over 15 field workshops and other demonstrations of the use of rust.Two of our most productive venues are listed below. Many of these demonstrations were done with assistance from our advisory committee members, in particular Frank Stonaker and Dean Vidal. Our best setting for field demonstrations was the Rogers Mesa Organic Agriculture Research Station (Colorado State University), Hotchkiss, CO. Weheld at least two demonstrations annually (except in the Covid year 2020) which broughtin 15 organically certified growers to participatein the program. Twotypical field workshops are listed below. Identification and use of a rust fungus for Canada thistle biocontrol a field demonstration. Karen Rosen 4/25/2019 Use of the rust fungus P.punctiformis for control of Canada thistle Dr. Dana Berner USDA ARS (ret.) a presentation withfield demonstration. Rogers Mesa Organic Agriculture Research Station, 6/24/2019. This was an invited presentation. We served several organically certified producers in the Durango area and we had over 12 informal field demosand several formal ones. For example, Biological Control for Canada thistle and Field Bindweed. Karen Rosen and Nina louden, hosted by Dean Vidal at Brightwood Farm 8/17/2020 Use of a rust fungus to control Canada thistle. Karen Rosen, presented to Ecological Agriculture, taught by Dr. Kathy Hillimire Ft. Lewis College, at Adobe House organic farm, Durango, CO. 6/2/2021. Organic Farming and Noxious Weeds. Karen Rosen, 9/22/21, discussion and demonstration given to Environmental Studies 395, taught by Dr. Kaitlin Mattos (Ft. Lewis College) with talks by Dean Vidal (Brightwood Farm) and Jenn Wheeling (James Ranch) on the practical application of rust fungus in Canada thistle control. The students wrote a paper that fall titled The Correlation Between Cattle and Rust Fungus (Puccinia punctiformis); a Biocontrol Method for Mitigating Canada Thistle (Cirsium arvense) at James Ranch, Hermosa, Colorado Obj 5 Information on use of rust There were approximately 15 talks given by staff, primarily Dan Bean and Karen Rosen. Two examples are: Weed Biological Control Options. Presented by Dan Bean at the Delta Conservation District Weed Workshop Series, CSU Organic Research Station, Rogers Mesa, Delta County, CO, July 30, 2021 Canada thistle Rust, a New Tool to Address a Persistent Foe. Dan, Bean and Karen Rosen, virtual presentation to the Western Society of Weed Science/ Western Aquatic Plant Management Society, Joint Annual Conference, March 4, 2021 A brochure, Biological Control of Canada Thistle Palisade Insectary, and other information on the Canada thistle rust is available on line at www.palisadeinsectary.com We have twice sent out public service announcements to over 300 organically certified producers through the Colorado Department of Agriculture. We are preparing to publish our integrated weed management study (obj. 3) in cooperation with Utah State University scientists.
Publications
|
Progress 09/01/20 to 08/31/21
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audiences for this work are organically certified farmers and ranchers who have had trouble controlling the exotic invasive weed, Canada thistle, using methods consistent with organic certification. The target audience also includes resource managers and other weed control professionals who will be advising and working with organically certified producers to overcome problems caused by this weed. Finally, we also work with other producers who want to incorporate a control method that does not involve use of pesticides. We have worked with over 60 organically certified growers and numerous associated weed and resource managers in Colorado to use the rust fungus Puccinia punctiformis to help in the management of Canada thistle. Changes/Problems:No major changes to report. We have added two producers from the Durango CO area and they have been very cooperative in assisting with the project. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Karen Rosen is the Canada thistle biocontrol technician and was hired to fill the position described in the grant. She has organized the project and she maintains databases and producer contacts. She has developed a network of organically certified producers. Kristi Gladem has headed up the scouting and collection of spores in eastern Colorado and with her sister Torri Gladem has set up a large integrated weed management field trial using multiple Canada thistle control methods and their interactions. Kristi has a degree in agricultural economics and this work has extended her practical knowledge and allowed her to learn about biocontrol in organic agriculture. She works full time for the Colorado Department of Agriculture. Torri started her weed biocontrol career working with the rust fungus. Teresa Rodriquez and Gwenn Nishimura are recent biology graduates who have worked on various aspects of the project, gaining valuable natural resources management experience. For both of them this was part of their first jobs in agriculture. Jacob Reimer worked on the Canada thistle rust project during the summer of 2021. He recently graduated and viewed the job as a career enhancement. In the summer of 2021 we established a relationship with faculty members Dr. Kathy Hilimire and Dr. Kaitlin Mattos from Ft. Lewis College in Durango, CO. One of our goals was to provide training experience for Ft. Lewis students interested in natural resources management and agriculture. They have worked closely with Dean Vidal (Brightwood Farm) as well as with James Ranch personnel and have conducted field workshops for Ft. Lewis students. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?During the period of this agreement, 9/01/2020- 8/31/2021, information on biological control of Canada thistle has been disseminated through workshops, presentations to weed management groups, brochures, information on our website, including a brochure describing the Canada thistle biocontrol program (https://ag.colorado.gov/conservation/palisade-insectary) and outreach to organically certified producers through the CDA organic certification program. We worked with Janet Kieft of the organic certification program to send out public service messages to over 300 certified growers in 2020. We continued with the second year of field trials of integrated weed management techniques for use against Canada thistle (see objective three in this report) which wil provide valuable information on the use of rust fungus combined with other control methods. The Palisade Insectary is headquarters to the Biological Control Program, Colorado Department of Agriculture. We offer tours to natural resource management groups, including weed managers, as well as to other agency groups and the curious public. Our tours include displays of Canada thistle plants that are infected by the rust fungus and descriptions of how to use the fungus in Canada thistle management. During the period from 9/01/2020 to 8/31/2021 we had approximately 15 tours with an average of 10-12 people each. These were conducted in 2021 with no tours in 2020 due to Covid restrictions. These included tours of natural resource managers and other end users of biological control. Overall we had about 200 people visited the Insectary and see the rust fungus in action during the period from 9/01/2020 to 8/31/2021. Some of the presentations during this reporting period, in which we describe the rust fungus program, are listed below. Note that the first three presentations were given via video conferencing due to Covid restrictions. Update on the biological control of Cirsium arvense (Canada thistle) and Rhaponticum repens (Russian knapweed) in the western US Presented by Dan Bean to the North American Invasive Species Management Association (NAISMA), Biocontrol Summit, held online, October 28, 2020 Canada thistle Rust, a New Tool to Address a Persistent Foe. Dan, Bean and Karen Rosen, virtual presentation at the symposium Updates from Weed Biocontrol- An Unsung Component of Integrated Weed Management on Land and in Water Western Society of Weed Science/ Western Aquatic Plant Management Society, Joint Annual Conference, March 4, 2021 Biocontrols for Noxious Weeds. Presentations by Karen Rosen (Canada thistle rust) and Sonya Daly (Russian knapweed) Douglas County Conservation District, 4/01/2021 (this workshop was done remotely due to Covid restrictions) Use of a rust fungus to control Canada thistle. Karen Rosen presented to Ecological Agriculture, taught by Dr. Kathy Hilimire Ft. Lewis College, at Adobe House organic farm, Durango, CO. 6/2/2021. Biological Control Past, Present and Future in Colorado. John Kaltenbach presented to Colorado Conservation Tillage Association. High Plains No-Till Conference, Burlington, CO 8/24/2021 What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We plan to continue with our progam as scheduled except for garden field trials where we have a backup plan to test multiple control interventions at the Tamarack site in the event that the Palisade Insectary based field trials cannot be accomplished due to problems with Canada thistle health in the plots.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Obj 1 In 2020 18.78 kg of inoculum were produced, of which 2.10 kg were distributed to organically certified producers in 2021 with the remainder going to other producers interested in integrated weed management or pesticide reduction. The 2.10 kg of inoculum brought our total production for use by organically certified producers up to 8.325 kg. Obj 2. Run field trials to test inoculation methods and other treatments to enhance post-infection impact of the rust on Canada thistle. Ring-a-Ding Farm, isplanted in leafy greens and garlic (about 10 acres) and that area was heavily infested with Canada thistle. In 2019 Mr. Ring inoculated most of his Canada thistle patch using 600 grams of inoculum supplied by the CDA, placed into his irrigation system. The goal was to initiate widespread infection across ten acres of thistle-infested land. Due to Covid restrictions, we curtailed site visits in 2020. According to Adam Ring the inoculation via irrigation system resulted in large-scale infections unfortunately he has shifted to conventional farming following several economic setbacks including the persistent Canada thistle infestation as well as a major grasshopper outbreak in 2020. His results encourage us to formally test irrigation as delivery system. Ela family farms producesorganically certified and grow cherries, peaches, pears, apples and also grapes and tomatoes. During oursite visits we continued to find rust on Canada thistle patches within the orchards. The owners did not want monitoring posts in the orchard, and so we set up a monitoring transect outside of the orchard and recorded a steep decline in Canada thistle density between 2015 and 2018.. Brightwood Farm has a widespread Canada thistle infestation that even invades their hoop houses and interferes with leafy green production. A field trial was conducted during the summer and fall of 2020 when the ownersset up six plots in areas infested with Canada thistle and inoculated one every week beginning on August 25, 2020with the final inoculation on September 30, 2020 and infected stems were counted the following spring, 2021. The results clearly indicated that 9/20/2020 was the best date to inoculate. More than 20 infected stems appeared from the 9/20/2020 plot whereas two of the other plots had 2-3 stems while the other three had none. Although no obvious correlation was seen between environmental conditions and the success measured from the 9/20/22 inoculation they concluded that multiple innoculations over several weeks is the most effective way to establish the rust. Burk Beef is an organically certified ranching operation in southwestern Colorado. We have monitored a 12 meter transect and tracked decline of Canada thistle even though there was only one recorded instance of a systemically infected shoot appearing near the transect. There were 76 stems in 2017, 42 in 2018, 23 in 2019, 19 in 2020 and five in 2021. James Ranch is an organically certified beef and pork operation on 400 acres along the Animas River, near Durango, CO. We added the ranch aa a field trial site and initiated a field trial of the rust fungus in the late summer of 2020. A100-meter line in the middle of onepasture was inoculated10/04/2020. In the spring of 2021 (June 2, 2021) a clear line of infected stems bearing spermagonia of the rust fungus was documented along the inoculation line. The site was revisited again July 28, 2021 andwidespread infection (hundreds of infected stems) was documented at this time and permanent monitoring sites were established (elevation 6635 ft., Lat 37.4227627; Long -107.8160689). Obj 3.In 2021 we prepared the grounds and planted Canada thistle from two morphologically distinct thistle populations collected from two locations. The garden, planted in four replicate blocks, thrived during the summer but came under intense herbivory from dense aphid populations in the late summer and so we postponed experimental interventions. Our alternative was an experimental site located in eastern Colorado, known as the Tamarack Ranch State Wildlife Area (40.8320 N, -102.80437). The field trial was to run three years and in cooperation with Utah State University, Logan and had been initiated in 2020. Treatments wereessentially the same as we had planned for the Palisade experimental garden except that theyalso included herbicide treatments. Siblings Kristi and Torri Gladem could work together during the 2020 and 2021 seasons without the usual high level of Covid restrictions.The results will be published in the peer-reviewed literature, in cooperation with Utah State University, upon project completion in the fall of 2022. The experiment is a randomized complete block consisting of 10 treatments and 8 replications. Each treatment occurred once per block in 2m by 6m field plots. The plots were spaced 4m apart to avoid edge of field effects with a 2m of buffer around all treated areas..The 10 treatments consisted of a control, inoculation with rust, tillage, tillage plus inoculation, mowing, mowing plus inoculation, herbicide, herbicide plus inoculation, mowing-herbicide-tillage, mowing-herbicide-tillage-inoculaton In 2021 tillage in conjunction with inoculation showed a greater average stem decline than tillage alone but this trend reversed in year three. 12 months post treatment tillage resulted in an average 16% decline of stem density while treatments of tillage and spores were at an average 45% decline. 24 months post initial treatment the average declines were 72% and 58% respectively. Obj 4 Covid protocols interfered with field demonstrations although we were able to conduct several in the Durango rea with the assistance of Dean and Susan Vidal and we had two workshops at the Rogers Mesa Organic Agriculture Research Station in Hotchkiss, CO. Biocontrol Workshop for Noxious Weeds. Karen Rosen (Canada thistle) Nina Louden (field bindweed and tamarisk). Rogers Mesa Organic Agriculture Research Station, 5/20/2021 Weed Biological Control Options. Presented by Dan Bean at the Delta Conservation District Weed Workshop Series, CSU Organic Research Station, Rogers Mesa, Delta County, CO, July 30, 2021. The presentation included a demonstration of how to locate and use P. punctiformis. Use of a rust fungus to control Canada thistle. Karen Rosen presented to Ecological Agriculture, taught by Dr. Kathy Hilimire Ft. Lewis College, at Adobe House organic farm, Durango, CO. 6/2/2021. Obj 5. There were fewer presentations due to Covid protocols although we were able to reach audiences via teleconferencing. Update on the biological control of Cirsium arvense (Canada thistle) and Rhaponticum repens (Russian knapweed) in the western US Presented by Dan Bean to the North American Invasive Species Management Association (NAISMA), Biocontrol Summit, held online, October 28, 2020 Canada thistle Rust, a New Tool to Address a Persistent Foe. Dan, Bean and Karen Rosen, virtual presentation to the Western Society of Weed Science/ Western Aquatic Plant Management Society, Joint Annual Conference, March 4, 2021 A brochure, Biological Control of Canada Thistle Palisade Insectary, and other information on the Canada thistle rust is available on line at www.palisadeinsectary.com We have twice sent out public service announcements to over 300 organically certified producers through the Colorado Department of Agriculture.
Publications
|
Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/20
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this work are farmers and ranchers that are organically certified and who have had trouble controlling the exotic invasive weed, Canada thistle, using methods consistent with organic certification. The target audience also includes resource managers and other weed control professionals who will be advising and working with organically certified producers to overcome problems caused by this weed. We currently work with over 40 organically certified growers and associated weed and resource managers in Colorado to use the rust fungus Puccinia punctiformis to help in the management of Canada thistle Changes/Problems:The Covid-19 pandemic severely restricted all aspects of our operations at the Colorado Department of Agriculture. The hardest hit was travel and especially travel that brought us into contact with the public which was essentially forbidden for most of the field season. For that reason, we were unable to meet with farmers and ranchers except under rare circumstances. We successfully set up the field trials at Tamarack Ranch only because we were able to communicate remotely and due to the isolated nature of the field site, we could perform the trials without encountering people. It was also fortuitous that we have on staff two members in the same family, Kristi and Tori Gladem, who were charged with setting up and monitoring the Tamarack Ranch site. We were restricted in the number of seasonal staff that we could hire and in the tasks that they could perform. Following an initial shut-down of most operations in the spring of 2020 we were able to do some work in the mid to late summer but were asked to perform only those tasks essential to base line operations. We generally did not work in the Insectary experimental garden except to water it, nor did we have field days, tours or other public contacts. We anticipate that by July 1, 2021 most of the restrictions imposed due to the pandemic will be lifted. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Karen Rosen is the Canada thistle biocontrol technician and was hired to fill the position described in the grant. She has organized the project and she maintains databases and producer contacts. She has developed a network of organically certified producers. This has been a quality training opportunity in resources management. Kristi Gladem has headed up the scouting and collection of spores in eastern Colorado and with her sister Tori Gladem has set up a large field trial of Canada thistle control methods and their interactions. Kristi has a degree in agricultural economics and this work has extended her practical knowledge and allowed her to learn about biocontrol in organic agriculture. Tori is looking into potential career options in agriculture and resource management. Teresa Rodriquez and Gwenn Nishimura are recent biology graduates who have worked on various aspects of the project, gaining valuable natural resources management experience. For both of them this is part of their first jobs in agriculture How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The communities of interest are organically certified producers in Colorado. The information on biological control of Canada thistle has been disseminated during the period of 2019-2020 through phone calls and emails to lists of producers provided to us by the Colorado Department of Agriculture's organic certification program. We have reached nearly 300 organic producers (see the public service announcement above). We have held workshops and spore collection field days. We have also given formal presentations to large groups including producers and support professionals. We have information on the rust fungus posted on our website (Colorado Department of Agriculture). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Objective 1, production of inoculum for use by organic farmers and ranchers. We produced and released 6 kilograms of inoculum in 2018-2021 and have sufficient infected leaf material to produce 20+ kilograms of material for treatments in 2021. Thanks to support from OREI, particularly for Karen Rosen, we have been able to scout, harvest and blend spore bearing material into large quantities of inoculum, eliminating this as a limiting step for use of the rust fungus. We don't anticipate a need for anything further than continuing what we are already routinely doing in order to meet the production and project goals, providing sufficient inoculum to satisfy project needs. Objective 2 run trials to test and enhance post inoculation impacts of the fungus. We currently cooperate with four farms and ranches where we are working closely with the owners to implement Canada thistle control using the rust. This meets the goal while setting up more monitoring transects and making more rust inoculations are planned under a variety of field conditions. During the course of this project we have encountered landowners who have taken the initiative in offering innovative solutions to control of larger scale infestations. In one instance a landowner has added inoculum to the irrigation system and in another a landowner has agreed to inoculate on six consecutive weeks and test efficacy of timing. In a third instance a landowner has agreed to a mowing regime in conjunction with spore releases. These are in addition to inoculation and monitoring that we already routinely do. Objective 3, on site thistle treatment plots. In this element of the proposal we have not yet met our goal and will need to catch up in 2021. We had oneour plots prepared to plant as of 5/22/20 but were only successful in planting a single experimental square due to COVID related staffing restrictions. We will initiate treatments in the fall of 2021. In the meanwhile, we will continue with the field trail in northeastern Colorado at Tamarack Ranch. That trial will begin to yield results as early as June 2021 which can be utilized to formulate recommendations especially for our cooperators in eastern Colorado. Objective 4, six field demonstrations. We have met our goals thus far and will continue to seek opportunities for field demonstrations. We have had the cooperation of engaged two of our steering committee members Steve Ela and Frank Stonacker (although we will need to replace Stonacker since he recently sold his property), are well connected to organic growers in western Colorado. Our efforts have now turned to finding similar venues for reaching growers on the Front Range and Plains of eastern Colorado where Canada thistle is a serious problem. We are anticipating at least two field demos this season and are trying to ensure that one of them is conducted east of the Rockies. Although COVID protocols are currently in place we anticipate an easing of restrictions by mid-summer which should enable us to conduct workshops aimed at collecting and processing inoculum and inoculating sites in the fall. Objective 5, production of educational materials. Our goals include a major increase in the information currently available on our Biological Control web page, within the Colorado Department of Agriculture's web page. We will post narrated PowerPoint presentations answering questions about the project such as the likelihood of impact on Canada thistle and ways to identify both the rust and impact on Canada thistle.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
1. Produce 5-10 kg of rust fungus inoculum for use on organic farms. During the fall of 2019 we released 3.825 kg of inoculum at 23 farms and ranches. Karen Rosen processed 33 kilograms of teliospore bearing leaves during the mid to late summer (8/15/19 to 10/01/19). We contacted all organically certified farmers on our list and all of them who wanted to utilize this control method were given inoculum in 2020, meeting one of our objectives. 2.1 kg of inoculum was distributed to 17 organically certified agricultural producers during the late summer/fall of 2020. We were unable to work directly on site with landowners as we had in the past. The remainder of the inoculum (approximately 30 kg) was distributed to conventional farmer and ranchers. Production of inoculum for the 2021 field season was initiated in 2020 with scouting of potential productive sites for teliospore harvest. More than 20 kilograms of infected leaf material was collected and dried for use in 2021. 2. Test inoculation methods and other treatments to enhance CT control. Forty-two organically certified farmers and ranchers have taken advantage of this project and many now have some level of monitoring. These include four properties that we are on track to monitor for the duration of the project. The owners are also on the advisory board. 1). Property: Osito Orchard LLC Owner: Frank Stonaker Frank Stonaker has sold the property and the new owners will be contacted this spring. 2). Property: Ring-a-Ding Farm Owner: Adam Ring Has successfully establish rust fungus (see below) 3). Property: Burks Beef Owner: Dustin Stein A site visit was conducted in July, 2020. Areas that had been infected in the past appeared to have diminished CT stem densities. 4). Property: Ela Family Farms Owner: Steve Ela Fungus has decreased Canada thistle within the orchards appears to be under control with rust fungus plus mowing, the site will be visited in 2020. Addition of inoculum to irrigation water. At one site inoculum was added to irrigation water which was an innovative approach suggested and implemented by Adam Ring, owner of Ring-a-Ding farm and a member of the advisory board. Will visit this season since apparent increase in rust infection was noted by Ring. Multiple inoculations during the fall. Dean Vidal, Brightwood Farm in Durango, conducted a trial with 6 inoculations over the late summer and early fall. A site visit is scheduled for May, 2021. 3. A trial will be conducted in Palisade to test mowing and tilling in conjunction with rust infection. The experiment was delayed due to COVID restrictions. We will conduct the experiment in 2021. We had an opportunity to test mowing and tilling in conjunction with rust treatment within the work plan of another project conducted in the northeastern corner of Colorado at Tamarack Ranch State Wildlife Area (40.8320 N, -102.80437). The field trial was set up in cooperation with Utah State University, Logan. Although the trial was designed to complement work done in northern Utah on control methods for Canada thistle, there were components appropriateto answer questions posed by organic growers regarding the use of other control methods in conjunction with the rust fungus, as outlined in objective 3. Results of this field trial will be shared with organically certified growers while an additional experiment isunderway atthe Insectary garden. The Tamarack Ranch site trial is valuable to theOREI project since it is being conducted in the northeastern corner of Colorado, in close proximity to 6 OREI participants. The field trial at the Tamarack Ranch is a randomized complete block design consisting of 8 blocks x 10 treatments. Treatments include control, mowing, tilling, mowing plus tilling and herbicide with and without fungal inoculation. Theresults will be published. We were able to initiate this field trial becausesiblings Kristi and Tori Gladem,could work together without the usual high level of COVID restrictions andthe field work was carried out in the remote location of Tamarack Ranch. 4. Six field demonstrations will be conducted to teach farmers and ranchers how to use the rust fungus. We were unable to conduct workshops for most of the 2020 season although we got permission to have a single event in the late summer. Karen Rosen conducted the field workshop on an organic farm in La Plata County on August 17, 2020. Field site visits were planned for 2021. Rosen visited 5 additional organic farms in the area to evaluate Canada thistle infestations. One landowner participated in a trial of the seasonal timing of inoculation, spreading inoculations out over a 6 week period, which was discussed above (Dean Vidal, Brightwood Farm). 5. Information will be disseminated on the use of the rust for Canada thistle control. There were very few opportunities this past season for formal or informal presentations, although a few were given before the pandemic struck. Biological Pest Control for Management of Weeds and Insect Pests An invited talk by Dan Bean given to the Rocky Mountain Regional Turfgrass Association, Annual Conference and Trade Show, Denver, CO, December 11, 2019 75 years of Biological Control at the Palisade Insectary A presentation by Dan Bean to the biocontrol workshop sponsored by the Delta Conservation Center and Delta Conservation District, Hotchkiss, CO, March 5, 2020. Use of the rust fungus Puccinia punctiformis, a biocontrol agent for Canada thistle. A talk and demonstration by Karen Rosen to the biocontrol workshop sponsored by the Delta Conservation Center and Delta Conservation District, Hotchkiss, CO, March 5, 2020. The CDA certifies organic growers and has an extensive database of growers located within Colorado. Janis Kieft, Organic Program Manager, Division of Plant Industry, CDA (janis.kieft@state.co.us) sent emails, on May 27, 2020, to 297 organically certified growers describing the OREI program (text will be included in the final report). At least 13 have responded and have joined the project.
Publications
|
Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/19
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this work are farmers and ranchers that are organically certified and who have had trouble controlling the exotic invasive weed, Canada thistle, using methods consistent with organic certification. The target audience also includes resource managers and other weed control professionals who will be advising and working with organically certified producers to overcome problems cased by this weed. We currently work withover 30 organically certifiedgrowers and associated weed and resource managersin Colorado to use the rust fungus Puccinia punctiformis to help in the management of Canada thistle. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Karen Rosen is the Canada thistle biocontrol technician and was hired to fill the position listed in the grant. She has organized the two workshops held at Rogers Mesa Reserch station and has developed the network of organic farmers and ranchers. This has been an excellent trainning opportunity in resources management with an emphasis on organic certified producers. Kristi Gladem has headed up the scouting and collection of spores in eastern Colorado. She has a degree in agricutural economics and this has allowed her to learn aboutbiocontrol in organic agriculture. Teresa Rodriquez is a recent biology graduate who has worked on the production of spores and monitoring of Canada thistle field sites. This is part of her first job in agriculture. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The communities of interest are organically certified producers in Colorado. The information on biological control of Canada thistle has been disseminated during the period of 2018-2019 through phone calls and emails to a list of producers provided to usby the Colorado Department of Agriculture's organic certification program. We have reached over 30 organic producers. We have held two formal workshops and several informal spore collection field days.We have also given formal presentatons to large groups such as the Colorado Weed Management Association and the Four States Aricultural Exposition. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Meeting goals in 2019-2020 and the future (listed by objective number) Objective 1, production of inoculum for use by organic farmers and ranchers. We produced 4 kilograms of inoculum in 2018-2019 and have sufficient infected leaf material to produce 4-5 kilograms of material for the OREI project in 2019-2020. We also expect to produce a similar amount in 2020-2021 bringing our total up to 12+ kilograms of material, meeting our production goals and providing sufficient inoculum to satisfy project needs. Objective 2 run trials to test and enhance post inoculation impacts of the fungus.We currently cooperate with four farms and ranches where we are working closely with the owners to implement Canada thistle control using the rust. This meets the goal while setting up more monitoring transects and making more rust inoculations are planned under a variety of field conditions. Objective 3, on site thistle plots. In this element of the proposal we have not yet met our goal and will need to catch up in 2020. We have 25% of our plots prepared to plant as of 5/22/20 and will complete the remainder by July 1. We will initiate treatments in the fall of 2020. Objective 4, six field demonstratons. We have met our goals thus far and will continue to seek opportunities for field demonstrations. We have engaged two of our steering committee members to help us reach organic growers and this has been extremely beneficial since both Steve Ela and Frank Stonacker are well connected to organic growers in western Colorado. Our efforts have turned to finding similar venues for reaching growers on the Front Range and Plains of eastern Colorado. This season unfortunately we have had to set aside our efforts to schedule field demonstrations since the Colorado Department of Agriculture does not allow meetings or other gathering such as workshops due to the Covid-19 pandemic. During this time, we will switch focus from in person meetings to the development of on-line educational materials. Objective 5, production of educational materials. We are producing a webinar titled "Use of the rust fungus to control Canada thistle; an organically compatible weed control method" We are also working on additional written materials and website upgrades within the Colorado Department of Agriculture. Additional presentations will be given depending on the status of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
1. Produce 5-10 kg of rust fungus inoculum for use on organic farms and ranches in Colorado, making establishment of the rust possible for all organic producers who want to use it. Rust life cycle The rust Puccinia punctiformis is an obligate parasitic fungus dependent on Canada thistle to complete every stage of its life cycle. Puccinia punctiformis has five different spore stages, each with a different function within its complex life cycle. Different spore types can be found on Canada thistle in the field at specific times during the season. The most conspicuous spore type is the aeciospore found in late spring or early summer. These are rusty brown and abundant and appear on systemically diseased shoot that will eventually wither and die but these are not the stage that initiates systemic infections.The teliospore initiates the systemic infection that will move into the root system. This spore type is produced within pustules (telia) that appear on the yellowing foliage of Canada thistle plants in mid to late summer. Teliospore rich material is harvested in late summer, dried and ground into inoculum in the winter and stored for use. These havebeen the liminting steps in use of the fungus.To serve 50 farms and ranches with 200 grams of material (8 inoculations) we needed 10 kilograms of material during the course of this project. Scouting, collecting, and processing inoculum, 2018-2019 The Colorado Department of Agriculture scouted patches of infected Canada thistle and collected approximately 17 kilograms of teliospore bearing leaves during the mid to late summer (8/15/18 to 9/15/18). Collections were made primarily on private land and future collection sites were noted for 2019. Infected leaves were dried and stored in paper bags. During the late fall and winter dried leaves were ground into a course powder (the inoculum) and stored at -80°C for use in the fall of 2019. Approximately 4 kilograms of inoculum was produced for use in the OREI project which will be sufficient for about 80 inoculations on organically certified farms. Inoculations occur in the fall since the fall rosettes produced by Canada thistle are the infection court (inoculation target). For this reason, inoculations on organically certified farms and ranches did not occur until the fall of 2019 and will be described in the next progress report. Scouting, collecting, and processing inoculum 2019-2020 Production of inoculum for the 2020 field season was initiated in 2019 with scouting of potential productive sites for teliospore harvest. Two locations were found on private land, on the eastern plains of Colorado and at a high elevation site near the town of Gunnison, where large P. punctiformis infections were progressing. Teliospores were abundant by 8/15/19 and harvest began. Approximately 25 kilograms of infected leaf material was collected and dried in paper bags and will be processed in the fall and winter of 2019-2020. 2. Run field trials to test inoculation methods and other treatments to enhance post-infection impact of the rust on Canada thistle. Field trial will be conducted on at least three farms and one ranch. Thirty organically certified farmers and ranchers have responded to phone calls and information given during workshops and other educational events. These 30 farms and ranches have identified Canada thistle as a problem with no solution within the framework of organically certified control methods and are now working with us to obtain and utilize the rust. We have provided rust inoculum to 20 farmers and ranchers, most of those inoculated during the fall of 2019 and will be reported in the 2019-2020 annual report. Study sites have been set up at three farms and one ranch where site visits and monitoring plans were initiated in 2019. All four landowners were previously identified and asked to be part of our advisory committee. 1). Property: Osito Orchard LLC Owner: Frank Stonaker Location: Near Hotchkiss, Delta County, Colorado Land use: Fruit orchards and vineyards Other notes: Frank Stonaker is also the Director of Rogers Mesa Organic Research Center, Colorado State University Extension, Hotchkiss, CO, 2). Property: Ring-a-Ding Farm Owner: Adam Ring Location: Near Howard, Fremont County, CO Land use: Certified organic 35-acre farm, specializing in leaf greens and garlic 3). Property: Burks Beef Owner: Dustin Stein Location: Near Mancos, Montezuma County, CO Land use: production of organic Beef 4). Property: Ela Family Farms Owner: Steve Ela Location: Near Hotchkiss, Delta County, Colorado Land use: organic fruit (cherries, peaches, apples) also grapes and tomatoes 3. A parallel trial will be conducted at the Department of Agriculture's experimental garden in Palisade, CO, testing treatments such as mowing and tilling in conjunction with rust infection to increase the level of control achieved with the rust. For this experiment we require 72 plots, 2 x 2 meters, within irrigated squares that are 12 x 12 meters. We had stated the preparation needed to initiate the experiment but were unable to initiate in 2019 due to a major infrastructure project at our facility that required outside space for materials and equipment. We are currently preparing plots and will inoculate squares in the fall of 2020 4. At least six field demonstrations will be conducted to teach farmers and ranchers how to use the rust fungus in their operations. These will incorporate methods newly developed during this project and be conducted with input from the committee of four organic producers assembled to advise us during this project. Two workshops were conducted in 2019 at Rogers Mesa Organic Research Center, Colorado State University Extension, Hotchkiss, CO. The workshops were organized by Dr. Frank Stonacker, Director of the research station, organic grower (he owns Osito Orchard LLC) and member of the advisory committee for this project. A second member of the advisory committee, Steve Ela (owner of Ela Family Farms) was also involved in the workshops. The first workshop was held 4/25/2019 and one goal was to look for systemically infected shoots in a field that was previously inoculated as well as to learn about the fungal life cycle and how to work with the fungus in an agricultural setting. The second workshop, which was conducted 6/24/2019 at the Organic Research Center, included a presentation by plant pathologist Dr. Dana Berner (USDA ARS ret.) who has worked on the fungus for over 20 years. Dr. Berner was brought in to speak to farmers about the fungus, work in the field and to visit some of our field sites in western Colorado. We reached about 40 growers, half of them organic and all of them interested in pesticide reduction. Additional informal workshops were conducted in Gunnison County and in El Paso County on the Front Range of the Rockies, to teach weed managers and land owners how to identify and collect rust fungus. 5. Information on the use of the rust for Canada thistle control will be presented in the form of videos, brochures, other publications, press releases, talks by staff and peer reviewed scientific publications Formal presentatonsby Dan Bean Weed Biocontrol in Colorado and the Westan invited presentation to the Colorado Weed Management Association, Annual Conference, Grand Junction, CO, December 6, 2018 Colorado's Biological Pest Control Program for Management of Weeds and Insect Pestsan invited presentation to the Southern Rocky Mountain Agriculture Conference, Monte Vista, CO, February 5, 2019 Biological Weed Control in Range Managementan invited presentation at the Four States Agricultural Exposition, Cortez, CO, March 14, 2019 Weed Biocontrol in Coloradoan invited talk to the Vail Sustainable Landscaping Workshop, Vail, CO, April 23, 2019
Publications
|
|