Source: TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY submitted to NRP
THE TEXAS IPM AND EXTENSION PROGRAM: MEETING THE DEMANDS OF A DIVERSE STATE
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1027036
Grant No.
2021-70006-35347
Cumulative Award Amt.
$812,348.00
Proposal No.
2021-05161
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2021
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2024
Grant Year
2023
Program Code
[EIP]- Extension Implementation Program
Recipient Organization
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
750 AGRONOMY RD STE 2701
COLLEGE STATION,TX 77843-0001
Performing Department
Entomology
Non Technical Summary
This EIP project for the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will cover: IPM Implementation for Agronomic Crops (50%), IPM Implementation in Communities (20%), IPM Implementation in Specialty Crops (5%), IPM Support for Pest Diagnostic Facilities (5%), IPM Education for Pesticide Applicators (20%). Within the previous mentioned priority areas, there are components that are relevant to IPM for Pollinator Health, IPM in Public Health, IPM Training and Implementation in Schools, and IPM Partnerships in Area-Wide Pest Monitoring and Reporting Systems. Our goals essentially mirror the goals of the National Road Map for Integrated Pest Management - to foster education and adoption of systems which result in economic benefits, environmental protection, and reduced risk to human health. This proposal represents priorities identified by local stakeholder steering committees to address issues related to Bt resistance, integration of new cotton pest management technologies into an IPM system, corn rootworm management, grain sorghum IPM, implementing biological control in commercial greenhouses, pesticide use and safety in the garden landscape, bee and butterfly conservation, invasive ant management, pest identification resources, and pesticide applicator training. The educational approaches used by the Texas IPM Program are based on proven Extension outreach methodology including newsletters, extension publications, websites, blogs, mass media, meetings, and conferences. New initiatives include development of on-line course materials, Podcasts, and educational text message audio alerts and updates. Program evaluation surveys will address learning, adoption, and change of condition. Outcome and annual reports will document program outcomes which will be interpreted to clientele, administrators, grantors, and elected officials.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
2161710113025%
2161520113015%
2161510113010%
2162129113010%
2166050113015%
2162110113015%
2165220113010%
Knowledge Area
216 - Integrated Pest Management Systems;

Subject Of Investigation
1510 - Corn; 2110 - Ornamental trees and shrubs; 1520 - Grain sorghum; 2129 - Florist crops, other; 6050 - Communities, areas, and regions; 5220 - Pesticides; 1710 - Upland cotton;

Field Of Science
1130 - Entomology and acarology;
Goals / Objectives
Theoverall goal of this project is to identify, implement and achieve economically and environmentally effective management of pests in key priority areas for the citizen of Texas.Primary Priority IPM Implementation in Agronomic Crops (50%)Because of the high potential for crop losses associated with arthropod pests, producers have historically relied heavily on insecticides. Pesticides are effective tools when used as a strategy of last resort in concert with cultural, biological, and host plant resistance tools as a part of an IPM system. However, there are obstacles and problems associated with over reliance on pesticides in agronomic crops. Repeated use can result in resistance, elevate the pest status of occasional pests, cause pest population resurgence, decrease populations of beneficial insects, increase environmental contamination, and increase toxic effects to humans and non-target organisms. These issues threaten the environmental and economic sustainability of agricultural systems. However, pesticides continue to represent near-immediate, convenient, and cost-effective solutions for producers. Despite the many problems, pesticides likely will remain an integral component of arthropod pest management. It is imperative that Texas row-crop producers implement and rely heavily upon scientifically based, sound IPM practices. The goal of this primary priority is to promote adoption of IPM practices in agronomic crop in an effective, economically, and environmentally sustainable manner. Based on SERA3 and stakeholder response for Cotton IPM. Texas will focus on Bt resistant bollworm management, Bt resistance early warning system and pyrethroid resistance monitoring, and cotton fleahopper management. For sorghum it will be further monitoring of sugarcane aphid BMPs and corn it will be establishing Non-Bt corn refuge compliance.Primary Priority IPM Implementation in Communities (20%)Few people understand that most insects found in our gardens and yards are not harmful, but either beneficial or neutral. Increasing awareness of beneficial insects and educating homeowners on IPM practices in the landscape is necessary to reduce unnecessary use of pesticides and prevent negative effects on humans, animals, beneficial insects, and the environment. Changes in clientele knowledge and behavior because of IPM programming will result in less money spent on pesticides, more effective pest management, lower risk of environmental damage and healthier citizens and companion animals. There is significant potential to reduce pesticide use and associated risks in urban landscapes using IPM principles. To address this potential, we will focus on three main areas for IPM in Communities: (1) management of tawny crazy ant and red imported fire ant, (2) garden pollinator promotion and conservation, and (3) integrated pest management of crapemyrtle bark scale.Two of the primary pests in Texas are invasive ants, the red imported fire ant and the tawny crazy ant are key complaints from homeowners and landscape management professionals. Community-wide fire ant management programs organized for residents of neighborhoods by AgriLife Extension provides a demonstration of how a synchronous baiting program among an entire community can contribute to long-term suppression of fire ants, as well as a reduction in the overall amount of insecticide used to manage fire ant populations. Engaging homeowner associations to work with Extension personnel is one of the ways we can educate Texans about fire ant management and IPM. Education to the public, landscape professionals and structural pest control applicators has been a slow process. At the same time educational materials developed by Tawny Crazy Ant workgroup and eXtension are available for use, one of the goals of this project is to use Master Volunteer meetings in effected counties to educate on this invasive pest.Both native and honey bees play a key role in pollinating flowering plants in urban landscapes. Urban gardens provide habitat and food resources to support a biodiverse pollinator population (Goddard et al. 2010). Many studies have found that urban landscapes and gardens provide floral abundance and richness which increases bee diversity. Urban populations can easily provide tools to enhance native bee populations. Additionally, most gardeners simply enjoy having bees and butterflies visiting their gardens. Two of the most common questions we receive from gardeners are "What do I need to plant to attract bees and butterflies to my garden?" and "How do I not harm bees and butterflies when using insecticides for other pests?"Current crapemyrtle bark scalemanagement practices rely heavily on drenches of neonicotinoids, which can pose a risk to honey bees that rely on crapemyrtles as a source of pollen. A national team of entomologists and horticulturalists supported by USDA NIFA SCRI program have investigated best management practices for crapemyrtle bark scale to reduce the reliance on neonicotinoids, protect naturally occurring predators, and protect pollinators. We will specifically address 'poor' management practices as well, such as the use of broad-spectrum insecticides that can result in higher kill of predators than the scale themselves.Primary Priority IPM Implementation in Specialty Crops (5%)Due to the low acceptable pest thresholds in ornamentals, growers frequently rely on prophylactic use of insecticides; however, increasing instances of insecticide resistance, increasing regulations by the EPA, OSHA, and Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) on pesticide applicators, and pressure from retailers to reduce use of specific insecticides (i.e. neonicotinoids) is calling into question the longevity of a pest management strategy that relies solely on insecticide use.Augmentative biological control, the regular release of predatory/parasitic insects to suppress a target pest, as a part of an integrated pest management strategy has the potential to alleviate some of the concerns of insecticide-use and insecticide resistance in ornamental production but has yet to be widely adopted by ornamental producers in southern USA. The goal for this project is to further increase adoption of biological control in commercial horticultural production, focusing first on increased adoption in poinsettia production.Secondary Priority IPM Support for Pest Diagnostic Facilities (5%)One of the most important aspects of IPM is proper insect identification. Our primary client is for those in landscape/garden, medical/stinging, indoor insects, or delusions of parasitosis, mostly urban and suburban clients. Additionally, we receive local requests handled by IPM Agents at the county level requesting information about some household pests, but also agricultural insects, while specimens or images sent to our Urban/Structural entomologist in College Station primarily serves the pest control industry.Secondary priority IPM Education for Pesticide Applicators (20%)The Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) is the primary regulatory agency for pesticide applicators. The pesticide laws for TX are found under Agricultural Code and Occupations Code which requires TDA to oversee two sets of pesticide applicators. Furthermore, the Texas Pesticide Law requires that individuals must be licensed or certified by TDA to lawfully use a restricted-use pesticide, state-limited-use pesticide, or regulated herbicides no matter the application location (urban, landscape or agronomic). For those who are involved in agronomic production that class of applicator is referred to as a private applicator and must adhere to strict guidelines just as commercial and noncommercial applicators do. At the same time, most private applicators must also be aware of worker protection standards which many of our EA-IPM agents can assist with those types of training.
Project Methods
Primary Priority IPM Implementation in Agronomic Crops (50%)Regular clientele updates through scouting reports, newsletters (14 regionally specific newsletters delivered electronically), radio programs, formal and informal "turn-row" meetings, blogs, web publications, conferences, county meetings, annual reports, newspaper articles, AgriLife press releases, popular press articles, and other means of stakeholder education.An audio outreach effort, called "IPM Audio Updates" will be produced weekly across four geographical regions: 1) High Plains/South Plains, 2) Rolling Plains/West Texas, 3) Blacklands/Upper Gulf Coast, and 4) South Texas. These updates will relay time sensitive information on pests and crop production situations. Recorded updates will be stored at Texas Insects website and subscribers are notified via text message along with a link to the new audio for listening on smart phone, computer, or any device capable of connecting to the internet. Each IPM Audio Unit will have its own list of text subscribers.Development of on demand courses that allow agricultural producers, consultants, and other stakeholders to learn new techniques or methods for further educational knowledge.Bt resistance will be tracked in cooperation with other states using the Early Detection and Mapping SystemPrimary Priority IPM Implementation in Communities (20%)Provide Introduction to Insects, IPM and pesticide safety courses for all new Master Gardner and Master naturalists as requested by County Agents.Provide annual advanced training in entomology for Master Gardeners and Master Naturalists.Publish newsletters, email bulletins and social media posts to alert the public about specific pests, hot topic items or timely reminders to bait for fire ants.Create Podcasts, YouTube training videos, and On Demand courses with modules designed to educate stakeholders on IPM tawny crazy ants, crapemyrtle bark scale and additional modules on insect pests of lawn and ornamental plants, pesticide safety around the home. Butterfly identification, host plants, and native bees are other.Coordination through the Pollinator Citizen Science Project to help ID plants to attract pollinators and document pollinator diversity.Promote AgriLife Learn courses on Ants 101, Beekeeping 101, Bed Bugs, Fleas & Ticks, Residential IPM and Emerald Ash Borer to groups listed.Texas IPM program partners with the Early Detection and Mapping System, to help track area-wide movement of CMBS, and tawny crazy ant in cooperation with other states.Promote current On Demand courses to county agents, master volunteers and other stakeholder groups.Primary Priority IPM Implementation in Specialty Crops (5%)Conduct a series of small-caged greenhouse trials to demonstrate the efficacy, economics, and feasibility of using biological control as the basis for whitefly management for an entire poinsettia season.Work with cooperative growers to expand the area used in biological control and use these locations as demonstrations for other local growers.Develop publications and training seminars on biological control methods.Secondary Priority IPM Support for Pest Diagnostic Facilities (5%)Continue to receive digital images from Ask an Entomologist website.Respond to county agent requests for assistance with pest identification.Continue to receive and respond to landscape, greenhouse, structural pest control and school IPM coordinators needs for insect identification and IPM strategies.Secondary priority IPM Education for Pesticide Applicators (20%)Educational presentations delivered through continuing education meetingsIn person or virtual via Zoom etc.AgriLife Learn (develop future classes on rodents, insecticide mode of actions, cockroaches).Digital outreach through newsletters, podcasts, websites, etc.Develop podcasts for structural pest control.Produce monthly newsletters for school IPM and IPM House.Face to face communication through sight visits or on property demonstrations with school IPM coordinators, pest management professionals or greenhouse/nursery manager.

Progress 09/01/21 to 08/19/24

Outputs
Target Audience:The Texas IPM Program has a number of target audiences. The crop production IPM component targets crop producers in 13 units each comprised of ~3 counties in some of the most concentrated agricultural production areas in the state. Specialtycrop programming addressed pecan growers and producers of nursery and greenhouse grown plants. The urban IPM component of the program targeted those living in and near larger Texas citiesbut reached many people outside of those areas as well. Another target audience was school employees. Environmentalists and advocates for healthy communities were still another audience. Finally, we provided information that was used to educate local County Commissioners Courts, and state and federal legislators. Changes/Problems:Loss ofpersonnel working in specialty crops resulted in us having to change the specialty crop program focus with new personnel. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We produced 11 training modules for training county agents of IPM. Topics included insecticide modes of action, cotton, sorghum, corn, pasture and hay, home structural, home landscape, and emerald ash borer. Held the 2024 Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Entomology Professional Development Conference in Hamilton, TX (2-days) with 28 people in attendance. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results have been disseminated through numerous stakeholder attended events, face-to-face and virtually. These included community, agricultural producer and consultant meetings, youth gatherings, turn-row meetings, field days, and workshops. A great deal of information was distributed through newsletters, blogs, audio updates, podcasts, newspapers and radio and television broadcasts. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? I. Primary Priority IPM Implementation in Agronomic Crops (50%) Crop scouting and direct IPM implementation. We conducted a crop scouting program where we scouted crops weekly for pests and beneficial arthropods and made IPM recommendations directly to producers. The crop scouting program influenced: 318,726 acres of cotton, 137,781 acres of wheat, 88,207 acres of sorghum, 32,876 acres of corn and 12,150 acres of others. The net economic return for the program was $16,322,324. Cotton scouting schools. We conducted 7 in-person crop monitoring schools to teach producers, consultants, and industry personnel how to scout crops for pests, using economic thresholds and implementing IPM. The value of this program was over $13 million. We produced 2 on-line Cotton Scouting educational courses, one targeting the public and one targeting county agents. IPM News from the Field. Produced 150 episodes of IPM News from the Field for 731 subscribers. The value of the service was $11.78 per acre across 6 crops, totaling over $2 million. Bt resistance monitoring. Planted 15 Helicoverpa zea Bt resistance sentinel plots in 2024. Detected widespread resistance to Bt Cry proteins. Very little injury to Vip corn or cotton but there are early-warning signs of some survivors in Vip corn. ThryvOn cotton education. Published a bulletin and presented information at 63 grower meetings. Bt corn refuge education. Published a bulletin on refuge importance and requirements, and 2 educational videos. Presented refuge information at 21 grower meetings. Promoting corn IPM. Developed 2 on-line courses on corn IPM, one targeting growers and another targeting county agents. Conducted 29 educational outreach meetings for producers. Value of these programs was approximately $1 million. Sorghum IPM education. Promoted the use of biological insecticides and insecticides that are safe to beneficials. Published a major revision of the Sorghum Pest Management Guide and presented information at 13 grower meetings. Insecticide education. Developed 8 on-line training modules on insecticide modes of action, and insecticide use in cotton, sorghum, corn, pasture, homes, landscape, and livestock. Over 400 county agents training to date. Other outreach activities. Published 14 regional newsletters, averaging 15 issues per newsletter. Published 11 Extension bulletins, 4 pest management guidebooks and provided 716 presentations to growers and consultants. II. Primary Priority IPM Implementation in Communities (20%) Invasive ant education. Conducted 13 training events on IPM for invasives ants for 1,002 participants. Participants implementing our recommendations reported $708-$1,966 in savings per structure treated using our IPM guidelines. Community-wide fire ant management. Implementation of an Area-wide IPM Fire Ant Management program impacted 525 homes. On average each home saved $43 relative to not participating: total saving = $22,575. Educational podcasts. Podcasts targeting communities, Bugs-by-the-Yard and Unwanted Guests resulted in 27 episodes with approximately 12,000 downloads. Master volunteer training. Conducted 102 Master Gardener trainings for 4,763 people, and 45 Master Naturalist trainings for 2,995 people. Community beekeeping. Since 2012 we have educated 1,429 new beekeepers using in-person and on-line trainings. Confirmed 413 new hives were established by class participants. Red-flour beetle response. Aided the City of Levelland in dealing with a severe infestation of red flour beetle. Developed a plan of action for the city, training their personnel on how to monitor for red flour beetle and locate infestation sources, educated homeowner and schools on how to prevent and eliminate structural infestations, provided the source offenders with information on how to prevent and mitigate infestations. Emerald ash borer. Developed presentations, bulletins (one targeting home and property owner, and one targeting professionals), and alerts concerning the spread of emerald ash borer in Texas. Developed an on-line emerald ash borer training module for county agents. III. Primary Priority IPM Implementation in Specialty Crops (5%) Due to the loss of personnel we had to modify focus. European pepper moth. Established a monitoring and training program for European pepper moth targeting ornamental nurseries. Confirmed the pest's presence in Texas. Established a pheromone trapping network to determine range and chronology of moth flights, conducted a training on scouting for European pepper moth and treatment decision making. Pecan Scouting and IPM education. Scouted and advised producers on 2,400 acres of pecans. Scouting was valued at $13,200. Established a pecan nut casebearer pheromone trapping network in west Texas. Provided pecan IPM training at 9 events, and surveys estimated the value of these programs at $24,400. IV. Secondary Priority IPM Support for Pest Diagnostic Facilities (5%) Performed 4,425 specimen or photo identifications. V. Secondary priority IPM Education for Pesticide Applicators (20%) Commercial applicators. Trained 57,222 commercial pesticide applicators, including structural, agricultural, and auxin herbicide applicators. VI. School IPM. Trained 540 School IPM Coordinators on structural and garden IPM. Over 125,000 visits annually to the Texas School IPM Website.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Calvin, Wilfrid, Fei Yang, Jeffrey Gore, Jeremy K. Greene, and David L. Kerns. 2023. Profitability of Cotton, Gossypium Hirsutum (L.), When Controlling Bollworm, Helicoverpa Zea (Boddie), with Variable Treatment Thresholds. Crop Protection 173 (Summer): 106368.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Arthur, Brady, and David Kerns. 2023. Caged Feeding Assays of Cotton Fleahoppers Pseudatomocelis Seriatus (Reuter) on ThryvOn Cotton. In Proceedings of the 2023 Beltwide Cotton Conferences, New Orleans, LA January10-12, 2023, 2023:12932. Memphis, TN: National Cotton Council.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Arthur, Brady, and David Kerns. 2023. Evaluation of ThryvOn Cotton as a Control Method of Cotton Fleahoppers, Pseudaomocelis Seriatus (Reuter). In Proceedings of the 2023 Beltwide Cotton Conferences, New Orleans, LA January 10-12, 2023, 738. Memphis, TN: National Cotton Council.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Calvin, Wilfrid, David Kerns, and Fei Yang. 2023. Baseline Susceptibility of Field and Laboratory Strains of Helicoverpa Zea to HearNPV and Cross-Resistance to Bt Proteins. In Proceedings of the 2023 Beltwide Cotton Conferences, New Orleans, LA January 10-12, 2023, 193201. Memphis, TN: National Cotton Council.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Marotta, Gabriella, and David Kerns. 2023. Evaluation of Three Sampling Methods for Cotton Fleahopper (Pseudatomoscelis Seriatus) (Reuter). In Proceedings of the 2023 Beltwide Cotton Conferences, New Orleans, LA January 10-12, 2023, 32832. Memphis, TN: National Cotton Council.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Kerns, David. 2023. Bt Resistance Monitoring and Research. Beltwide Cotton Conference. January. [Presentation Type (General): Oral Presentation] [Scope: National]
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Yang, Fei, Haley Kennedy, and David Kerns. 2023. Recent Advance in Vip3Aa Resistance of Helicoverpa Zea in the United States. Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America. November. [Presentation Type (General): Oral Presentation] [Scope: National]
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Marotta, Gabriella, and David Kerns. 2023. Evaluation of Three Sampling Methods for Cotton Fleahopper, Pseudatomoscelis Seriatus (Reuter). Entomological Society of America Southwestern Branch Meeting. April. [Presentation Type (General): Oral Presentation] [Scope: Regional]
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Calvin, Wilfrid, Fei Yang, and David Kerns. 2023. Baseline Susceptibility of Field and Laboratory Strains of Helicoverpa Zea to HearNPV and Cross-Resistance to Bt Proteins. Entomological Society of America Southwestern Branch Meeting. April. [Presentation Type (General): Oral Presentation] [Scope: Regional]
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Arthur, Brady, and David Kerns. 2023. ThryvOn Cotton: What Have We Learned Regarding Its Utility in Texas Cotton. Texas Plant Protection Conference . December. [Presentation Type (General): Oral Presentation] [Scope: State]
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Kerns, David. 2023. Above Ground Bt Technology in Corn. Texas Plant Protection Conference. December. [Presentation Type (General): Oral Presentation] [Scope: State]
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Kerns, David. 2023. A Review of Insect Pest Management Research in 2023. Texas Plant Protection Conference. December. [Presentation Type (General): Oral Presentation] [Scope: State]
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Arthur, B., D. Kerns and T. Chappell. "Evaluation of cotton fleahopper feeding on MPP51Aa-2-traited cotton utilizing electropenetrography waveforms". Beltwide Cotton Conference.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Walton, K., T. Isakeit and D. Kerns, "Relationship between corn earworm feeding and corn ear fungi contamination". Beltwide Cotton Conference.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Parajulee, M., D. Dhakal, R. Sapkota, A. Sieps and S> Vyavhare. "Cotton phenological stages and cotton fleahopper susceptibility" Beltwide Cotton Conference.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Marotta, G. and D. Kerns. "Cotton fleahopper damage potential and pre-bloom square loss compensation in water deficit cotton". ESA Southwest Branch.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Brown, W. "Teaching master gardener and master naturalist volunteers". ESA Southwest Branch.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Hurley, J., C. Riegel and S. Swiger. Gulf South Vector Education Centers for Training, Outreach, and Resources: A regional partnership to strengthen the prevention and management of vector-borne diseases" ESA Southwest Branch.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Keck, M. "Creating valuable experiences for the professional and child through summer entomology camps". ESA Southwest Branch.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Reed, B., R. Perkins, P. Porter, J. Thobe and S. Vyavhare. "Efficacy results of Sivanto applied in-furrow, at planting for season long control of the sorghum aphid, Melanaphis sacchari, in Texas High Plains grain sorghum". ESA Southwest Branch.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Santiago-Gonzalez, J. J. Thobe, B. Reed, S. Vyavhare, P. Porter, S. Arthurs and S. Steinberg. "Augmentative releases of the predatory mite Neoseiulus californicus for the control of spider mites affecting field corn in the Texas Panhandle". ESA Southwest Branch.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Thobe, J. "Efficacy results of available miticides for in season control of banks grass mites (BGM), Oligonychus pratensis, on the Western High Plains corn crop". ESA Southwest Branch.


Progress 09/01/22 to 08/31/23

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this project are the citizens of the state of Texas. This includes among others: agricultural producers, agricultural consultants, agri-industry personnel, homeowners, professional pest control operators, pesticide applicators, and urban and rural communities. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Held the 2023Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Entomology Professional Development Conference in Hamilton, TX with 26people in attendance. February 16th 8:00 Welcome and Introductions Group 8:30 Welcome from the Division of Research Henry Fadamiro 8:35 Department of Entomology Update Phillip Kaufman & David Kerns 9:00 AgriLife Extension Update Rick Avery, Dan Hale &Jeff Ripley 10:15 Southern Region IPM Center Crop Management Profilesand other funding sourcesRoger Magarey, virtual 10:35 Funding Sources for Specialist and IPM Agent David Kerns,Stephen Biles &Kerry Siders 11:00 Account Management Peggy Lundstrom &Carla Smith 11:45 Presenting Data Effectively Dalton Ludwick 1:00 USDA-NIFA EIP Grant Progress and Planning Update David Kerns 1:20 Making Pesticide Recommendations David Kerns 1:30 Texas Boll Weevil Eradication Foundation Efforts and Weevil Identification Patrick Burson 2:00 Effective Writing and Presentation Skills Jennifer Gillet-Kaufman 3:30 Assigning Guide Revision Committees David Kerns 4:00 Working with Conference Services Janet Hurley & Molly Keck 4:30 Website Update David Kerns February 17th 8:00 Meeting the Urban and Landscape IPM Needs Wizzie Brown 9:00 Vector Management Update Sonja Swiger 9:30 Insect Identification Update Pat Porter 9:45 Delusory Parasitosis Molly Keck 10:45 Retirement Planning Judy Kurtz 11:45 Assigning Committee for Next Year's Meeting David Kerns How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results have been disseminated through numerous stakeholder attended events, face-to-face and virtually. These included community, agricultural producer and consultant meetings, youth gatherings,turn-row meetings, field days, and workshops. A great deal of information was distributed through newsletters, blogs, audio updates, podcasts, newspapers and radio and television broadcasts. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?IPM Implementation for Agronomic Crops Finalize publication of Cotton Insect Pest Management in Texas and Managing Insect and Mite Pest of Texas Corn. Complete production of the on-line course, Insect Pests and Natural Enemies in Cotton: Identification, Sampling; and Action Thresholds. Complete production of the on-line course, Insecticide Modes of Action and Common Uses. Continue production of the IPM Audio Updates. Continue the IPM crops scouting program. Continue to monitor for Bt resistance in bollworm / corn earworm. Complete the bulletin on Thryvon Bt cotton technology. IPM Implementation in Communities Conduct beekeeping workshops Beekeeping 101 and Beekeeping 201. Continue production of the Podcasts, Bugs by the Yard and Unwanted Guests. Continue Master Volunteer training events. Publish new or revised Extension bulletins on Red Imported Fire Ant Management and Carpenter Ant Management. Publish a pest management guide on pest management in the home landscape. Continue to produce the Backyard Bug Hunt series of short videos on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook. IPM Implementation in Specialty Crops Investigate the impact of the introduction of European pepper moth into Texas on ornamental nursery production. IPM Support for Pest Diagnostic Facilities Continue to offer insect identification services. Develop a better web-based service for submitting physical insect specimens for identification. IPM Education for Pesticide Applicators Increase the number of training events at the IPM Experience House. Conduct the 78th Annual Texas A&M University Urban Pest Management Conference and Workshop. Continue School IPM workshops and related trainings. Continue auxin drift management trainings.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? IPM Implementation for Agronomic Crops (50% Allocation) Cotton IPM Objectives Develop Extension Bulletin outlining the activity of ThryvOn Bt technology. (0% completion) Develop a Bt resistance early warning system for Texas. (67% completion) Placed 12 Bt resistance monitoring sentinel plots across the state. Bt resistant bollworm management education. (67% completion) Presented information at 32 grower / consultant meetings. Surveys indicated that 100% of responders indicated that IPM educational efforts would reduce their reliance on pesticides by eliminating non-essential applications. The average value of the information presented was estimated at $60.30 per acre. AgriLife Learn courses on Insect Pests and Natural Enemies in Cotton: Identification, Sampling; and Action Thresholds and a course on Insecticide Modes of Actions and Common Uses. (90% completion) Insect Pests and Natural Enemies in Cotton: Identification, Sampling; and Action Thresholds is near completion. The on-line course, Insecticide Modes of Action and Common Uses is near completion.All modules are currently being re-recorded by professional narrators. Cotton Scouting Schools. (67% completion) Six in-person cotton scouting were conducted, and 2 virtual scouting schools were conducted. Assessment evaluations from the Cotton Scout Schools indicated that there was a 50% gain in insect identification skills, 100% of respondents indicated they would adopt suggested action thresholds and IPM recommendations. The anticipated economic value of the programs was $10.50 per acre. Sorghum IPM Objectives Sugarcane aphid IPM education (67% completion) Educational outreach regarding avoidance, host plant resistance, scouting, action thresholds, natural enemies, and insecticide efficacy and selection for sugarcane aphid were delivered. Sorghum headworm IPM (80% completion) Education programs regarding using the new thresholds and the use of the biological pesticides containing HearNPV corn earworm control in sorghum. Sorghum midge IPM (80% completion) Education programs regarding using the new thresholds. We also emphasized the implementing of IPM for midge management by using earlier planting dates, proper scouting techniques, the new thresholds, and proper use and timing in insecticides. Delivered presentations at grower / consultant meetings. Survey data indicated a 96% increase in knowledge gain, 94% indicated intention to adopt recommendations, and the predicted value of implementing the recommendation was $17.98 per acre. Revised our sorghum pest management guide, Managing Insect and Mite Pests of Texas Sorghum, https://agrilifelearn.tamu.edu/s/product/managing-insect-and-mite-pest-of-texas-sorghum/01t4x000004OUcPAAW. Develop an AgriLife Learn course: Insect Pests and Natural Enemies in Sorghum: Identification, Sampling, Action Thresholds, and Current Control Strategies. (30% completion) Incorporated Commonly Used Insecticides in Sorghum within our Agent Training Modules. Corn IPM Objectives Non-Bt refuge compliance. (75% completion) Corn rootworm IPM. (80% completion) Delivered 17 presentations at grower / consultant meetings. Surveys indicated that overall there was a 95% increase in knowledge gain, 98% indicated intention to adopt, and the predicted value of implementing our recommendations was $32.54 per acre. Develop an AgriLife Learn course Texas Corn Pest Management. (90% completion) Completed modules can be found: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLBc-PrZSLQcTYEnRjFJjW9HoH24_Gvj6. IPM Audio Updates (67% completion) We delivered 103 IPM Audio Updates to over 600 subscribers. Respondents found the information delivered in the IPM Audio Updates to be 21% irreplaceable, 66% important, 12% valuable when they had time to listen. Producers placed an average economic value for the service at $42.10/acre, while crop consultants valued the service at $80.00/acre.? Crops Scouting Program Objective (67% completion) Provided crop scouting services and IPM recommendations for 31,157 acres. Survey assessments of scouted acres placed the value of the scouting program at $33,938,814. IPM Implementation in Communities (20% Allocation) Invasive Ant Management Objective (90% completion) Published Tawny Crazy Ant Management: Build a Bigger Buffer, https://agrilifelearn.tamu.edu/s/product/tawny-crazy-ant-management-build-a-bigger-buffer/01t4x000007zC3rAAE. The Community Wide Fire Ant Management Program assessments indicatedreducedthe amount of money spent on pesticides for fire ant control by $28 and reduced pesticide use by 72%, Tawny crazy ant educational assessment indicated that 95% indicated intention to adopt management suggestions valued at $900 and $2,000 for each residential and commercial account respectively. Crapemyrtle Barkscale IPM Objective (80% completion) Published Biology and Management of the Crapemyrtle Bark Scale: Landscape and Nursery Growers, https://agrilifelearn.tamu.edu/s/product/biology-and-management-of-the-crapemyrtle-bark-scale-landscape-and-nursery-growers/01t4x000004OfqHAAS. Pollinator Stewardship Education and Training Objective (67% completion) Assessments indicate that 70.5% of participants of Beekeeping 101 are now very likely to keep bees and 52 new hives have been established in the past year. Educational Podcast Objective (67% completion) Produced 12 episodes of Bugs by the Yard ,https://bugs-by-the-yard.captivate.fm/episodes/1#showEpisodeswith approximately 2,733 downloads. Produced 13 episodes of Unwanted Guests https://unwanted-guests.captivate.fm/episodes/1#showEpisodeswith approximately 612 downloads. Master Volunteer Training Objective (67% completion) Conducted 77Master Volunteer Entomology Trainings with 2,394 participants. Survey assessment indicated that 55.2% gained knowledge in IPM concepts, 53.6% stated that adopting IPM practices led to 76% reduction in pesticide use. Miscellaneous Community Outreach (67% completion) Newsletters, presentations and social media covering pantry pests, termites, roaches, bedbugs, spiders, ants, mosquitos, spider mites, aphids, boxelder bugs, wasps, etc. Conducted 153 outreach events with 117,486 contacts. IPM in Specialty Crops (5% Allocation) Promotion of Biocontrol in Commercial Horticultural Crop (30% completion) Published Nursery Grower's Fact Sheet, Aphid Management Guide. Great progress on this objective was fulfilled before the personnel departure, but we lost the ability to ascertain adoption and impact. IPM Support for Pest Diagnostic Facilities (5% Allocation) Pest Diagnostic Facilities Objective (90% completion) Identified 1,161 insects from the photo and physical specimen submissions. Developed and implemented a web-based system, Ask an Entomologist, for submitting insect photos for identification. IPM Education for Pesticide Applicators (20% Allocation) Education for Pesticide Applicators Objective (60% completion) Twelve auxin herbicide drift management trainings and 19 provate applicator trainings. School IPM Program School IPM Website had 126,060 pageviews by 50,466 users. Conducted 4 regional School IPM Coordinator 2-day workshops and 3 1-day workshops for 206 School IPM Coordinators. Resulted in 36% knowledge gain. On-line training module, IPM for School Gardens trained 215 individuals. Held the 77th Annual Texas A&M University Urban Pest Management Conference and Workshop. Survey of Satisfaction score from our conference was 4.78 (1 = Most Unsatisfied, 5 = Most Satisfied). IPM Experience House Held four workshops at the IPM Experience House. Trained 65 pest control operators. Surveys indicated 86% knowledge gain across topics, 96% intention to adopt practices, 42% reduction in pesticide use, and an estimated $839 economic gain from adoption. Total number of peer reviewed publications: 0 Total number of non-peer reviewed publications: 22 Total number of presentations: 425 Total number of people reached: 1,855,579

Publications

  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2023 Citation: Marotta, G. and D. Kerns. 2023. Evaluation of Three Sampling Methods for Cotton Fleahopper, Pseuatomocelis seriatus (Reuter). Entomological Society of America Soutwest Branch. Oklahoma City, OK.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2023 Citation: Gray, D., S. Biles, K. Crumley, T. Towles, S. Brown, T. Mays and D. Ludwick. 2023. Pyrethroid resistance detected in Texas rice stink bug (Oebalus pugnax) populations and alternative insecticides for their management. Entomological Society of America Soutwest Branch. Oklahoma City, OK.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2023 Citation: Calivn, W., D. Kerns and F. Yang. 2023. Baseline susceptibility of field and laboratory strains of Helicoverpa zea to HearNPV and cross-resistance to Bt proteins. Entomological Society of America Soutwest Branch. Oklahoma City, OK.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2023 Citation: Arthur, B. and D. Kerns. 2023. Caged feeding assays of cotton fleahoppers Pseudatomocelis seriatus (Reuter) on ThryvOn cotton. Entomological Society of America Soutwest Branch. Oklahoma City, OK.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Kerns, D., P. Porter, D. Ludwick, S. Biles and B. Reed. 2023. Managing Insect and Mite Pests of Texas Sorghum. ENTO-PU-221, 37 pp. https://agrilifelearn.tamu.edu/s/product/managing-insect-and-mite-pest-of-texas-sorghum/01t4x000004OUcPAAW.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Winski, P. and R. Khan. Grower Fact Sheet: Aphid Management Guide. HORT-PU-280,4 pp.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Vafaie, E., M. Merchant and M. Gu. 2022. Biology and Management of the Crapemyrtle Bark Scale: Landscape and Nursery Growers. HORT-PU-175, 4 pp. https://agrilifelearn.tamu.edu/s/product/biology-and-management-of-the-crapemyrtle-bark-scale-landscape-and-nursery-growers/01t4x000004OfqHAAS.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Mott, Dale, McKnight, B., Mays, DT. 2022. Comparison of Baler-Picker On-Board Scale vs Weigh-Trailer Scale. In Proceedings of 34th Annual Texas Plant Protection Conference, Bryan, TX.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Ludwick, D., Gray, D., Biles, S., Crumley, K., Towles, T., Brown, S., Bernaola, L, Porter, P., Kerns, D., and Mays, D. Tyler. 2022. Rice Stink Bug Pyrethroid Resistance and Thresholds in Grain Sorghum. In Proceedings of 34th Annual Texas Plant Protection Conference, Bryan.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Mays, D. Tyler. 2022. Mitigating Hessian fly (Mayetiola destructor) issues in Texas Wheat. 34th Annual Texas Plant Protection Conference, Bryan, TX.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Gilreath, R., Mays, D. Tyler, Davis, Z., Kerns, D. 2022. Desert Termites: The Terrors of Turf. 34th Annual Texas Plant Protection Conference, Bryan, TX.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Puckett, R., W. Brown and M. Keck. 2022. Tawny Crazy Ant Management: Build a Bigger Buffer. ENTO-PU-219, 4 pp. https://agrilifelearn.tamu.edu/s/product/tawny-crazy-ant-management-build-a-bigger-buffer/01t4x000007zC3rAAE.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: McKnight, B., McGinty, J., Mott, D., Livingston, C., Alaniz, R., Drake, D. et. al. (2022) Replicated agronomic cotton evaluation (RACE) south, east, and central regions of Texas, 2021. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension SCSC-2022-2.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Garetson, R. Guillen-Portal, F., Bell, J., Trostle, C., Kimura, E., McGinty, J., Noland, R., Drake, D. et.al. 2022. 2022 Texas Wheat Uniform Variety Trials. SCSC-2022-8
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Mays, D. Tyler, and Zach T. Davis. 2022. Effect of three fungicide programs on stripe rust and yield in Central Texas, 2021. Plant Disease Management Reports, 16:CF046
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Mays, D. Tyler, Drake, D., Davis, ZT, McLellan, SM, Sutton, R. 2022. Mitigating Hessian fly (Mayetiola destructor) issues in Texas wheat. In Proceeding of 34th Annual Texas Plant Protection Conference, Bryan, TX.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Reed, B., Spray Tip Impact on Thrips Treatment Efficacy 2021/2022. Cotton Physiology Conference
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Oladokun J., Olufemi A., Sekula D., Villegas C. 2022. Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, PLPM-PU-098. 10/2022.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Davis H., Setamou M., Sekula D. 2022. Chili Thrips in Cotton. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, ENTO-PU-216. 12/2022.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Vyavhare, S. S., Siders, K., Siders, R., and Vasquez, B. 2022. Control of Leaf- Footed Bug in Cotton Using Foliar Applied Insecticides. Arthropod Management Tests.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Siders, Kerry. Crop Scan Field Report, pp9. Cotton Grower Magazine. Meister Publications. August/September 2022.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Siders, Kerry. Crop Scan Field Report. Cotton Grower Magazine. Meister Publications. February  July (9 articles) 2022.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Siders, Kerry. Cotton Production: Special Issue  Flexibility Will Be Key for West Texas Cotton in 2022. Cotton Grower Magazine. Meister Publications. February 22, 2022.
  • Type: Websites Status: Other Year Published: 2023 Citation: Hurley, J. and B. McDowell. School Integrated Pest Management. https://schoolipm.tamu.edu/.
  • Type: Websites Status: Other Year Published: 2023 Citation: McDowell, B. IPM Experience House. https://ipmhouse.tamu.edu/.
  • Type: Websites Status: Other Year Published: 2023 Citation: Hurley and McDowell, B. Insects in the City. https://citybugs.tamu.edu/.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Keck, M. Butterflies and Butterfly Gardening 101 (AgriLife Learn).
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Keck, M. Beekeeping 101 (AgriLife Learn).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Arthur, B., & Kerns, D. (2022, December). Caged feeding assays of cotton fleahoppers Pseudatomocelis seriatus (Reuter) on ThryvOn cotton. Texas Plant Protection Conference. Bryan, TX: Texas Plant Protection Association.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Marotta, G., & Kerns, D. (2022, December). Impact of pre- and post-bloom square removal on fruit retention and yield. Texas Plant Protection Conference. Bryan, TX: Texas Plant Protection Association.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Kennedy, H., Yang, F., & Kerns, D. (2022, December). Evaluating fitness costs associated with Vip3Aa resistance in Helicoverpa zea. Texas Plant Protection Conference. Bryan, TX: Texas Plant Protection Association.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Gilreath, R., Mays, T., Davis, Z., & Kerns, D. (2022, December). Desert termites: the terrors of turf. Texas Plant Protection Conference. Bryan, TX: Texas Plant Protection Association.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Calvin, W., Kerns, D., & Yang, F. (2022, December). Baseline susceptibility of Helicoverpa to HearNPV and cross-resistance to Bt proteins. Texas Plant Protection Conference. Bryan, TX: Texas Plant Protection Association.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Kerns, D. (2022, December). An in-depth look into cotton fleahopper damage and management. Texas Plant Protection Conference. Bryan, TX: Texas Plant Protection Association.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Kerns, D. (2022, October). Bt resistance monitoring. National Cotton States Arthropod Management Working Group. Tucson, AZ: Bayer CropScience and BASF.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Kerns, D. (2022, October). Efficacy of ThryvOn cotton to cotton fleahopper. National Cotton States Arthropod Management Working Group. Tucson, AZ: Bayer CropScience and BASF.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Porter, R. P., & Vyavhare, S. S. (2022, Autumn). H. zea adult emergence from soil at three different water levels. Annual meeting of the Bayer Southern Row Crops Conference, Tucson, AZ. Tucson AZ: Bayer Crop Science.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Puckett, R. Ants of the Midwestern US: Identification and Mangement. Illinois Pest Management Association Conference. Springfield, IL.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Puckett, R. The Curious Life of the Pest Ant... and How to End it. National Pest Management Association Conference. Washington D.C.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Arthur, B. and D. Kerns. 2023. Evaluation of Thryvon Cotton as a Control Method of Cotton Fleahoppers, Pseuatomocelis seriatus (Reuter). Beltwide Cotton Conference, New Orleans, LA.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Marotta, G. and D. Kerns. 2023. Evaluation of Three Sampling Methods for Cotton Fleahopper, Pseuatomocelis seriatus (Reuter). Beltwide Cotton Conference, New Orleans, LA.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Ross, S., D. Kerns and F. Yang. 2023. The Interaction of Spear-Lep with Bt Proteins and HearNPV on Susceptible and Bt resistant Helicoverpa zea. Beltwide Cotton Conference, New Orleans, LA.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Calivn, W., D. Kerns and F. Yang. 2023. Baseline Susceptibility of Field and Laboratory Strains of Helicoverpa zea to HearNPV and Cross-resistance to Bt Proteins. Beltwide Cotton Conference, New Orleans, LA.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2023 Citation: Brown, W. 2023. Community wide fire ant management programs. Entomological Society of America Soutwest Branch. Oklahoma City, OK.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2023 Citation: Puckett, R. 2023. From invasive insects to invisible 'insects': Urban extension entomology at Texas A&M University. Entomological Society of America Soutwest Branch. Oklahoma City, OK.


Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/22

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this project are the citizens of the state of Texas. This includes among others: agricultural producers, agricultural consultants, agri-industry personnel, homeowners, professional pest control operators, pesticide applicators, and urban and rural communities. Changes/Problems:We will continue programs currently underway and complete our impact assessments and coalescethe data into reports. We will complete production of our cotton scouting on-line course and begin similar course for sorghum and corn. We are completely reworking our website which will provide better service to our clientele. Our person responsible for nursery specialty crops resigned and we are working on re-filling this position. Until filled we will have few accomplishments in Primary Priority IPM Implementation in Specialty Crops (5%). Texas A&M AgriLife moved our insect identification service to a new system which rendered it non-functional. We are working on getting this problem rectified. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We held a Extesnion Entomology Professional Development Conference in February 2022. The conference was a two day event and provided training on teaching IPM, reporting, producing audio outreach, invasive ants, and conducting research/demonstration trials. Our personnel also attend a variety of subject matter and professional meetings such as the Entomological Society of America, Cotton Physiology Conference, and the Belwide Cotton Conference. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results have been diseminated through numerous stakeholder attended events and virtually. These included community, agricultural producer and consultant meetings, youth gatherings and turn-row meetings. A great deal of information was distributed through newsletters, blogs, audio updates, podcasts, newpapers and radio and televison broadcasts. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will continue programs currently underway and complete our impact assessments and coalescethe data into reports. We will complete production of our cotton scouting on-line course and begin similar course for sorghum and corn. We are completely reworking our website which will provide better service to our clientele.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Impact assessments have not been collected and analyzed for the reporting period but in-depth assessment data is being collected and reports will be generated in January 2023. Primary Priority IPM Implementation in Agronomic Crops (50%) We havenineactive crop pest scouting programs established covering over 100,000 acres. Most of these acres are cotton, but we have substantial acreages of wheat, sorghum, corn, alfalfa and other crops in scouting programs as well. However, with persistent drought in west Texas scouting acreage may decline. We conducted six Cotton Scouting Schools throughout the state that provided information on cotton growth and development, identification of insect pests and beneficials, identification of cotton diseases and weeds, pest scouting procedures and economic thresholds. Knowledge gain assessments were administered but have not been analyzed. We provided 60 educational programs in cotton and stressed 1) Bt resistance management emphasizing planting non-Bt corn refuges where this pest is the corn earworm, 2) proper techniques for scouting cotton for bollworm as well as other cotton pests, 3) basing treatment decisions on the recently developed bollworm economic threshold, and 4) when insecticide treatment is justified, choosing insecticides that are not disruptive towards the natural enemy complex. We also conducted 14 outreach programs providing information on ThryvOn Bt cotton technology. We have established bollworm/earworm Bt resistance monitoring sites using corn and cotton sentinel plots. Eleven corn sites and five cotton sites have been established. Data from four corn sentinel plots indicate high resistance to all Bt Cry toxins, but no indication of resistance to Vip3A. We have begun production of an on-line course on scouting cotton for insect pests and natural enemies. Thus far we have filmed segments covering early season pests such as thrips and cotton fleahoppers. In sorghum we have provided 19 outreach programs emphasizing sorghum aphid, midge, and head worm IPM with emphasis in pest avoidance and proper use of HearNPV for head worm management. In corn we provided 19 outreach programs and emphasized corn refuge compliance and corn rootworm management. We have 20 corn rootworm field demonstration in progress. Primary Priority IPM Implementation in Communities (20%) We have conducted 51 outreach programs covering various aspects of implementing IPM in home gardens, and 23 Master Gardener training events. We emphasized promoting pollinators and butterflies, and how to manage pest species with minimal negative impacts. We conducted six beekeeping workshops targeting hobby and small beekeeping operations. Courses included: 1) Beekeeping 101 which consists of four online events, and a live program paired with an in-person field day in an apiary, 2) Second Steps in Beekeeping which expands upon Beekeeping 101 for those with established hives, and 3) Beekeeping, Bee Health, & Native Pollinator Presentations emphasizing detecting and monitoring for varroa mite and various diseases and learning about helping native pollinators. We also have an on-line course on Beekeeping which has had over 200 enrolled. Primary Priority IPM Implementation in Specialty Crops (5%) Nothing to report. The person working in this area resigned and we are in the hiring process for a replacement. Secondary Priority IPM Support for Pest Diagnostic Facilities (5%) We provided over 200 insect specimen identifications and over 400 digital insect identifications. Secondary priority IPM Education for Pesticide Applicators (20%) We conducted 22 general pesticide applicator trainings, 7 school IPM trainings, 29 auxin herbicide applicator trainings, and 13 insect disease vector applicator trainings.

Publications

  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Thobe, J. and B. Reed. 2022. A Modern Evaluation of Labelled Chemical Control Product Efficacy for: Oligonychus pratensis Banks Grass Mite. Southwestern Branch of Entomological Society of America. Fort Worth, TX. April 20th.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Calvin, W., F. Yang, S. Brown, A. Catchot, W. Crow, D. Cook, J. Gore, R. Kurtz, G. Lorenz, N. Seiter, S. Stewart, T. Towles and D. Kerns. 2022. Development of Economic Thresholds Toward Bollworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), Management in Bt Cotton, and Assessment of the Benefits From Treating Bt Cotton With Insecticide. Southwestern Branch of Entomological Society of America. Fort Worth, TX. April 20th.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Gray, D., S. Biles, K. Crumley, T. Mays, S. Brown, D. Kerns and D. Ludwick. 2022. Evaluating Pyrethroid Resistance in Oebalus Pugnax (F.) in the Texas Coastal Bend. Proc. Beltwide Cotton Conf. San Antonio, TX. Jan. 4-6, 2022.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Arthur, B., D. Kerns and H. Davis. 2022. Evaluation of Thryvon Cotton as a Control Method of Cotton Fleahoppers (Pseudatomocelis seriatus Reuter). Proc. Beltwide Cotton Conf. San Antonio, TX. Jan. 4-6, 2022.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Calvin W., D. Kerns, J. Gore, J. Greene, S. Vyavhare, M. Parajulee, R. Schnell and L. Perkins. 2022. Investigating the Potential for Utilizing Grain Sorghum as a Nursery Crop for Hearnpv Dissemination into Cotton. Proc. Beltwide Cotton Conf. San Antonio, TX. Jan. 4-6, 2022.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Mahas, J., A. Jacobson, C. Ray, J. Mahas, M. Toews, P. Roberts, J. Greene, G. Kennedy, S. Taylor, S. Paula-Moraees, J. Gore, W. Crow, S. Stewart, D. Kerns and S. Vyavhare. 2022. Monitoring Seasonal Dynamics and Community Composition of Cotton Infesting Aphid Species in the Southern U.S. Proc. Beltwide Cotton Conf. San Antonio, TX. Jan. 4-6, 2022.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Kerns, D., F. Yang, D. Kerns, S. Stewart and J. Luis-Fuentes. 2022. Binding of Vip3A Toxin to Resistant and Susceptible Helicoverpa Zea Brush Border Membrane Vesicles. Proc. Beltwide Cotton Conf. San Antonio, TX. Jan. 4-6, 2022.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Mays, DT. 2022. Fresh From the Field: New IPM Technologies in Entomology and Plant Pathology, Mini Symposium. 10th International IPM Symposium. Denver, CO. Feb. 28-Mar. 3.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Mays, DT. 2022. Smart Device Applications for Field Crop Scouting and Reporting. Southwestern Branch of Entomological Society of America. Fort Worth, TX. April 20th.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Crumley, K. and D. Kerns. 2022. Advances in Field Crop IPM, Bt Resistance and Management in Bollworm, H. zea. Southwestern Branch of Entomological Society of America. Fort Worth, TX. April 20th.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Reed, B. 2022. Spray tip impact on thrips treatment efficacy. Cotton Physiology Conference, Corpus Christi, TX. Feb. 2022.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Kennedy, H., F. Yang and D. Kerns. 2022. Fitness Costs Associated with Vip3A Resistance in Helicoverpa Zea. Proc. Beltwide Cotton Conf. San Antonio, TX. Jan. 4-6, 2022.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Zaccaron, J. Koebernick, D. Roark, S. Taylor, A. Huseth, J. Greene, R. Kemerait, I. Small, K. Conner, K. Bowen, P. Price, T. Allen, T. Faske and D. Kerns. 2022. Results from the 2021 CLRDV Sentinel Plots in AL, FL, GA, SC, NC, VA, MS, AR, LA, TN, and TX and Resistance Screening Efforts at Auburn University. Proc. Beltwide Cotton Conf. San Antonio, TX. Jan. 4-6, 2022.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Kerns, D., S. Brown, A. Catchot, D. Cook, J. Santiago Gonzalez, J. Gore, G. Lorenz, S. Stewart, G. Studebaker, B. Thrash, T. Towles and F. Yang. 2022. Update on Bt Resistance in Helicoverpa Zea and the Value of Treating Bt Cotton with Insecticides. Proc. Beltwide Cotton Conf. San Antonio, TX. Jan. 4-6, 2022.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Yang, F. and D. Kerns. 2022. Understanding the Risks Associated with Inheritance and Cross-Resistance in Cry and Vip3Aa Resistance of Helicoverpa Zea. Proc. Beltwide Cotton Conf. San Antonio, TX. Jan. 4-6, 2022.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Gore, J., W. Crow, A. Catchot, D. Cook, T. Towles, S. Brown, S. Stewart, G. Lorenz, B. Thrash, N. Bateman, G. Studebaker, D. Kerns and F. Musser. 2022. The Value of Standardized Insecticide Efficacy Trials across States. Proc. Beltwide Cotton Conf. San Antonio, TX. Jan. 4-6, 2022.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Cook, D., S Stewart, W. Crow, J. Gore, B. Thrash, G. Lorenz, A. Catchot, D. Kerns, S. Brown, G. Studebaker, T. Towles and N. Bateman. Thrips Management in Mid-South Cotton. Proc. Beltwide Cotton Conf. San Antonio, TX. Jan. 4-6, 2022.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: S. Brown, T. Towles, D. Kerns, N. Bateman, B. Thrash, G. Lorenz, G. Studebaker, S. Stewart, W. Crow, D. Cook, J. Gore and A. Catchot. 2022. Twospotted Spider Mite Management in Midsouth and Texas Cotton. Proc. Beltwide Cotton Conf. San Antonio, TX. Jan. 4-6, 2022.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2021 Citation: Arthur, B. and D. Kerns. 2021. Evaluation of Cry51Aa2.834_16 Traited Cotton as a Control Method of Cotton Fleahoppers (Pseudatomocelis seriatus Reuter). Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America, Denver, CO. Oct 30 - Nov 3.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2021 Citation: Yang, F., J. Santiago Gonzalez, H. Kennedy and D. Kerns. 2021. Bacillus thuringiensis Vip3Aa protein resistance in Helicoverpa zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America, Denver, CO. Oct 30 - Nov 3.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2021 Citation: Kennedy, H., D. Kerns and F. Yang. 2021. Fitness Costs and Cross Resistance Associated with Vip3A Resistance in Helicoverpa zea. Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America, Denver, CO. Oct 30 - Nov 3.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2021 Citation: Gonzalez, J.S., F. Yang and D. Kerns. A screen of the F2 generation in discriminatory concentration bioassays to determine the frequency of alleles conferring resistance to the Cry1Ac, Cry2Ab2, and Vip3Aa39 Bt proteins in Helicoverpa zea. Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America, Denver, CO. Oct 30 - Nov 3.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2021 Citation: Gilreath, T. and D. Kerns. 2021. Quantification of Bt Proteins Expression Throughout a Growing Season Among Different Plant Structures and Their Efficacy of Control Towards the Cotton Bollworm Helicoverpa zea (Boddie). Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America, Denver, CO. Oct 30 - Nov 3.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2021 Citation: Calvin, W., D. Kerns, J. Greene, J. Gore, S. Vyavhare, M. Parajulee, R. Schnell and L. Perkins. 2021. Evaluation of the Current Bollworm (Helicoverpa zea (Boddie)) Threshold Recommendations in Cotton and Determination of the Threshold Effects on Bollworm Control and Profitability. Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America, Denver, CO. Oct 30 - Nov 3.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Yang F, H. Kennedy, J. C. Santiago-Gonz�lez and D. L. Kerns. 2022. Effects of cross-pollination among non-Bt and pyramided Bt corn expressing Cry proteins in seed mixtures on resistance development of dual-gene resistant Helicoverpa zea. Pest Manag Sci. 2022 Apr 26. doi: 10.1002/ps.6945.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Goldsmith C.L., K. E. Kang, E. Heitman, Z. N. Adelman, L. W. Buchman, D. Kerns, X. Liu, R. F. Medina and A. Vedlitz. 2022. Stakeholder Views on Engagement, Trust, Performance, and Risk Considerations About Use of Gene Drive Technology in Agricultural Pest Management. Health Secur. 2022 Jan-Feb;20(1):6-15. doi: 10.1089/hs.2021.0101.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Kerns, D. D., F. Yang, D. L. Kerns and S. D. Stewart. 2021. Evaluation of Bt resistance in Helicoverpa zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) strains using various Bt cotton plant tissues. Pest Management Science https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.6611.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Calvin, W., F. Yang, S. A. Brown, A. L. Catchot, W. D. Crow, D. R. Cook, J. Gore, R. Kurtz, G. M. Lorenz, N. J. Seiter, S. D. Stewart, T. Towles and D. L Kerns. 2021. Development of Economic Thresholds toward Bollworm, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), Management in Bt Cotton and Assessment of the Benefits from Treating Bt Cotton with Insecticide. J. Econ. Entomol. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toab173.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Vafaie, E., H. B. Pemberton, M. Gu, D. Kerns, M. D. Eubanks and K. M. Heinz. 2021. Using Multiple Natural Enemies to Manage Sweetpotato Whiteflies (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) in Commercial Poinsettia (Malpighiales: Euphorbiaceae) Production. J. Integr. Pest Manag.12: 1-13.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Gordy, J. W., N. J. Seiter, D. L. Kerns, F. P. F. Reay-Jones, R. D. Bowling, M O Way and M. J. Brewer. 2021. Field assessment of aphid doubling time and yield of sorghum susceptible and partially resistant to sugarcane aphid (Hemiptera: Aphididae), J. Econ. Entomol. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toab135.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2021 Citation: Arthur, B. and D. Kerns. 2021. Evaluation of ThyrvOn Cotton as a Control Method of the Cotton Fleahopper Pseudatomocelis seriatus (Reuter). Texas Plant Protection Conference, Bryan, TX, Dec. 6.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2021 Citation: Gonzalez, J.C., F. Yang and D. Kerns. 2021. Status of Bt resistance in the cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa zea) in Texas and the Midsouth. Texas Plant Protection Conference, Bryan, TX, Dec. 6.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2021 Citation: Gilreath, R. and D. Kerns. 2021. Quantification of Bt Protein Expression in Cotton Leaf Tissues. Texas Plant Protection Conference, Bryan, TX, Dec. 6.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2021 Citation: Calvin, W., D. Kerns, J. Greene, J. Gore, S. Vyavhare, M. Parajulee, R. Schnell and L. Perkins. Evaluation of the Current Bollworm (Helicoverpa zea (Boddie)) Threshold Recommendations in Cotton and Determination of the Threshold Effects on Bollworm Control and Profitability. rns. 2021. Quantification of Bt Protein Expression in Cotton Leaf Tissues. Texas Plant Protection Conference, Bryan, TX, Dec. 6.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2021 Citation: Kerns, D. 2021. Insecticide and Insect GMO Efficacy. Texas Plant Protection Conference, Bryan, TX, Dec. 6.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Bell, J. M., E. Bynum and P. Porter. 2021. Impact of mid-season sugarcane aphid infestation from blooming to harvest on forage sorghum yield and silage nutritive value. Agron. J. https://doi.org/10.1002/agj2.20751.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Suhas S. Vyavhare, Patrick Porter, Sydney Glass "Emergence of Corn Earworm, Helicoverpa zea, from Vip3a Seed Blend Versus Structured Refuge Ears of Maize," Southwestern Entomologist, 45(4), 853-862, (11 January 2021)
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2022 Citation: Puckett, R. 2022. Ants. In Mallis Handbook of Pest Control, 11th Ed.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2021 Citation: Puckett, R. 2021. Quit bugging me: The influence of parasitoid phorid flies on foraging in fire ant workers. Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America, Denver, CO. Oct 30 - Nov 3.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Thibodeaux RJ, Brady JA, Maryak CCK, Swiger SL, Jones BW. Short communication: Screening stable flies and house flies as potential vectors of digital dermatitis in dairy cattle. J Dairy Sci. 2021 Jan;104(1):977-980. doi: 10.3168/jds.2020-18550. Epub 2020 Nov 12. PMID: 33189292.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2021 Citation: Vyavhare, S. 2021. Emerging issues in cotton IPM. West Texas Agricultural Chemicals Institute Conference. Lubbock, TX Aug 2021.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2021 Citation: Vyavhare, S. 2021. A systems approach to pest management thresholds for cotton production. Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America, Denver, CO. Oct 30 - Nov 3.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Bazhaw, T., Drake, D., Delgado-Acevedo, J., and Harp. D.A. (2021) Factors influencing honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) visits to crepe myrtle (Lagerstroemia sp.). J. of Environmental Horticulture 39:4 p143-149.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Drake, D.R., Braley, A.D., and Sutton, R. (2021) Evaluating volunteer annual ryegrass as a weed, forage, and cover crop in Texas blackland prairie cropping systems. [Poster] ASA-CSSA-CSSA Annual Meeting Nov 7-10, 2021 Salt Lake City, UT
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Drake, D.R, Swinson, P.J., Eborn, D.R. and Jones, C.A. (2021) Evaluating eastern gamagrass establishment in the Texas blackland prairie. [Poster] ASA-CSSA-CSSA Annual Meeting Nov 7-10, 2021 Salt Lake City, UT
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Lindsey, R. Singh, B., Murray, S. Wilde, S. Ravelombola, W., Vierling, R., Sutton, R., Trostle, C., Bass, C., Labar, S., Seminoux, B. and Drake, D.. (2021) Improved short season cowpeas and development of phenotyping tools for legume breeding. [Poster] ASA-CSSA-CSSA Annual Meeting Nov 7-10, 2021 Salt Lake City, UT
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Hurley, J. 2022. Creating a pest house for hands-on applicator training.10th International IPM Symposium. Denver, CO. Feb. 28-Mar. 3.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Hurley, J. 2022. Using Corteva ActiveSense System to measure rodent activity a look at data and how you use in IPM. 10th International IPM Symposium. Denver, CO. Feb. 28-Mar. 3.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Carroll, M., J. Blount, D. Buntin, S. Vyavhare and P. Porter. 2022. Performance of Vip3a Seed Blend Refuge vs. Block Refuge in Producing H. zea Adults (And comparison of emergence cages and screen bags as investigatory tools). North Central Regional Committee NC246. Virtual. 42 attendees. Invited national.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Porter, P. and S. Vyavhare. 2022. Developments in Bt Corn. High Plains Assoc. of Crop Consultants, Lubbock, TX 3/1/22. 53 attendees. Invited regional
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Mays, DT, Mott, D. McKnight, B. and Davis, ZT. 2022. Effect of various foliar Potassium sources and rates on foliar Potassium concentrations, lint yield, and fiber quality. Proc. Beltwide Cotton Conf. San Antonio, TX. Jan. 4-6, 2022.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Reed, B. 2022. Insecticide Efficacy Updates and Emerging IPM Discussions, High Plains Association of Independent Crop Consultants, Lubbock, TX. Mar. 2022.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Reed, B. 2022. Precision Field Scouting, Crop Management, Issue Reporting, Spray Record Management and Field Imagery with Syngentas Cropwise Protector Scouting Program. Southwestern Branch of Entomological Society of America. Fort Worth, TX. April 20th.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Kerns, D. and W. Calvin. 2022. Potential and challenges of integrating HearNPV into sorghum and cotton IPM systems for Helicoverpa zea management. Southwestern Branch of Entomological Society of America. Fort Worth, TX. April 20th.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Kerns, D. 2022. A Systematic Response to Addressing New Invasive Pest Species: Blending Research and Outreach. Sorghum Improvement North America Conference. Fort Worth, TX. March 30th.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Arthur, B. and D. Kerns, D. 2022. Evaluation of ThryvOn cotton as a control method of cotton fleahoppers Pseudatomocelis seriatus�(Reuter). Southwestern Branch of Entomological Society of America. Fort Worth, TX. April 19th.