CROP PROTECTION AND PEST MANAGEMENT EXTENSION IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAM FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: ACTIVE
• Funding Source: OTHER GRANTS
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 1027205
• Grant No.: 2021-70006-35560
• Cumulative Award Amt.: $533,410.00
• Proposal No.: 2021-05147
• Project Start Date: Sep 1, 2021
• Project End Date: Aug 31, 2025
• Grant Year: 2023
• Program Code: [EIP]- Extension Implementation Program

Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
G022 MCCARTY HALL
GAINESVILLE,FL 32611

Performing Department
Entomology and Nematology

Non Technical Summary
This NIFA, CPPM, EIP project is comprised of 10 sub-projects with the following purposes: 1) develop new and improved methods for producing and disseminating natural enemies of selected invasive species, 2) manage the insect that spreads the pathogen that causes lethal bronzing in palms, 3) create a regional certification program for improving pollinator health, 4) generate weed profiles for agronomic and forage crops in northwest Florida, 5) develop recommendations for producing tropical and subtropical fruit in home gardens of Central and South Florida, 6) promote IPM practices for small fruit producers, 7) conduct mosquito surveys in North Central Florida to reduce breeding of mosquitos that transmit human and animal disease pathogens, 8) develop IPM for cold hardy and residential citrus, 9) develop and provide IPM and resistance management recommendations for pests of agronomic crops in the Florida panhandle, and 10) provide basic training on IPM and landscaping best practices in English and Spanish for personnel who work in the field. All of these sub-projects involve collaboration with county Extension personnelto assure that highly useful new information is delivered to stakeholders expertly and expeditiously. New and improved tactics will be developed specifically for managing invasive arthropod pests in specialty crops, for pollinators, in agronomic crops, and in communities. The purpose of the NIFA, CPPM, EIP program is to address high priority needs for managing pests, particularly insects, nematodes, and weeds, using integrated pest management strategies.

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
216	2410	1130	90%
213	1610	1140	10%

Knowledge Area
216 - Integrated Pest Management Systems; 213 - Weeds Affecting Plants;

Subject Of Investigation
1610 - Pasture; 2410 - Cross-commodity research--multiple crops;

Field Of Science
1130 - Entomology and acarology; 1140 - Weed science;

Keywords

ipm in communities

ipm in specialty crops

pollinator health

public health ipm

Goals / Objectives
BIOCONTROL OF INVASIVE ARTHROPODS AND ASSOCIATED CULTURAL PRACTICESObjectives: 1) Support implementation of augmentation biological control of invasive arthropod pests by improving colonization and rearing, especially quality control, and delivering the information and 2) Advance adoption of IPM, especially augmentation biological control and cultural practices to reduce the impact of invasive arthropod pests of specialty crops.CONTROLLING POPULATIONS OF PALM PHYTOPLASMA VECTORS IN PALM NURSERIESObjectives: 1) Training for stakeholders to properly identify H. crudus in the laboratory and field and 2) Demonstrations will be performed in the field by Co-PIs on how to collect and maintain living specimens of H. crudus.DEVELOPMENT OF A REGIONAL CERTIFICATE PROGRAM IN POLLINATION ECOLOGY AND POLLINATOR HEALTHObjectives: 1) Conduct a Southeast regional ornamental industry pollinator health network analysis and needs assessment, 2) Develop dynamic training tools and educational resources tailored to stakeholders in the ornamental industry via diverse delivery modalities, and 3) Launch certificate program marketing and implement regional stakeholder programming. Stakeholder training will include in-person and virtual workshops for extension agents and industry professionals.DEVELOP AND DISSEMINATE WEED SPECIES PROFILES AND IPM STRATEGIES FOR AGRONOMIC AND FORAGE/PASTURE SYSTEMS IN FLORIDAObjectives: 1) Conduct agronomic and forage/pasture weed surveys at commercial fields throughout the Panhandle, north central, and central regions of Florida, 2) Compile available weed management information/strategies on these weeds and disseminate information on weed identification, control strategies, and integrated management to the stakeholders, and 3) Develop a website and update MyIPM app with information on weed identification and management.DEVELOPING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PRODUCING TROPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL FRUIT IN THE HOME GARDENS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTH FLORIDAObjectives: 1) Train MGV and MGV coordinators in IPM techniques, have MGV apply IPM concepts and record the success of these techniques in home landscapes with specific fruit crops, and produce new IPM factsheets for home landscape fruit production.ON-FARM WORKSHOPS TO PROMOTE ADOPTION OF IPM PRACTICES FOR SMALL FRUIT CROP PRODUCERSObjectives: 1) Develop educational materials for workshops by Extension agents and 2) Hold 2-3 on-farm workshops per year to increase confidence in IPM adoption by small-scale growers.PROMOTING IPM FOR MOSQUITO CONTROL IN SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHICALLY DIVERSE COMMUNITIESObjectives: 1 ) Identify socio-demographic and socio-economic factors that influence mosquito abundance and 2) Educate local communities regarding the repercussions of IPM on their backyard mosquitoes.DEVELOPING IPM IN COLD HARDY AND RESIDENTIAL CITRUSObjectives: 1) Develop Extension resources for pests specific to cold hardy citrus, 2) Promote non-insecticidal methods to control citrus leafminer in North Florida, and 3) Develop an IPM program against ACP and citrus greening for residential areas.EMPOWERING AG PROFESSIONALS WITH IPM/IRM RECOMMENDATIONS FOR AGRONOMIC CROPS: IPM EDUCATION REGARDING PEST SUSCEPTIBILITY AND RISK OF RESISTANCE TO INSECTICIDES AND BT CROPSObjectives: 1) Support IPM decision-making in agronomic crops for Ag professionals in the Florida Panhandle by establishing annual sentinel plots of select agronomic crops at the WFREC to be monitored for the presence lepidopteran and other pests targeted by Bt cotton and corn, and conventional insecticides, 2) Perform year-round pheromone trapping of lepidopteran pests to document moth flight phenology in their overwintering and migratory intersection in the U.S., and 3) Improve IRM recommendations for Ag professionals by performing diagnostic insecticide bioassays to document the current susceptibility of economically important lepidopteran pests to commonly used insecticides.LANDSCAPING FUNDAMENTALS, FUNDAMENTOS DEL PAISAJISMOObjectives: 1)Expand opportunities for landscape IPM training to more diverse audiences representative of the community of landscape professionals, 2) Increase knowledge of diverse landscape professionals about the fundamentals of IPM and landscape best practices in their communities, 3) Evaluate the intent of landscape professionals to implement cultural best practices and preventative techniques in landscapes they manage, and 4) Show implementation of cultural best practices and preventative techniques in landscapes managed by professionals that attended the training.

Project Methods
BIOCONTROL OF INVASIVE ARTHROPODS AND ASSOCIATED CULTURAL PRACTICESThe IPM Coordinator will maintain continuous contact with the EIP sub-project Co-PIs, provide guidance, and obtain accomplishments for the annual REEports. He will support and encourage state and county Extension faculty and clientele in planning, funding and conducting IPM and biological control projects. The UF/IFAS IPM Academy delivers IPM in-service training semiannually. The sub-project on invasive arthropods will be led by the IPM Coordinator to develop host and natural enemy rearing systems and optimize them using established Total Quality Control methods for insect mass production: production, process, and product control. Colonies will be established, replenished or replaced by collecting founder populations and colonization bottlenecks will be quantified by measuring survival and reproduction over a minimum of five generations.CONTROLLING POPULATIONS OF PALM PHYTOPLASMA VECTORS IN PALM NURSERIESWorkshops will be in-person events at volunteer locations where Co-PI and cooperators will be present to provide educational material and exams. Co-PI Bahder will organize monthly zoom meetings with all cooperators for updates on stakeholder engagement. Information will be disseminated primarily at in-service trainings/workshops held at field sites and at FLREC.DEVELOPMENT OF A REGIONAL CERTIFICATE PROGRAM IN POLLINATION ECOLOGY AND POLLINATOR HEALTHA Microsoft TEAMS channel will be created as a collaboration hub. The project team will hold regular meetings throughout the project period and host quarterly Advisory Group meetings. Co-PI Daniels and team will work closely to develop training resources and deliver them through diverse, accessible outlets and a Pollinator Health Certificate Program. We will integrate marketing and programming into established UF IFAS Extension and ornamental industry infrastructure, such as cooperator Dale's FL Ornamental IPM Workshop, Bolusky's FNGLA Landscape Show, Donaldson's FANN events, Wilber's FL Master Gardener programming, and Davis' county Extension programs. We will market and provide our programming at regional and national events.DEVELOP AND DISSEMINATE WEED SPECIES PROFILES AND IPM STRATEGIES FOR AGRONOMIC AND FORAGE/PASTURE SYSTEMS IN FLORIDADrs. Devkota and Sellers will be in charge of weed surveys, developing weed identification and management information, conducting Extension activities for stakeholders, and developing and maintaining the website. Dr. Francis Reay-Jones will coordinate updating the row crop version of MyIPM app. The UF/IFAS Extension regional and county agents in the Panhandle, and North Central and Central Florida will collaborate on weed surveys, implement Extension programs, disseminate weed identification and management information, and evaluate programs. In years 1 and 2, weed surveys will be conducted in agronomic and forage/pasture production fields. Weed ID and management resources will be generated in coordination with collaborators and stakeholders. The weed identification and management information will be presented at county extension meetings, county agent training events, extension field days, newsletter outlets, trade magazines, social media, and peer-reviewed publicationsDEVELOPING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PRODUCING TROPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL FRUIT IN THE HOME GARDENS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTH FLORIDADrs. Diepenbrock and Dewdney will provide leadership to the team, coordinate with Wendy Wilber to develop local MGV relationships, and work with regional Extension teams for homeowner IPM programming. Florida Master Gardeners will apply IPM principles with their home gardeners under the guidance of our team. We will work with the local county agents and Master Gardeners to develop educational programming appropriate to homeowners. Our team will work with county leaders to disseminate information on our outputs and educational opportunities. Our sub-project will have its own Teams channel for within- project coordination and the information will be shared via an Extension IST.ON-FARM WORKSHOPS TO PROMOTE ADOPTION OF IPM PRACTICES FOR SMALL FRUIT CROP PRODUCERSSriyanka Lahiri will lead and coordinate county-wide extension IST's and workshops on small fruit crop IPM. Collaborating Extension agents will coordinate and organize on-farm workshops in Manatee County and other counties as needed. Doug Phillips, the Blueberry Extension Coordinator, will participate in educational material development and on-farm workshops. On-farm workshops will be coordinated by Jonael H. Bosquez-Mendez, Hardee and Hillsborough County Extension Agents. The Co-PI and collaborators will meet once every month to identify on-farm workshop locations and plan workshops during Years 1, 2, and 3 of the project. Information dissemination will occur in-person through hands-on experience.PROMOTING IPM FOR MOSQUITO CONTROL IN SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHICALLY DIVERSE COMMUNITIESIn this subproject, Co-PI Martin and collaborator Diaz will form an interdisciplinary group of vector biologist, Extension scientists and vector control district personnel to identify the factors that lead to high mosquito abundance and to educate homeowners on IPM for mosquito control. Dr. Martin will coordinate regular meetings with the team via Zoom. Drs. Diaz and Jiang, along with Dr. Martin, will produce the survey questionnaire. The team will collaborate to publish IPM information including fact sheets related to mosquito and arboviral diseases and mosquito management guides to be distributed in communities, as well as a scientific manuscript.DEVELOPING IPM IN COLD HARDY AND RESIDENTIAL CITRUSThe Co-PIs and collaborators will work together with a group composed of county Extension faculty and citrus growers to ensure stakeholder needs are addressed. The Co-PIs will conduct a planning meeting with the sub-project members and additional county faculty members. A series of follow-up meetings will be held via electronic media. Every year, progress will be assessed by the workgroup members and stakeholders. We will collaborate with Florida county Extension personnel and citrus growers will collaborate to advise and assist with developing a workshop curriculum best suited for county Extension training and for relevancy to Extension audiences. Information, resources, and assessment need results will be disseminated widely within Florida.EMPOWERING AG PROFESSIONALS WITH IPM/IRM RECOMMENDATIONS FOR AGRONOMIC CROPS: IPM EDUCATION REGARDING PEST SUSCEPTIBILITY AND RISK OF RESISTANCE TO INSECTICIDES AND BT CROPSThe activities of the sub-project will be divided between the Co-PI and collaborators in each region. They will build a pipeline of information and Extension material, technical publications, presentations, and posts on the West Florida REC and UF/IFAS Extension homepage. Continued involvement will be maintained in collaboration with three Extension agents strategically located in East, Central, and West regions of the Florida Panhandle. Data will be stored long-term in Microsoft Teams on servers at the University of Florida with access to all collaborators for sharing files and conducting meetings.LANDSCAPING FUNDAMENTALS, FUNDAMENTOS DEL PAISAJISMOThe project coordinators are Central Florida Extension agents who work directly with horticultural industry stakeholders including FNGLA, SiteOne, SePro, numerous municipal recreational land managers, and multiple horticultural advisory committees. Collectively, the Extension agent collaborators have a newsletter reach exceeding 28,000 individuals, and also support local landscapers with over 100 specific one- on- one landscape consultations per year. They will develop landscape fundamentals training components, have them translated into Spanish, deliver pilot training in English, publish training materials and deliver them in English and Spanish, and present program outcomes and impacts at conferences.

Progress 09/01/23 to 08/31/24

Outputs
Target Audience:State, regional and national IPM and IPPM stakeholders, commodity associations, agricultural producers, general public, IPM end users, consumers, underserved communities, land-grant university partners (research, teaching and Extension faculty, staff and students), federal, state and county governmental agencies (USDA, National Institute of Food and Agriculture; USDA, Agricultural Research Service; USDA, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service; Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry, Bureau of Methods Development and Biological Control), Association of Natural Biocontrol Producers, Regional Biological Control Projects S-1073 and W-5185, Florida A&M UniversityCenter for Biological Control, nursery personnel, maintenance and pest management professionals, green industry grower and nursery professionals, landscape and nursery industry associations, K-12 teachers, homeowners, Master Gardeners and volunteers, county Extension faculty, urban planners, landscape architects, developers, conservation personnel, plant community organizations and societies, scientists, industry professionals, state and regional IPM stakeholders, community associations, home gardeners and fruit growers, mosquito control districts, landscape workers, Hispanic/Latino stakeholders, botanical garden professionals, conservation organizations,and scientific societies. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Norm Leppla- Oral presentations were delivered at (11) scientific meetings where we attended sessions. The students and I gained experience in sampling plant and insect tissues, performing protein extractions, and conducting protein degradations for DNS analysis. We participated in weekly departmental seminars and the FAMU Center for Biological Control annual meeting. We also frequently interacted with stakeholders, especially county Extension faculty. Brian Bahder- Pertinent information was disseminated at 12 additional Extension talks focused on lethal bronzing. Vector populations are significantly lower than in previous years when data was collected. Jaret Daniels- Oral training presentations were delivered at a total (6) stakeholder events, conferences, trade shows, or webinars including The Landscape Show in Orlando, FL;South Carolina Pest Pro Summit in Columbia, SC;Transforming Landscapes for a Sustainable Future in Vero Beach, FL;Wildlife and Invasive Species Education continuing education program in Sumter County, FL;Everde Grower's Horticultural Encounter Webinar;and Southeastern U.S. Halfmoon Education, Inc. webinar. In total, these presentations reached over 500 individuals. Greg MacDonald- In-service training (IST) was conducted to provide weed identification information to the UF/IFAS row crop agents. Ten agents participated in the IST and their primary program is row crops. Likewise, one graduate student and one student OPS (hourly student worker) received training on weed field survey, compiling weed identification and management information, and website development. Lauren Diepenbrock- This project has highlighted gaps in information dissemination to non-commercial clientele from several commodity specialists, as well as developed a list of priority needs as seen by the Florida Master Gardener Volunteers who staff our plant clinics and are often the first line of assistance for residential clientele. Sriyanka Lahiri- In-person interaction and distribution of educational materials occurred at the on-farm workshops. Graduates: One doctor of plant medicine student, one M.S. student, two Ph.D. candidates. ?Estelle Martin- One lab technician, two hourly student workers, and four interns from the University of Florida Active Learning Program received training performing the mosquito surveillance in low-income and high-income neighborhoods. One lab technician received training preparing knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) survey and applying for IRB permits. Xavier Martini- The "Citrus Health Forum Workshop"is organized annually and gathered this year 80 citrus growers from FL, GA, and AL. One of the participants was Dr. Bassanezi from Funde Citrus who highlighted the need to pursue HLB tree removal in areas where infection rate is still below 10%. Silvana Paula-Moraes- Participated in four field days in row crops and in the "Peanut Agronomic Series In-Service Training". Hannah Wooten- Ongoing training incorporates new bilingual landscape training materials. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Norm Leppla- Technical information was delivered via the news media (5), county Extension (5), and direct to clientele on major pest problems (23). The IPM Florida website received more than 144,000 visits and there were 561 direct consultations. The IPM Florida Lab produced infographics (3), published refereed (4) and non-refereed (4) publications, and delivered (11) presentations at scientific meetings. Brian Bahder- Two palm school events were planned and helped, one in Broward Co. (86 participants) and one in Orange Co. (76 participants). At the Orlando event, confidence in identification increased from 51% to 88%. In Broward, confidence increased from 62% to 89%. Jaret Daniels- Information was delivered via (6) in-person or virtual oral presentations, and five (5) publications. The publications are the result of a larger multi-faculty UF collaborative program focused on wildlife-friendly landscaping. Greg MacDonald- In-person training, IST Extension workshops, and presentations on problematic weeds and control strategies were delivered. Website training for weed identification included: 1 category - Private/Row Crop/D&R, and 1 Core - both 487 & 482 category. Lauren Diepenbrock- Extension documents have been made available through UF/IFAS Extension. Sriyanka Lahiri- In-person interaction and distribution of educational materials at the on-farm workshop. Estelle Martin- KAP surveys and education material regarding mosquito, mosquito borne disease and mosquito control are being distributed to homeowners of low-income and high-income neighborhoods. Xavier Martini- Information has been distributed in person during the field days and in (1) journal article, (2) articles in professional magazines, (1) professional internet blog, (6) conference talks, and (1) conference abstract. Silvana Paula-Moraes- there were four visits of elementary and high school studentsat WFREC, estimated 200 students, to learn about managingpests in commercial fields. Extension events: Corn and soybean field day 07/25/2023; Extension Farm Field Day 08/24/2023; Row crops field day 01/30/2024; Peanut Agronomic Series IST 01/23/2024; and Scouting Pest School 06/14/2024. Outreach events: Spring Festival of Flowers--Entomology stand, 04/01/2023: Insect diversity and identification; visit of schools in the Entomology Lab at WFREC, Fall 2023 and Spring 2024. ?Hannah Wooten- I increased inclusion, diversity, equity, and access to bilingual training opportunities. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Norm Leppla- A system is beingdeveloped fornatural enemy producers touse for rearing Trichopoda pennipes on the southern green stink bug. Additionally, we will determine the host preference and suitability of T. pennipes for three southeastern species: Nezara viridula (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), Anasa tristis (Hemiptera: Coreidae), and Leptoglossus phyllopus (Hemiptera: Coreidae). The objective is to determine if parasitods reared on one host family can be used to parasitize another family. It is hypothesized that the females will prefer to oviposit on the host on which they were reared. Establishing a reliable means to predict host preference of T. pennipes is essential for establishing biological control programs that may selectively target hosts of economic importance. We will continue to consult on the use of natural enemies on invasive arthropods. Brian Bahder- All data currently collected and manuscripts are in preparation for submission this year documenting vector distribution, phenology, and phytoplasma seasonal data. Jaret Daniels- We will continue to deliver training presentations at stakeholder events, conferences, trade shows and webinars throughout the region. We will complete the online Integrated Pest and Pollinator Management (IPPM) training program modules and associated educational materials to help promote the program and train target stakeholder groups as well as purchase additional education materials. Lastly, we are launching the IPPM training program. Greg MacDonald- We have identified several emerging species that have become problematic. We are categorizing these species based on cropping system and predominant crop. We will compile the weed information for the website, including pictures, descriptive information and management strategies. We will hold a final workshop, possibly integrated with field days on weed identification for county agents and row crop producers in Florida. This will include an introduction to the website and the printed materials. We will finalize the website and its content with more species and descriptions based on field surveys. We will categorize species into manageable subgroups based on cropping system and beta-test the weed control herbicide matrix we developed to link the proper herbicide treatment with the weed and crop of interest. We have also included preventative, biological, mechanical, and cultural methods of control on the website to integrate an IPM holistic approach to overall weed management. We have also developed 4 EDIS publications that are under review. These target major weed species in agronomic row crops. Lauren Diepenbrock- We continue to focus on fruit crops in Central Florida beginning with citrus. A graduate intern is working with faculty members and Extension agents in the south Florida region to update information on avocado, banana, carambola, dragonfruit, guava, lychee, mango, and papaya. Documents on these crops are currently available for residential clientele.We also will developed additional documents to fill information gaps. Sriyanka Lahiri- Cooperating Extension Agents are developing final educational materials. Estelle Martin- We will continue the mosquito collection to reach 24 months, perform statistical analysis to write our manuscript, and present findings to homeowners. We will follow up on our KAP surveys. Xavier Martini- In the next period, we will conduct an Annual Citrus Health forum. One EDIS publication will be produced regarding the outcome and organization of the "101 Citrus Care Workshop"for citrus homeowners. Our Extension program for citrus homeowners will be presented at an ESA meeting. Silvana Paula-Moraes- Continue documenting year-round flight of economically-important lepidopteran pests in an overwintering and migratory region; establish annual sentinel plots of select agronomic crops at WFREC to be monitored for the presence of Lepidopteraand other pests targeted by Bt cotton and corn, and conventional insecticides; report and update the occurrence of pests associated with agronomic crops;and provide region-specific information onIPM and IRM. Hannah Wooten- I will publish bilingual landscape training materials to share with advisory committees and stakeholder groups. Administer trainings incorporating new bilingual landscape training materials resulting in an increase of knowledge of best landscaping practices. Evaluate actual implementation of best practices by bilingual landscape teams.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Biocontrol of invasive arthropods and associated cultural practices- Norm Leppla (2 objectives). Objective 1: 80% complete. Provided Extension support for IPM of eriophyid mites in an elderberry crop with considerable potential as an alternative crop for underserved farmers in Florida and the Southeast. Improved laboratory propagated of Trichopoda pennipes as a potential product for the commercial biological control industry to control invasive stink bugs. Objective 2: 80% complete. Served as the UF/IFAS IPM Coordinator to develop and oversee subprojects and serve on the Southern Region IPM coordinating committee. Trained students (5), participated in Extension in-service and other IPM training, provided leadership for the IPM Academy, served as a point of contact for clientele, and provided IPM consultation. Controlling populations of palm phytoplasma vectors in palm nurseries- Brian Bahder (2 objectives). Objective 1: 100% complete. Three growers (in-ground palm nurseries) have reported implementation if management practices for control of the vector, H. crudus and reported two years of no new infections in their nursery plots. Objective 2: 75% complete. Two workshops were held; one in Orange County for growers to help identifyH. crudusand another in Miami-Dade County at Fairchild Botanical Collection, also for training research staff to collect and identify H. crudus. Development of a regional certificate program in pollination ecology and pollinator health- Jaret Daniels (3 objectives).Objective 1: 100% complete. The survey addressed interest, perceptions, knowledge gaps, and markets for wildlife/pollinator-friendly plants and needed information gaps and training. Results indicated broad consumer, green industry, and landscape maintenance interest. Four peer-reviewed manuscripts were completed. Objective 2: 80% complete. We have completed a comprehensive online Integrated Pest and Pollinator Management training program outline with detailed individual modules, learning outcomes, and activities and are currently working with UF's Center for Online Learning Technology (COLT) to storyboard and record individual modules. Objective 3: 65% complete. Stakeholder training will include in-person and virtual workshops for Extension agents and industry professionals. The online Integrated Pest and Pollinator Management training program will be completed and available to go live in fall 2024. Basic IPPM program marketing and training was delivered at six events. Develop and disseminate weed species profiles and integrated weed management strategies for agronomic and forage/pasture systems in Florida- Greg MacDonald (3 objectives). Objective 1: 95% complete. The surveys of weed populations have been conducted from major agronomic cropping systems (peanut, cotton, corn, and soybean) in the Panhandle region of Florida, including major summer weeds and winter weeds in cereal grains, predominately wheat. High-resolution images were collected on various weeds from the commercial fields for use on websites and for educational purposes. Objective 2: 95% complete. In-service training was conducted to provide weed identification information to the UF/IFAS row crop agents. Annually, these participants serve growers for weed identification and herbicide recommendation on more than 40,000 acres that resulted in cost savings of $7.2/acre, equivalent to a total of $288k annually. Objective 3: 90% complete. The images of >60 weed species at different growth stages have been compiled from cotton, peanut, corn, and soybean fields. Some of the weed images have been incorporated into a preliminary website: https://wfrec.ifas.ufl.edu/weed-science-lab/weed-id-gallery/row-crop-weeds/. Developing IPM recommendations for producing tropical and subtropical fruit in the home gardens of Central and South Florida- Lauren Diepenbrock (1 objective).Objective 1: 100% complete. Twenty Extension education documents were produced and will be available in Fall 2024. Additionally, nine slide decks were created for the Florida MGV program covering growing fruit crops in home landscapes. On-farm workshops to promote adoption of IPM practices for small fruit crop producers- Sriyanka Lahiri (2 objectives). Objective 1: 75% complete. Four stereomicroscopes were purchased for the four UF/IFAS Extension agents serving four counties for use in developing educational materials and on-farm demonstration/consulting on grape, blueberry, and blackberry pests. Objective 2: 100% complete. Two on-farm workshops were held with four Extension agents, seven state specialists, and 28 growers on IPM techniques in entomology, nematology, pathology, and horticulture in strawberry, blueberry, blackberry, and grapes. CEUs were provided to 21 growers in the categories of private applicator, ag row, ag tree, soil, and greenhouse fumigation, and aerial application. Promoting IPM for mosquito control in socio-demographically diverse communities- Estelle Martin (2 objectives). Objective 1: 75% complete. Collected a total of 4,798 mosquitoes across 8 genera and 29 mosquito species from December 2022 till December 2023. Mosquito diversity was higher during the wet season (p<0.0001) than the dry season and higher income neighborhoods had more mosquito diversity than lower income neighborhood (p<0.001). Objective 2: 75% complete. The response rate for our first survey was 4.5%. Our preliminary analysis of 6 of our 30 questions reveled that knowledge and practices towardsmosquito control and mosquito borne diseases did not differ by neighborhood status, but that attitude and perception varied. Developing IPM in cold hardy and residential citrus- Xavier Martini (3 objectives). Objective 1: 75% complete. A survey was conducted among Florida Citrus homeowners to describe their needs for training. Homeowners from areas where HLB is still rare were less competent in identifying the Asian citrus psyllid. Objective 2: 100% complete. Workshops made homeowners more aware of how to control ACP in their properties. Objective 3: 100% complete. Five 101 Citrus Care Workshops for citrus homeowners were conducted in local UF/IFAS offices in five counties. Empowering Ag professionals with IPM/IRM recommendations: IPM education in pest susceptibility and risk of resistance to insecticides and Bt crops- Silvana Paula-Moraes (3 objectives). Objective 1: 100% complete. Provided support for IPM decision-making in agronomic crops for Ag professionals in the Florida Panhandle.Objective 2: 75% complete. Continuing to document the performance of Bt traits and insecticide resistance by year-round pheromone trapping of Helicoverpa armigera and other Lepidoptera in corn, cotton and peanut. Objective 3: 100% complete.Improved IRM recommendations for Ag professionals by performing diagnostic insecticide bioassays. Landscaping Fundamentals, Fundamentos del Paisajismo- Hannah Wooten (4 objectives combined). 100% complete. Expanded Extension Agent networks of professional landscaping leaders, specifically targeting and training trainers in Green Industries Best Management Practices, with an emphasis on bilingual trainers. The Basics of Landscapingbilingual landscape training flip booklet was completed.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Kalauni, D., L. A. Warner, E. Marois, J. M. Diaz, A. Dale, and J. Daniels. 2024. Wildlife-Friendly Landscaping: Connecting Professionals and the Public: AEC789/WC450, EDIS, University of Florida (https://doi.org/10.32473/edis-wc450-2024).
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Warner , L. A., D. Kalauni, J. M. Diaz, E. Marois, A. Dale, and J. Daniels. 2024. Encouraging Residents to Request Wildlife-Friendly Landscape Maintenance from Their Chosen Professionals: A Stages of Change Approach for Extension and Other Practitioners: AEC795/WC456, 4/2024. EDIS, University of Florida (https://doi.org/10.32473/edis-wc456-2024).
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Kalauni, D., Warner; L. A., Diaz, J. M., Daniels, J., Dale, A., and Marois, E. 2023. Formative Audience Research to Increase Consumer Demand for Professional Wildlife-Friendly Landscape Maintenance. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 128152. (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2023.128152)
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Kalauni, D., Warner, L. A., Silvert, C. J., Gusto, C., Diaz, J. M., and Daniels, J. 2023. Green Industry Experts Consensus about Wildlife-Friendly Landscape Maintenance: Delphi-Informed Implications for Agricultural and Extension Educators. Journal of Agricultural Education 64: 109134. (https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.v64i3.115).
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2023 Citation: Leppla, N. C. 2023. Quality Control in Insect Mass Rearing: Applications in Biological Control. Siconbiol, Petrolina, Brazil.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2023 Citation: Leppla, N. C. Trap Cropping for Organic Tomato Production in Florida (USA), 3rd International and 7th National Conference on Organic vs Conventional Agriculture, University Mohaghegh of Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Nickerson, C., Krebs, C., Warner, L. A., Baker, L., Daniels, J., and Dale, A. 2023. Attitudes and Preferences of Consumers and Growers Toward a Proposed Scientifically-based Trademarked Process for Wildlife-Friendly Plants. HortTechnology 33: 470-476. (https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTTECH05230-23)
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Exilien, R. G., Warner, L. A., Diepenbrock, L., Williams, D., and Martini, X. 2024. Residents' contribution to Asian citrus psyllid and citrus greening management in Florida residential habitats. Journal of Integrated Pest Management 15: 22. (https://doi.org/10.1093/jipm/pmae012)
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Martini X, Esquivel, I, and Williams, D. 2024. Management of the invasive peanut snail in citrus. Cold Hardy Citrus Connection, 5: 2-3.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Martini X, Sprague D, and Conover D. G. 2023. Managing ambrosia beetles in citrus and other fruit trees. Panhandle Ag e-News. (https://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/phag/2023/04/28/managing-ambrosia-beetles-in-citrus-and-other-fruit-trees/)
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Martini, X., Sprague, D., and Conover, D. G. 2023. Managing Ambrosia Beetles in Cold Hardy Citrus. Cold Hardy Citrus Connection, 4: 2-4.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2024 Citation: Martini, X., and Exilien, R., 2024. Distribution and overwintering of the Asian citrus psyllid in North Florida and Georgia. Entomological Society of America, SEB Symposium, Augusta, GA.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2023 Citation: Paris, T., Exilien, R., and Martini, X. 2023. Strategies in Asian psyllid and whitefly pest management: exploring the synergistic effects of nanoclay and essential oils. Materials Innovation for Sustainable Agriculture Symposium, Orlando, FL.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2023 Citation: Exilien R , and Martini X. 2023. Plant-based essential oils and kaolin to control Asian citrus psyllid. Entomological Society of America Annual National Meeting Symposium, National Harbor, MD.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2023 Citation: Martini, X. 2023. Use of nanoclay and essential oil for whitefly and Asian citrus psyllid control. 12th Sustainable Nanotechnology Organization Meeting, Marina Del Rey, CA.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2024 Citation: Romain, E. J. Q., and X. Martini. 2024. Evaluation of repellent effects of plant-based essential oils, red dye, and kaolin on Asian citrus psyllid. Florida Entomological Society annual meeting, Quincy, FL.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2024 Citation: Paula-Moraes, S. V. 2024. Beyond pest control: topics for the improvement of IPM and IRM of lepidopteran pests associated with row crops. XX International Plant Protection Congress (IPPC), Athens, Greece.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2024 Citation: Calixto, E. S., and Paula-Moraes, S. V. 2024. Temporal population dynamics of Spodoptera eridania (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in the Florida Panhandle. Entomological Society of America, SEB, Augusta, GA.
• Type: Books Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Wooten, H., Pinkerton, M., McIntyre, T., and Sanchez-Jones, T. 2024. Basics of Landscaping in Florida/Conceptos B�sicos del Paisajismo en Florida. UF/IFAS Bookstore.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2023 Citation: Malfa K. G., and Martini, X. 2023. Overwintering and cold tolerance of the Asian citrus psyllid in north Florida. Entomological Society of America Annual Meeting Symposium, National Harbor MD.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Ivey, C. B., N. C. Leppla, A. C. Hodges, and J. E. Eger. 2023. Quality control applications for recovering an inbred colony of Bagrada hilaris (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae). J. Insect Science. 23: 8; 16 (https://doi.org/10.1093/jisesa/iead057).
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Leppla, N. C., L. M. LeBeck, and M. W. Johnson. 2024. Status and Trends of Biological Control Research, Extension, and Education in the United States. Ann. Ent. Soc. Amer. 117:1-9. (https://doi.org/10.1093/aesa/saae005).
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2023 Citation: Rooney, L. M., N. C. Leppla, K. J. Stacey and L. Konopasek. 2023. Host preference of Trichopoda pennipes on Nezara viridula, Anasa tristis, and Leptoglossus phyllopus in North Central Florida. Entomological Society of America, SEB., Little Rock, AK.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2023 Citation: Leppla, N. C. 2023. The State of Commercial and Non-commercial Biological Control in the United States. Entomological Society of America, SEB., Little Rock, AK.

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

Outputs
Target Audience:State, regional and national IPM and IPPM stakeholders, commodity associations, agricultural producers, general public, IPM end users, consumers, underserved communities, land-grant university partners (research, teaching and Extension faculty, staff and students), federal, state and county governmental agencies (USDA, National Institute of Food and Agriculture; USDA, Agricultural Research Service; USDA, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service; Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry, Bureau of Methods Development and Biological Control), Association of Natural Biocontrol Producers, Regional Biological Control Projects S-1073 and W-5185, Florida A&M University, Center for Biological Control, nursery personnel, maintenance and pest management professionals, green industry grower and nursery professionals, landscape and nursery industry associations, K-12 teachers, homeowners, Master Gardeners and volunteers, county Extension faculty, urban planners, landscape architects, developers, conservation personnel, plant community organizations and societies, scientists, industry professionals, state and regional IPM stakeholders, community associations, home gardeners and fruit growers, mosquito control districts, landscape workers, and Hispanic/Latino Stakeholders. botanical garden professionals, conservation organizations and societies. Changes/Problems:Dr. Pratap Devkota, a UF/IFAS Weed Scientist located at West Florida REC, Jay left UF/IFAS in mid-May 2023. He was Co-PI for the subproject, "Develop and Disseminate Weed Species Profile and Integrated Management Strategies for Agronomic and Forage/Pasture Systems in Florida" This subproject will be continued by Dr. Greg MacDonald UF/IFAS Weed Scientist, Agronomy Department, main campus in Gainesville, FL. The Year 1 & 2 objectives were: 1) Conduct agronomic (and forage/pasture) weed surveys at commercial fields throughout the Panhandle, North Central, and Central regions of Florida, 2) Compile available management information/strategies on these weeds and disseminate information on weed identification, control strategies, and integrated management to the stakeholders, and 3) Develop a website and update MyIPM app with information on weed identification and management. Dr. MacDonald will assume responsibility for completing the work on these objectives. Additionally, he has expanded objective 3: Develop a website and update MyIPM app with information on weed identification and management modified to include production and disseminate of multiple small integrated weed management guides that fit together, each targeting a group of species (morningglories, grasses, pigweeds, winter annuals, etc.) with management strategies to integrate methods to avoid or address herbicide resistance. He plans to provide a comprehensive guide to the amaranth species of Florida, including methods to discern species at the seedling and early growth stages. Amaranthus species represent some of the most widespread and problematic weeds in Florida row crops and pastures. There are 15 known species of Amaranthus in Florida [Institute for Systemic Botany, University of South Florida (https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/)], which is more than most states in the southeast. This does not include the grain and leafy vegetable types that commonly occur in South Florida and throughout the Caribbean, which can also become weedy. Accurate and timely identification of these individual species is important due to rampant herbicide resistance issues commonly associated with Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri). Dr. Brian Bahder had some collaborating extension agents retire so the location of events/effort was shifted to Orange County instead of Palm Beach County. Dr. Lauren Diepenbrock found local co-advisors not as active in working with the summer graduate intern as anticipated. Due to this challenge, the intern for summer 2023 is located at the same research site as Co-PD Diepenbrock to ensure that Extension products are submitted for review during the internship. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Norm Leppla- Oral presentations were delivered at (11) scientific meetings where we attended sessions. The students and I gained experience in sampling plant and insect tissues, performing protein extractions, and conducting protein degradations for DNS analysis. We participated in weekly departmental seminars and the FAMU Center for Biological Control annual meeting. We also frequently interacted with stakeholders, especially county Extension faculty. Brian Bahder- Post doctoral researcher De-Fen Mou helped coordinate and presented at Palm School events held in Broward County and Orange County. Jaret Daniels- Oral training presentations were delivered at a total (6) stakeholder events, conferences, trade shows, or webinars including the North Carolina Nursery & Landscape Association green industry showcase Green & Growin' 23 in Statesboro, NC, National Garden Club 2022 Convention in Orlando, FL, and the Florida Master Gardener Volunteer 38th Advanced Training Conference in Kissimmee, FL. In total, these presentations reached over 1,070 individuals. Pratap Devkota- In-service training (IST) was conducted to provide weed identification information to the UF/IFAS row crop agents. Ten agents participated in the IST and their primary program is row crops. Likewise, one graduate student and one student OPS (hourly student worker) received training on weed field survey, compiling weed identification and management information, and website development. Lauren Diepenbrock- This project has highlighted gaps in information dissemination to non-commercial clientele from several commodity specialists, as well as developed a list of priority needs as seen by the Florida Master Gardener Volunteers who staff our plant clinics and are often the first line of assistance for residential clientele. Sriyanka Lahiri- The four microscopes with camera and monitor was instrumental for training and professional development of the four extension agents, Wael Elwakil, Lisa Hickey, Doug Phillips, and Jonael Bosquez-Mendez to organize one on-farm workshop for a small-scale small fruit crop grower. Additionally, one postdoctoral research associate, two hourly student workers, 3 graduate students, and one postdoctoral lab technician received training and professional development during the planning of workshop materials and showcasing live insects and biological control agents to the growers. Estelle Martin- one lab technician, two hourly student workers, and four interns from the University of Florida Active Learning program received training performing the mosquito surveillance in low-income and high-income neighborhoods. One lab technician received training preparing knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) survey and applying for IRB permits. Xavier Martini- We conducted 1 field days ("Citrus health Forum") that attracted 120 participants, and one In Service Training with 14 participants. Participants to the field days included growers, and professional field consultants. Participant to In Service Training included County Agents, Regional Extension Agent, State specialists, Students and Post-docs. During these event participants were trained in cold resistance management, citrus pest control and disease management. Silvana Paula-Moraes- A module in pest identification and management of pest using Bt technology was prepared for the "Florida Certified Crop Adviser Educational Program", participated in two winter field days, and conducted the "Peanut Agronomic Series In-Service Training". The PI and Extension Agent Ethan Carter participated in and presented information on the Extension work at the 2023 Entomological Society of America, Southeastern Branch Meeting in Little Rock, AK. Elementary school students visited the Entomology Laboratory, WREC. Hannah Wooten- Ongoing training will incorporate new bilingual landscape training materials. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Norm Leppla- Technical information was delivered via the news media (5), county Extension (5), and direct to clientele on major pest problems (23). The IPM Florida website received more than 144,000 visits and there were 561 direct consultations. The IPM Florida Lab produced infographics (3), published refereed (4) and non-refereed (4) publications, and delivered (11) presentations at scientific meetings. Brian Bahder- Two palm school events were planned and help, one in Broward Co. (86 participants) and one in Orange Co. (76 participants). At the Orlando event, confidence in identification increase from 51% to 88%. In Broward, confidence increased from 62% to 89%. Jaret Daniels- Information was delivered via (6) in-person or virtual oral presentations, published refereed (1) publications, and (2) media stories. An additional (3) refereed publications have been accepted or are in review. Pratap Devkota- In-person training, IST Extension workshops and presentations on problematic weeds and control strategies. Website for weed identification, (1 category - Private/Row Crop/D&R, and 1 Core - both 487 & 482 category). Lauren Diepenbrock- Extension documents will be available through UF/IFAS extension. Sriyanka Lahiri- One on-farm workshop was held for seven small fruit crops growers in December 2022. CEUs provided to 7 growers in 2022 were :2.5 CAA CEUs, 2 FDACS CEUs for Private, Ag Row, Ag Tree, and Demo & Research. Four stereomicroscopes purchased for the four UF/IFAS extension agents serving four counties for use in development of educational materials and on-farm demonstration/consulting. Estelle Martin- KAP surveys and education material regarding mosquito, mosquito borne disease and mosquito control are ready to be distributed to homeowners of low-income and high-income neighborhoods. Xavier Martini- Information has been distributed in person during the field days and the In service training. In addition (2) citrus pest guides have been written in the context of this project, we published (3) articles in professional websites (Panhandle Ag e-News, Gardening in the Panhandle, Citrus Industry news), one article in a professional magazine (Citrograph), and 1 article in a professional newsletter (Cold Hardy Citrus Connection). Silvana Paula-Moraes- Extension events: Row Crop Field Day and Celebration of the 75 years of West Florida Research and Education Center (WFREC), 08/25/2022: Region-specific information and updates of pests associated with row crops; Corn and Soybean Field day, 01/20/2023: Updates in IPM/IRM for corn and soybean in Florida; 2023 Row crop Production Meeting, 01/31/2023: Updates in IPM/IRM for cotton and peanut in Florida"; Peanut Agronomic Series In-Service Training; Peanut Agronomic Series In-Service Training, 01/31/2023, IPM and IRM Recommendations for Peanut in Florida; Florida Certified Crop Adviser Educational Program Training - Online Module: Competence Area 5 Pest management. Outreach events: Santa Rosa Leadership Day, 10/21/2022: Research, Teaching, and Extension work of the Entomology Lab at WFREC; Spring Festival of Flowers - Entomology stand, 04/01/2023: Insect diversity and identification; elementary schools visited the Entomology Lab at WFREC, Fall 2022. Hannah Wooten- I increased inclusion, diversity, equity, and access to bilingual training opportunities. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Norm Leppla- We will develop a system that natural enemy producers can use for rearing Trichopoda pennipes on the southern green stink bug. Additionally, we will determine the host preference and suitability of T. pennipes for three southeastern species: Nezara viridula (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), Anasa tristis (Hemiptera: Coreidae), and Leptoglossus phyllopus (Hemiptera: Coreidae). The objective is to determine if parasitods reared on one host family can be used to parasitize another family. It is hypothesized that the females will prefer to oviposit on the host on which they were reared. Establishing a reliable means to predict host preference of T. pennipes is essential for establishing biological control programs that may selectively target hosts of economic importance. We will continue to consult on the use of natural enemies on invasive arthropods. Brian Bahder- Continue collecting stakeholder generated data on H. crudus populations where IPM practices are implemented. Results will be integrated into a manuscript being prepared on nymph distribution and density in palm nurseries. Jaret Daniels- We will continue to deliver training presentations at stakeholder events, conferences, trade shows and webinars throughout the region, and disseminate program marketing and training materials to help market the certificate program. Module development for the IPPM course will be completed and launch for the 12-credit online Pollinator Health and Ecology Certificate Program. Pratap Devkota (Greg MacDonald)- We will complete the website and add more weedy species as necessary for most agronomic crops. We will also delineate species into subgroups based on weed or cropping system and these will be used to construct the print weed ID guides. We will also use these when updating the MyIPM app. We will also revisit the best way to link management, especially herbicides, since labels change frequently with the website and more importantly printed materials. A final workshop on ID will be given and will include an introduction to the website and the printed materials. Lauren Diepenbrock- For the summer 2023, we are focusing on fruit crops in Central Florida beginning with citrus. The summer intern has drafted three Extension education documents aimed at a general use audience and will be shared in regional plant clinics and made available online to help Master Gardener Volunteers and residential clientele identify the arthropods and diseases plaguing their trees. Sriyanka Lahiri- Seven take home kits for growers were distributed comprising of two extension publications (UF/IFAS EDIS) on chilli thrips management in strawberry and blackberry pests in Florida. Additionally, 40x hand lenses and pre-test and post-tests were used to assess an increase in awareness of commercially available biological control agents. Awareness of MyIPM cellphone app. was also raised. A second on-farm workshop will be held at a blueberry farm where talks on pathology and small fruit production practices will be delivered in addition to insect pest management related talks. An additional six speakers have been recruited. Estelle Martin- This summer we will continue our monthly mosquito trapping and will distribute the KAP survey to homeowners. Xavier Martini- In the next period we will conduct a series of workshop for citrus homeowners. The materials and the objectives are based on the finding from the survey we conducted as part of this project. Results from the survey will be submitted to the Journal of IPM. We will also organize our annual field days "Citrus Health Forum". Silvana Paula-Moraes- Document year-round flight of economic lepidopteran pests in an overwintering and migratory region; establish annual sentinel plots of select agronomic crops at WFREC to be monitored for the presence lepidopteran and other pests targeted by Bt cotton and corn, and conventional insecticides; report and update the occurrence of pests associated with agronomic crops, and region-specific information and IPM and IRM. Hannah Wooten- I will publish bilingual landscape training materials. Share with advisory committees and stakeholder groups. Administer trainings incorporating new bilingual landscape training materials resulting in an increase of knowledge of best landscaping practices. Evaluate actual implementation of best practices by bilingual landscape teams.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Biocontrol of invasive arthropods and associated cultural practices- Norm Leppla (2 objectives). We collaboratively determined how pyriproxyfen can be used to induce oogenesis in diapausing kudzu bugs, Megacopta cribraria (Heteroptera: Plataspidae), and thereby produce eggs for rearing the parasitoid, Paratelenomus saccharalis (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae). Trichopoda pennipes (Diptera: Tachinidae), a parasite of the southern green stink bug, Nezara. viridula (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), was field collected, reared, and evaluated as a biological control agent. About 92% of the pupae eclosed as adult parasitoids in the laboratory. In the field, 428 N. viridula adults collected over six weeks averaged 57% parasitism. Controlling populations of palm phytoplasma vectors in palm nurseries- Brian Bahder (2 objectives). Two on-site training sessions occurred where stakeholders reported positive rates of vector identification in the field that was validated in the lab. This resulted from accurately recognizing suitable habitat and proper sampling techniques. Yellow sticky traps were disseminated to all participants to plant in their nursery plots to monitor populations of H. crudus over time as management is implemented. Development of a regional certificate program in pollination ecology and pollinator health- Jaret Daniels (3 objectives). I leveraged resources from a related complementary project to complete a detailed consumer, nursery industry grower, and landscape maintenance professional survey to address interest, perceptions, knowledge gaps, and market for wildlife/pollinator-friendly plants and needed information gaps and training. Results indicated broad consumer, green industry, and landscape maintenance interest for the development of best IPPM practices and delivery of corresponding training and educational resource content. Four peer-review manuscripts were completed and have been published, accepted, or are currently in review. We continue to communicate with various landscape/green industry, botanical garden, and Extension professional stakeholders across the target region to identify training delivery opportunities. We completed a comprehensive Pollinator Health Certificate Program course outline with topics, established learning outcomes and activities, developed module template and topics, enlisted content developers and guest lecturers, and have begun final course content development. Insights from the surveys were incorporated into the course content. Basic program marketing was delivered at eight stakeholder conferences, events and industry tradeshows. Training delivered at three Extension events/conferences/webinars, two stakeholder events/conferences, and one green industry trade show. Lastly, we solidified the other two courses needed for the 12-credit certificate program. Develop and disseminate weed species profiles and integrated weed management strategies for agronomic and forage/pasture systems in Florida- Pratap Devkota (3 objectives). The surveys of weed populations have been conducted from major agronomic cropping systems (peanut, cotton, corn, and soybean) in the Panhandle Region of Florida. The weed images have been incorporated into a preliminary website: https://wfrec.ifas.ufl.edu/weed-science-lab/weed-id-gallery/row-crop-weeds/. In-service training was conducted to provide weed identification information to the UF/IFAS row crop agents. Ten primarily row crop agents participated in the IST. Developing IPM recommendations for producing tropical and subtropical fruit in the home gardens of Central and South Florida- Lauren Diepenbrock (1 objective). We executed a survey to the Florida Master Gardener Volunteers to prioritize information needs for fruit crops in residential landscapes. These crops include avocado, banana, carambola, dragonfruit, guava, lychee, mango, and papaya. A graduate intern worked with faculty and agents in the south Florida region to update information on these crops that is currently available for residential clientele as well as developed new documents to fill the gaps of missing information. On-farm workshops to promote adoption of IPM practices for small fruit crop producers- Sriyanka Lahiri (2 objectives). One on-farm workshop was held for seven small fruit crops growers in December 2022. CEUs provided to seven growers in 2022 were: 2.5 CAA and 2 FDACS for Private, Ag Row, Ag Tree, and Demo & Research. Four stereomicroscopes were purchased for the four UF/IFAS Extension agents serving four counties for use in developing educational materials and on-farm demonstrations. Seven take home kits for growers were distributed comprising two Extension publications (UF/IFAS EDIS) on chilli thrips management in strawberry and blackberry pests in Florida. Additionally, 40x hand lenses and pre-test and post-tests were used to assess an increase in awareness of commercially available biological control agents. Awareness of MyIPM cellphone app was also raised. Promoting IPM for mosquito control in socio-demographically diverse communities- Estelle Martin (1 objective). A five-month collection of mosquitoes in low-income and high-income neighborhood has been completed. Developing IPM in cold hardy and residential citrus- Xavier Martini (3 objectives). We conducted one field day, "Citrus health Forum", with 120 participants, and one In Service Training with 14 participants. Field days included growers, and professional field consultants and the in-service training (IST) included County Agents, Regional Extension Agent, State specialists, Students and Post-doctoral scientists. Participants were trained in cold resistance management, citrus pest control and disease management. Empowering Ag professionals with IPM/IRM recommendations: IPM education in pest susceptibility and risk of resistance to insecticides and Bt crops- Silvana Paula-Moraes (3 objectives). Three sentinel plots of corn were established during the spring, summer, and fall of 2022 to document the abundance, phenology of occurrence, and the performance of Bt traits in the Florida Panhandle. Ten visits to commercial fields/interaction with growers were performed for pest sampling in commercial fields of cotton and peanut, and year-round pheromone trapping is a continuing activity. A survey was done to estimate access in the system and downloadable App for mobile devices "Cotton Pests in Florida". Landscaping Fundamentals, Fundamentos del Paisajismo- Hannah Wooten (4 objectives). I expanded Extension Agent networks of professional landscaping leaders, specifically targeting and training trainers in Green Industries Best Management Practices, with an emphasis on bilingual trainers. The Basics of Landscaping bilingual landscape training flip booklet is in the final editing and graphic design phase.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Bogal, Mesfin, Shova Mishra, Kendal Stacey, Lillie Rooney, Paula Barreto, Gina Marie Bishop, Katherine Lyne Bossert, Kalista Madison Bremer, Daniel Bustamante, Lila Chan, Quan Chau, Julian Cordo, Alyssa Diaz, Jordan Hacker, Lily Hadaegh, Taryn Hibshman, Kimberly Lastra, Fion Lee, Alexandra Mattia, Bao Nguyen, Gretchen Overton, Victoria Reis, Daniel Rhodes, Emily Roeder, Muhamed Rush, Oscar Salichs, Mateo Seslija, Nicholas Stylianou, Vivek Vemugunta, Min Yun, Anthony Auletta, Norman Leppla, Peter DiGennaro. 2023. First description of the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes and associated host preference of Trichopoda pennipes, a parasitoid of Nezara viridula. Genes 14: 1172. https://doi.org/10.3390/genes14061172
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Penca, C., Goltz, N. C., Hodges, A. C., Leppla, N. C., Eger, J. E., and Smith, T. R. 2022. Use of pyriproxyfen to induce oogenesis in diapausing Megacopta cribraria (Heteroptera: Plataspidae), and evaluation of pyriproxyfen-induced eggs for rearing the parasitoid Paratelenomus saccharalis (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae). Insects. 13, 89. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects13010089Insects.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Leppla, N. C., K. J. Stacey, L. M. Rooney, K. M. Lennon, and A. C. Hodges. 2022. Stink bug (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) occurrence, reproduction, and injury to fruit in an organic tomato crop bordered by sorghum. J. Econ. Ent. 116: 144-152.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Santos, I.B., Paula-Moraes, S.V., Beuzelin, J.M., Hahn, D.A., Perera, O.P. 2023. Factors affecting population dynamics of Helicoverpa zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in a mixed landscape with Bt cotton and peanut. Insects, 14:395. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects14040395
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Santos, I.B., Paula-Moraes, S.V., Beuzelin, J., Hahn, D., Fraisse, C. 2022. Phenology of flight and number of generations of Helicoverpa zea Boddie (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in a migratory region. In: 2022 Entomological Society of America National Annual Meeting, November 13-17, Vancouver, Canada.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Stacey, Kendall, Norman Leppla, Glynn Tillman, Lillie Rooney, and Nolan Missigman. 2022. Parasitism rates of Trichopoda pennipes on Nezara viridula in Corn. International IPM Symposium, Denver, CO.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Rooney, Lillie, Kendall Stacey, and Norman Leppla. 2022 Occurrence and Duration of Mating in the Southern Green Stink Bug, Nezara viridula (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) International IPM Symposium, Denver, CO.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Leppla, N.C., History, Purpose and Importance of IOBC, MRQA. 15th IOBC-MRQA Workshop, Bologna, Italy, September 5-9, 2022.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: LeBeck Lynn M., Norman C. Leppla, and Andrew G. Parker. Ongoing Programs and Recent Advancements in Mass Rearing and Quality Assurance for SIT. 15th IOBC-MRQA Workshop, Bologna, Italy, September 5-9, 2022.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Leppla, N.C., Concepts and methods of quality assurance for mass-reared parasitoids and predators. 15th IOBC-MRQA Workshop, Bologna, Italy, September 5-9, 2022.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Santos, A.A., Santos, I.B., Paula-Moraes, S.V. 2023. Flight phenology of Elasmopalpus lignosellus (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in the Northwest Florida Panhandle. Insects, 14:354. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects14040354
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Santos, A.A.P, Santos, I.BG., Paula-Moraes, S. 2022. Temperature as the main driver of Elasmopalpus lignosellus (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) moth abundance. In: 2022 Entomological Society of America National Annual Meeting, November 13-17, Vancouver, Canada.
• Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Stacey, K. J. 2022. Rearing and parasitism of Trichopoda pennipes (Diptera: Tachinidae) on Nezara viridula (Hemiptera; Pentatomidae) for augmentative biological control. Thesis, University of Florida.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Leppla, N.C., Javier Garces, Lorrie Konopasek, and Lillie Rooney, electronic poster at the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA), Global Fresh Produce Show. Orlando, Florida. 10/27-29/22.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Leppla, N.C., S. Houston Wilson, Lynn M. LeBeck, and Marshall W. Johnson. Recent History and Future Trends in Biological Control. ESA National Meeting, Vancouver, Canada 11/13-16/22. (video)
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Krebs, C. L., Warner, L. A., Baker, L. M., Daniels, J.C. and Dale, A. 2022. Innovative Industry: Environmental horticulture professionals perceptions on wildlife-friendly plants and a potential certification offering. Journal of Applied Communications:106 (3): 4.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2023 Citation: Kalauni, D.., Warner; L. A., Diaz, J. M., Daniels, J., Dale, A., and Marois, E.. Formative Audience Research to Increase Consumer Demand for Professional Wildlife-Friendly Landscape Maintenance. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening. Accepted
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2023 Citation: Kalauni, D., Warner, L. A., Silvert, C. J., Gusto, C., Diaz, J. M., & Daniels, J. Green Industry Experts Consensus about Wildlife-Friendly Landscape Maintenance: Delphi-Informed Implications for Agricultural and Extension Educators. Journal of Agricultural Education. Accepted.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2023 Citation: Nickerson, C., Krebs, C., Warner, L.A., Baker, L., Daniels, J. and Dale, A. Attitudes and Preferences of Consumers and Growers Toward a Proposed Scientifically-based Trademarked Process for Wildlife-Friendly Plants. HortTechnology. In Review.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Dale, A., Daniels, J.C., and Mach, B. Oral presentation Integrating Pest and Pollinator Management for Your Home Landscape at the Florida Master Gardener Volunteer 38th Advanced Training Conference. Kissimmee, Florida. 10/16-19/22.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2023 Citation: Dale, A. and Daniels, J.C. Oral presentation Integrating Pest and Pollinator Management for Ornamentals" at the North Carolina Nursery & Landscape Association green industry showcase Green & Growin 23. Greensboro, North Carolina. 01/16-20/23.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2023 Citation: Silva, T., et al. 2023. Fall armyworm susceptibilities to four proteins commonly used proteins in pyramid Bt corn in the southern United States. In: 2023 Entomological Society of America, Southeastern Branch Meeting, March 12-15, Little Rock, AK.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2023 Citation: Carter, E., Esquivel, I.L., Paula-Moraes, S. 2023. Empowering Ag Professionals in Pest Management Decisions by Delivering Extension Information in a Mobile-Friendly Website: Cotton Pests in Florida App.. In: 2023 Entomological Society of America, Southeastern Branch Meeting, March 12-15, Little Rock, AK.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2023 Citation: Santos, I.B., Paula-Moraes, S.V., Hahn, D., Fraisse, C., Beuzelin, J., Omaththage Perera. 2023. Alternative hosts and overwintering survival of Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) southeast U.S. In: 2023 Entomological Society of America, Southeastern Branch Meeting, March 12-15, Little Rock, AK.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Daniels, J.C. Oral Presentation Building More Effective and Sustainable Landscapes for butterflies and other Pollinators" at the National Garden Club 2022 Convention. Orlando, Florida. 05/16-19/22.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2023 Citation: Santos, I.B., Paula-Moraes, S.V., Beuzelin, J., Hahn, D., Fraisse, C. 2022. Phenology of flight and number of generations of Helicoverpa zea Boddie (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in a migratory region. In: 2022 Entomological Society of America National Annual Meeting, November 13-17, Vancouver, Canada.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Daniels, J.C. Oral presentation (video) Improving Best Landscaping Practices for Pollinator Conservation at the World Biodiversity Forum. Davos, Switzerland.

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

Outputs
Target Audience:State, regional and national IPM stakeholders, commodity associations, agricultural producers, general public, IPM end users, consumers, underserved communities, land-grant university partners (research, teaching and Extension faculty, staff and students), federal, state and county governmental agencies (USDA, National Institute of Food and Agriculture; USDA, Agricultural Research Service; USDA, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service; Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry, Bureau of Methods Development and Biological Control; Association of Natural Biocontrol Producers; Regional Biological Control Project S-1073; and Florida A&M University, Center for Biological Control), nursery personnel, maintenance and pest management professionals, green industry, grower, and nursery professionals, landscape and nursery industry associations, K-12 teachers, homeowners, Master Gardeners and volunteers, county Extension faculty, urban planners, landscape architects, developers, conservation personnel, plant community organizations and societies, industry professionals, state and regional IPM stakeholders, community associations, home fruit growers, mosquito control districts, landscape workers, Hispanic/Latino Stakeholders. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?BIOCONTROL OF INVASIVE ARTHROPODS AND ASSOCIATED CULTURAL PRACTICES. Oral presentations (8) at scientific meetings and interaction with stakeholders, UF/IFAS Extension Symposium participant, Oxitec consultation on proposed release of sterile male Aedes aegypti in the Florida Keys, Training: Managing bias, Cost principles, Maintaining a Safe and Respectful Campus, Time and Labor Approvers, R Programming, and Protecting UF: Information Security Training. CONTROLLING POPULATIONS OF PALM PHYTOPLASMA VECTORS IN PALM NURSERIES. Post-doctoral researcher De-Fen Mou helped coordinate and presented at Palm School events held in Broward Co. and Orange Co. DEVELOPMENT OF A REGIONAL CERTIFICATE PROGRAM IN POLLINATION ECOLOGY AND POLLINATOR HEALTH. A workshop talk was provided at the 2022 UF/IFAS Wildlife and Invasive Species Education (WISE) CEU workshop for Extension professionals, master gardeners, master naturalists, wildlife agency professionals, and others. WISE is held in Sumter County, FL but attracts individuals from many surrounding FL counties in north and central FL. DEVELOP AND DISSEMINATE WEED SPECIES PROFILES AND IPM STRATEGIES FOR AGRONOMIC AND FORAGE/PASTURE SYSTEMS IN FLORIDA. Olumide Daramola, a Ph.D. student is involved in this project. The student will be trained in activities such as weed survey in the field, compiling images for weed identification, collaborating for developing website and app, and drafting information on weed control methods and integrated weed management. In addition, extension workshop and In-service training to extension personnel will be conducted for training on weed identification. DEVELOPING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PRODUCING TROPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL FRUIT IN THE HOME GARDENS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTH FLORIDA. Doctor of Plant Medicine student Andy Louis has begin collating currently available resources to find knowledge gaps and begin assembling information into usable documents for residents. ON-FARM WORKSHOPS TO PROMOTE ADOPTION OF IPM PRACTICES FOR SMALL FRUIT CROP PRODUCERS. The four microscopes with camera and monitor will be instrumental for training and professional development of the four extension agents, Wael Elwakil, Lisa Hickey, Doug Phillips, and Jonael Bosquez-Mendez to organize one on-farm workshop for a small-scale small fruit crop grower. PROMOTING IPM FOR MOSQUITO CONTROL IN SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHICALLY DIVERSE COMMUNITIES. Master's student Brittani Morrow will start mosquito collection for this project in June 2022. Undergraduate students Nicole Vargas, and Mateo Seslija will help with mosquito collections DEVELOPING IPM IN COLD HARDY AND RESIDENTIAL CITRUS. PhD's student Romain Exilien developed the survey and will distribute it to homeowner and analyze the data. Lab technician Kathi Malfa helped in the organization of Extension events and is gaining experience in interacting with stakeholders. EMPOWERING AG PROFESSIONALS WITH IPM/IRM RECOMMENDATIONS FOR AGRONOMIC CROPS: IPM EDUCATION REGARDING PEST SUSCEPTIBILITY AND RISK OF RESISTANCE TO INSECTICIDES AND BT CROPS. Nothing to report. LANDSCAPING FUNDAMENTALS, FUNDAMENTOS DEL PAISAJISMO. OPS employee, William Ortiz, completed GI-BMP training and certification. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?BIOCONTROL OF INVASIVE ARTHROPODS AND ASSOCIATED CULTURAL PRACTICES. Discovery Channel, Flip My Florida Yard video for Florida Friendly Landscaping, Video for Certified Crop Advisor training, IPM Concepts, Systems and Resources for Florida CCAs (83 attendance), IPM Academy- welcome, introduction to IPM, and participation for in-service training (40). Consultation on mole crickets (2), biological control (5), and IPM (10). Current methods for managing wireworms were described in an EDIS publication. Published refereed (4) and non-refereed (4) publications. CONTROLLING POPULATIONS OF PALM PHYTOPLASMA VECTORS IN PALM NURSERIES. Two palm school events were planned and help, one in Broward Co. (86 participants) and one in Orange Co. (76 participants). At the Orlando event, confidence in identification increase from 51% to 88%. In Broward, confidence increased from 62% to 89%. DEVELOPMENT OF A REGIONAL CERTIFICATE PROGRAM IN POLLINATION ECOLOGY AND POLLINATOR HEALTH. Information on the basics of the overall framework of Integrated Pest and Pollinator Management and Conservation Biocontrol for landscapes was outlined in a Public Garden article. Public Garden is the journal of the American Public Garden Association and its > 600 public garden members. It is disseminated to a membership/readership of over 10,000 industry professionals. A workshop talk was provided at the 2022 UF/IFAS Wildlife and Invasive Species Education (WISE) CEU workshop for Extension professionals, master gardeners, master naturalists, wildlife agency professionals, and others. Lastly, a conference talk was provided at the 2022 Georgia Native Plant Symposium targeting agency, green industry, and botanical garden professionals, garden club members, master gardeners and the general public. Where appropriate, information was provided on the UF IPPM certificate program being developed for a 2023 launch. DEVELOP AND DISSEMINATE WEED SPECIES PROFILES AND IPM STRATEGIES FOR AGRONOMIC AND FORAGE/PASTURE SYSTEMS IN FLORIDA. We plan to disseminate weed identification and management guidelines to the relevant stakeholder groups through extension events (workshop and meetings), extension publications and guides, website, and App. DEVELOPING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PRODUCING TROPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL FRUIT IN THE HOME GARDENS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTH FLORIDA. We will share outputs at the 2022 Master Gardener Volunteer meeting and submit through UF EDIS to disseminate extension documents for target crops. ON-FARM WORKSHOPS TO PROMOTE ADOPTION OF IPM PRACTICES FOR SMALL FRUIT CROP PRODUCERS. One small fruit crop grower has been confirmed as willing to host an on-farm workshop. PROMOTING IPM FOR MOSQUITO CONTROL IN SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHICALLY DIVERSE COMMUNITIES. We will provide information to the public/homeowners on mosquito communities and ways to prevent mosquito outbreaks at the end of our first year of mosquito collection. DEVELOPING IPM IN COLD HARDY AND RESIDENTIAL CITRUS. We organize the Citrus Health Forum that gathered 25 stakeholders and growers from Florida, Alabama, and Georgia. The Forum included lectures, and on-site demonstrations. Out of 120 participants 75 (62%) responded to the survey, 74 (99%) were satisfied, 44 (59%) said planning to change their practice, 20 (27%) said they will change their pest control practices. EMPOWERING AG PROFESSIONALS WITH IPM/IRM RECOMMENDATIONS FOR AGRONOMIC CROPS: IPM EDUCATION REGARDING PEST SUSCEPTIBILITY AND RISK OF RESISTANCE TO INSECTICIDES AND BT CROPS. Participation in Extension and outreach events to disseminate results of the project. LANDSCAPING FUNDAMENTALS, FUNDAMENTOS DEL PAISAJISMO. We are developing a final product flipbook covering the Basics of Landscaping in English and Spanish. While developing the final, new product, we are increasing our outreach and educational materials for Latino landscapers with blogs in Spanish and Spanish GI-BMP trainings. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?BIOCONTROL OF INVASIVE ARTHROPODS AND ASSOCIATED CULTURAL PRACTICES. Plans: The work on wireworms in sweetpotato is completed and published. Stink bug colonization and rearing will involve the tachinid parasitoid, Trichopoda pennipes. Consultation with stakeholders on invasive arthropods will continue. CONTROLLING POPULATIONS OF PALM PHYTOPLASMA VECTORS IN PALM NURSERIES. Plans: Two additional events are planned for Tampa and Ft. Lauderdale and we are in the process of planning events for the fall. Monthly trainings will continue with new personnel. DEVELOPMENT OF A REGIONAL CERTIFICATE PROGRAM IN POLLINATION ECOLOGY AND POLLINATOR HEALTH. Plans: Finalize pollinator health network analysis and needs assessment and facilitate Southeast Stakeholder Advisory Group engagement. Complete course module and training materials and finalize recording for online delivery. Further develop and disseminate program marketing and training materials. Launch pollinator Health Certificate Program course outline. DEVELOP AND DISSEMINATE WEED SPECIES PROFILES AND IPM STRATEGIES FOR AGRONOMIC AND FORAGE/PASTURE SYSTEMS IN FLORIDA. Plans: Conduct the weed survey of grower fields in the central and eastern panhandle region. Collect high resolution images of weeds from commercial fields for websites and training. Continue meeting with project collaborators and stakeholder groups to identify commercial fields for weed surveys. Compile weed control information and integrated management strategy guides for dissemination. Continue planning with project team meetings for disseminating weed identification and management information. Further enhance the website and its content, update MyIPM. DEVELOPING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PRODUCING TROPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL FRUIT IN THE HOME GARDENS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTH FLORIDA. Plans: Continue educational programming on crops of interest that are grown primarily in Central Florida for residents including citrus, peach, blueberries, loquat, fig, strawberry, and persimmon. From our survey, we have identified additional crops of interest that will need educational materials beyond the scope of our current funding. ON-FARM WORKSHOPS TO PROMOTE ADOPTION OF IPM PRACTICES FOR SMALL FRUIT CROP PRODUCERS. Plans: Continue team meetings with the four participating Extension agents to develop educational materials and a hands-on farm workshop. Contact 1-2 other small-scale growers who are willing to host a workshop. PROMOTING IPM FOR MOSQUITO CONTROL IN SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHICALLY DIVERSE COMMUNITIES. Plans: Start the surveillance in June of 2022 and work to get IRB approval for the KAP survey. Develop the Extension materials to be distributed in the communities. DEVELOPING IPM IN COLD HARDY AND RESIDENTIAL CITRUS Objectives: Plans: Develop Extension documents for citrus scales found in North Florida, Georgia and Alabama. Organize a new session of the Citrus Health Forum and an In-Service training for Extension Agents. Develop Extension publications for the use of CLM pheromone disruption and attract and kill against CLM. Distribute the survey and analyze the results. Organize a workshop on citrus for homeowners and produce an Extension publication on citrus IPM techniques. EMPOWERING AG PROFESSIONALS WITH IPM/IRM RECOMMENDATIONS FOR AGRONOMIC CROPS: IPM EDUCATION REGARDING PEST SUSCEPTIBILITY AND RISK OF RESISTANCE TO INSECTICIDES AND BT CROPS. Plans: Continue documenting the phenology of occurrence of lepidopteran pests in corn and the performance of IPM methods in agronomic crops, and disseminating the results to farmers and Extension agents. Continue year-round pheromone trapping. Conduct diagnostic insecticide bioassays to document the susceptibility of target lepidopteran pests. LANDSCAPING FUNDAMENTALS, FUNDAMENTOS DEL PAISAJISMO. Plans: Complete and publish bilingual landscape training materials. Begin to evaluate increases in knowledge and implementation of best practices. Administer trainings incorporating new bilingual landscape training materials, resulting in an increase of knowledge of best landscaping practices. Evaluate intent to implement best practices because of trainings and materials.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? BIOCONTROL OF INVASIVE ARTHROPODS AND ASSOCIATED CULTURAL PRACTICES. Objectives: improve colonization and rearing for augmentative biocontrol and advance adoption of IPM. Grower recommendations were developed for managing wireworms in Florida sweet potato. Alternative biological control methods for managing wireworms were evaluated and described in a management guide. General thresholds were established and IPM tactics recommended for sweet potato in the region. Border rows of grain sorghum were planted along two sides of an organic tomato crop in North Florida to reduce fruit injury caused by invasive stink bugs. About 60% of the stink bugs were captured in the sorghum but this did not reduce injury to the tomato fruit. Sampling techniques were improved and stink bug species identified and abundance quantified. Growers will need additional interventions to prevent stink bugs from exceeding the economic threshold. CONTROLLING POPULATIONS OF PALM PHYTOPLASMA VECTORS IN PALM NURSERIES. Objectives: training for stakeholders to properly identify H. crudus and field demonstrations. In Broward and Orange Counties, with 80 and 76 attendees, respectively, stakeholders were trained to take samples of insect vectors of phytoplasmas, samples from palms, and how to inject appropriate chemicals for management. Pre- and post-test scores at these events showed a 20% and 90% knowledge gain, respectively. DEVELOPMENT OF A REGIONAL CERTIFICATE PROGRAM IN POLLINATION ECOLOGY AND POLLINATOR HEALTH. Objectives: conduct a Southeast regional ornamental industry pollinator health network analysis and needs assessment, develop training tools and educational resources, and launch the certificate program. Consumer (868 respondents) and an industry grower (75 respondents) surveys were completed to identify needs, problems, knowledge gaps, and industry disconnects. A comprehensive Pollinator Health Certificate Program course outline and initial module were developed. Training was delivered at one Extension event and one green industry/botanical garden event. A total of 423 stakeholders were informed of the program; 452 stakeholders were trained on best IPPM practices. DEVELOP AND DISSEMINATE WEED SPECIES PROFILES AND IPM STRATEGIES FOR AGRONOMIC AND FORAGE/PASTURE SYSTEMS IN FLORIDA. Objectives: conduct agronomic and forage/pasture weed surveys; compile available weed management information, disseminate information on weed identification, control strategies, and integrated management to the stakeholders; and develop a website and update MyIPM app with information on weed identification and management. A weed survey was conducted in peanut and cotton in western panhandle. The images of 42 weed species at different growth stages have been compiled from cotton and peanut fields to be used for ID and incorporated into a website. DEVELOPING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PRODUCING TROPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL FRUIT IN THE HOME GARDENS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTH FLORIDA. Objectives: Train MGV and MGV coordinators in IPM techniques, have MGV apply IPM concepts and record the success, and produce new IPM factsheets for home landscape fruit production. Conducted a survey to determine educational needs of Florida residents wishing to grow fruits in their yards. With over 1,500 responses, a large list of fruit crops was created. ON-FARM WORKSHOPS TO PROMOTE ADOPTION OF IPM PRACTICES FOR SMALL FRUIT CROP PRODUCERS. Objectives: develop educational materials and hold 2-3 on-farm workshops per year for Extension agents. Extension agents working with small fruit crops each were provided with a large screen stereoscope for the hands-on pest ID. Educational materials and arthropod collections were developed for grower training. One small-scale small fruit crop grower has been contacted to host our first on-farm workshop. PROMOTING IPM FOR MOSQUITO CONTROL IN SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHICALLY DIVERSE COMMUNITIES. Objectives: identify socio-demographic and socio-economic factors that influence mosquito abundance and educate local communities on their backyard mosquitoes. Conducted a survey and established contact with the Southwest Gainesville Advocacy Group to identify low and high income sites for surveillance. DEVELOPING IPM IN COLD HARDY AND RESIDENTIAL CITRUS Objectives: Develop Extension resources for pests specific to cold hardy citrus, promote non-insecticidal methods to control citrus leafminer, and develop an IPM program against ACP and citrus greening for residential areas. A workshop and field day attracted 120 growers and stakeholders from Florida, Georgia and Alabama. The Citrus Health Forum was highly praised with 99% of growers satisfied, 97% reporting gain of knowledge, and most importantly 59% indicating that they will change their production practices following this forum. Behavioral changes included sampling more frequently for citrus pests and increased use of non-insecticide methods to control insect pests. A new survey aims to determine current knowledge of homeowners on Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) and Huanglongbing (HLB). EMPOWERING AG PROFESSIONALS WITH IPM/IRM RECOMMENDATIONS FOR AGRONOMIC CROPS: IPM EDUCATION REGARDING PEST SUSCEPTIBILITY AND RISK OF RESISTANCE TO INSECTICIDES AND BT CROPS. Objectives: support IPM decision-making in agronomic crops for Ag professionals in the Florida Panhandle, perform year-round pheromone trapping of lepidopteran pests, and improve IRM recommendations for Ag professionals. Sweet corn seeds with Bt and non-Bt cultivars have been planted in a sentinel plot at West Florida REC. We participated in one farm meeting, two Extension symposiums, and biweekly visits to commercial fields in six farms around WFREC. Knowledge was gained on seasonal polyphagous lepidopteran pest occurrence and the performance of Bt traits in corn and cotton. This promoted close interaction with farmers in the region and decreased the risk of pest outbreaks. Pheromone trapping was conducted for fall armyworm, corn earworm, southern armyworm, and lesser corn stalk borer. Fall armyworm susceptibility to Novaluron (Diamond) was documented. LANDSCAPING FUNDAMENTALS, FUNDAMENTOS DEL PAISAJISMO. Objectives: expand opportunities for landscape IPM training, increase knowledge of diverse landscape professionals about the fundamentals of IPM and landscape best practices, evaluate the intent of landscape professionals to implement cultural best practices and preventative techniques, and show their implementation. Landscape training materials are being translated to Spanish for ease of understanding concepts by diverse clientele. The "Basics of Landscaping" template was developed in English.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Khadka, A., Hodges, A. C., Leppla, N. C., and Tillman, P. G. 2001. Halyomorpha halys (St�l) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) nymph survival and adult feeding preferences for crop plants in Florida. Florida Entomologist. 104:136-139.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Penca, C., Hodges, A. C., Leppla, N. C., & Cottrel, T. E. 2021. Analysis of the spatial distribution and development of sequential sampling plans for heteropteran-associated fruit injury in Florida peaches. Journal of Economic Entomology. 114: 1823-1833.
• Type: Book Chapters Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2022 Citation: Leppla, N. C. 2021. Concepts and Methods of Quality Assurance for Mass-Reared Parasitoids and Predators, Chapter 9. In Juan Morales Ramos, David Shapiro and Guadalupe Rojas (Eds), Mass Production of Beneficial Organisms: Invertebrates and Entomopathogens, 2nd Edition.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Hochmuth, R. C., D. Seal, N. C. Leppla, D. Fenneman, R. Broughton, and A. Baniya. 2021. Managing Wireworms in Florida Sweet Potatoes. UF/IFAS EDIS.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: LeBeck, L. M. and N. C. Leppla. 2021. Guidelines for Purchasing and Using Commercial Natural Enemies and Biopesticides in North America. UF, IFAS EDIS.
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2021 Citation: Description : Bahder, B.W. and Mou, D.F. Survey of field sites in Miami-Dade Co., Broward Co., and Orange Co. And identified suitable palms for collecting vector insects to demonstrate to stakeholders how to collect and identify.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Daniels, J. and F. Lavoipierre. 2022. Public Garden. Insect Management in Public Gardens: A Novel Approach. 37(2): 10-13.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Daniels, Jaret. Every Landscape Counts: Building More Effective and Sustainable Landscapes for Butterflies & Other Pollinators. 2022 Georgia Native Plant Symposium, UGA/State Botanical Garden of Georgia. February 23, 2022.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Daniels, Jaret. Building More Effective and Sustainable Landscapes for Butterflies & Other Pollinators. National Federation of Garden Clubs Convention. May 19, 2022. Lunchtime speaker talk.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Daniels, Jaret. Landscaping for Bees, Butterflies, and Other Pollinators. Wildlife and Invasive Species Education (WISE). UF/IFAS CEU Workshop.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Sprague, D, Martini, X. (2022) Connecting Producers in North Florida to Citrus Programming. National Association of County Agriculture Agents Annual Meeting and Improvement Conference. West Palm Beach, FL. July 17, 2022.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2022 Citation: Sprague, D, Martini X. (2022) The citrus health forum: expanding citrus programming in north Florida. Florida Association of County Agricultural Agents. In Press.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Martini X. (2022) This is a good time to start scouting for rust mites. Citrus Industry news. https://citrusindustry.net/2022/05/10/now-is-the-time-to-start-scouting-for-rust-mites/
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Iriarte FB, Lovestrand EL, McConnell J, Demorest N, Tancig M, Martini X, Andersen P, Paret M. (2021) Citrus Greening (HLB) Update for North Florida and Georgia. Ag Panhandle Enews. https://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/phag/2021/12/17/citrus-greening-hlb-update-for-north-florida-and-georgia/
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Altamimi R, Martini X. (2021) Managing fire ants in citrus groves. Ag Panhandle Enews. https://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/phag/2021/12/10/managing-fire-ants-in-citrus-groves/
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Carter, E., Paula-Moraes, S.V., Gillett-Kaufman, J.L. 2021. Rednecked peanut Stegasta bosqueela (Chambers) (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae). EENY-770. EDIS/IFAS Extension/UF. https://doi.org/10.32473/edis-IN1331-2021
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2021 Citation: UF/IFAS NW District Extension Retreat with the objectives to build community and trust and advance the thinking on how to improve collaboration between County Extension faculty and REC faculty.
• Type: Websites Status: Other Year Published: 2021 Citation: A website consisting images of 42 problematic weed species in agronomic crops and information for their identification has been online at https://wfrec.ifas.ufl.edu/weed-science-lab/weed-id-gallery/row-crop-weeds/
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2022 Citation: Carter, E., Shaw, T., Johnson, L., Paula-Moraes, S.V. Know your pests when trapping soybean looper in the Florida Panhandle. EDIS/IFAS Extension/UF. https://doi.org/10.32473/edis-in1359-2022.
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Outreach materials translated to Spanish to build clientele following to reach target audience with final product. C:\Users\hwooten\OneDrive - University of Florida\Documents\Verbatim\Grants\USDA- NIFA- Extension IPM\Resources\Outputs
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2021 Citation: Stacey, Kendall, Lillie Rooney, Norman Leppla. Developing mass rearing protocols for the stink bug endoparasitoid, Trichopoda pennipes, and its host, Nezara viridula. ESA, SEB virtual meeting
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2021 Citation: Lillie Rooney, Stacey, Kendall, Norman Leppla. ESA, SEB virtual meeting. Interpreting the reproductive potential of field-collected Nezara viridula females
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2021 Citation: Clayton Bania, Amanda Hodges, and Norman Leppla. Vine Age and Cultivar Preference of Vitacea polistiformis (Lepidoptera:Sesiidae) on Muscadine Grapes in a Central Florida Vineyard. ESA, SEB virtual meeting
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2021 Citation: Stacey, Kendall, Lillie Rooney and Norman Leppla. 2021. Developing mass rearing protocols for the endoparasitoid, Trichopoda pennipes, and its stink bug host, Nezara viridula. ESA National Meeting, Denver, CO
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2021 Citation: Rooney, Lillie 2021. Kendall Stacey and Norman Leppla. 2021. Interpreting the reproductive potential of field-collected Nezara viridula females. ESA National Meeting, Denver, CO
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Leppla, N.C., DPM Alumni and Friends Symposium presentation and panel discussion, Advancing Technology in Florida Agriculture. Austin Carey Forest Stern Learning Center
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Leppla, N.C., Tips on Becoming a Highly Successful Entomologist, Entomological Society of America, SEB.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Stacey, Kendall, Norman Leppla Glynn Tillman, Lillie Rooney, and Nolan Missigman. 2022. Parasitism rates of Trichopoda pennipes on Nezara viridula in Corn. International IPM Symposium, Denver, CO.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2022 Citation: Rooney, Lillie, Kendall Stacey, and Norman Leppla. 2022 Occurrence and Duration of Mating in the Southern Green Stink Bug, Nezara viridula (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) International IPM Symposium, Denver, CO.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Shaw, T.J., Paula-Moraes, S.V., Hahn, P.G. and Specht, A., 2021. Seasonal Flight Patterns of Chrysodeixis includens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in the Florida Panhandle and Inventory of Plusiine Species Cross-Attracted to Synthetic Pheromone. Journal of Economic Entomology, 114(6), pp.2315-2325.