Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
2001 S. Lincoln Ave.
URBANA,IL 61801
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
The current University of Illinois state-based Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program team provides a robust diversity of disciplines with an agricultural entomologist (Ms. Estes), plant pathologists (Dr. Mahecha and Ms. Plewa), Extension animal specialist (Ms. Steckler), medical entomologist (Dr. Stone), and vector ecologist (Dr. Tuten). The team is supported by a number of other professionals, including a nematologist (Dr. Colgrove), other agricultural and specialty crop entomologists (Drs. Athey, Sieter, and Spencer), and an Extension Educator with a focus on urban pollinators (Mr. Pankau). The IPM program routinely works with weed science professors, fruit and vegetable pathology professor, the University of Illinois Pesticide Safety Education Team, and other faculty and specialists. The proposed programs focus on a wide variety of situations including agronomic and specialty field crop production, animal production, horticulture and ornamental plant production, and private and public spaces. The programs address plant production, food security, pollinator protection, and animal and human health concerns. These programs have been developed based on stakeholder needs along with addressing NCERA-222 objectives and North Central IPM Center priorities and signature programs (https://www.ncipmc.org/about/stakeholder-priorities/).Illinois is a major producer of corn and soybeans, producing 2.28 billion bushels of corn and 649 million bushels of soybeans in 2023 with a production value of over $11 billion and $8.6 billion respectively. Illinois produced 67.9 million bushels of winter wheat in 2023, an increase of 53% compared to the previous year. This represents a value of $406 million to the state. The programs proposed under the agronomic and specialty crop component include state-wide monitoring for agronomically important pests; scouting and threshold determination field demonstrations; and wheat disease and toxin testing. The insect scouting programs will report results during the season to provide updated insect pest pressures, and all of these programs will produce summary factsheets or reports and will be included in Extension presentations.Two state-wide pollinator programs, including the Illinois Pollinator Website, were developed with support from previous grants from this program. Since the website launched in May 2023 over 6,000 individual users have viewed pages over 40,000 times with users from 49 countries. Prior to its full launch in May of 2023, the website was submitted to all Illinois Master Gardeners and Master Naturalists and feedback was collected via survey instrument. It was also sent to a large list of partner organizations, university experts, and industry contacts for a peer review. In response to feedback, are adding 150 new plants species and 60 new pollinator species along with information on long-term management of pollinator gardens and a section devoted to the Endangered Species Act and Threatened and Endangered pollinator species in Illinois. To increase the accessibility of the Illinois Pollinators website, new features will be added to export individual plant and insect pages into PDF formats with additional accessibility features including formatting for screen readers. The PDFs will serve as stand-alone documents featuring individual insects or plants from the website. In addition, we will provide Spanish language translation of additional web content including all existing habitat designs, and marketing and outreach materials for the Illinois Pollinators website into Spanish which will be provided to all Extension offices across Illinois.The University of Illinois Plant Clinic serves as the National Plant Diagnostic Network laboratory for Illinois housed in the North Central Region and provides thousands of unbiased diagnoses and management recommendations each year that are based on sound IPM practices to reduce both risk to human health and the environment. Through both diagnostics and outreach (including workshops, seminars, lectures tours, electronic outreach, demonstrations, social media, newsletters, factsheets, and refereed publications) the Plant Clinic addresses pest concerns, including invasive species, in production agriculture, and conservation and residential areas. The Plant Clinic will continue to offer diagnoses and IPM recommendations to individual growers and clients, and test Illinois soil samples to determine the distribution of root knot nematodes (Meloidogyne sp.), reniform nematodes (Rotylenchulus sp.), and other plant parasitic nematodes in Illinois soybean fields.A number of ticks of public and veterinary health importance have been expanding their geographic ranges in recent decades largely due to climate change, changes in land use, and increases in reservoir host populations and tick populations. As a result of these population increases, range expansions, and increased proximity between ticks and reservoir hosts, the prevalence of pathogen-infected ticks has increased. Ticks can transmit a wide variety of pathogens. Even uninfected tick bites can cause substantial blood loss (leading to decreased production in livestock), allergies, severe toxic reactions and even death due to tick paralysis. This ultimately presents new and increasing severe health threats to humans, livestock, and companion animals. The proposed projects will impact private landowners, farm workers, and natural resource professionals, along with livestock and companion animals, by providing training to increase knowledge about tick life cycles and hosts, habitats and presence/location in Illinois, tickborne diseases, tick bite prevention, proper tick removal, and passive tick collection (collectively referred to as tick knowledge hereafter). These projects focus on human and animal health which affect companion, wild, and livestock animals. Tick knowledge materials will be developed and taught to Illinois Extension Master Gardeners (MG) and Master Naturalists (MN) volunteers and 4-H educators using a train-the-trainer framework to increase tick knowledge of Illinois citizens. Tick knowledge programs will be presented as part of Extension programs. Visual aids, demonstrations, and handouts will be provided at annual meetings held in Illinois and tick knowledge programs will be presented as part of Extension programs. To help monitor range expansions of tick species and for the possible presence of the Asian Longhorn Tick in Illinois, a current passive surveillance program will be expanded on. Illinois citizens will be recruited to report tick bites and submit ticks. Extension's statewide network of offices and staff will promote the program and provide tick educational materials and information about tick submission. Participating licensed wildlife rehabilitation facilities, animal shelters, and veterinarians will be provided materials necessary for tick collection. Submitted samples will be shipped to the Illinois Natural History Survey Medical Entomology Lab (INHS-MEL) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus. Ticks will then be identified to species using standard taxonomic keys, enumerated by life stage, and archived in the biorepository at INHS-MEL.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
The proposed programs focus on a wide variety of situations including agronomic and specialty field crop production, animal production, horticulture and ornamental plant production, and private and public spaces. The programs address plant production, food security, pollinator protection, and animal and human health concerns. These programs have been developed based on stakeholder needs along with addressing NCERA-222 objectives and North Central IPM Center priorities and signature programs (https://www.ncipmc.org/about/stakeholder-priorities/). The overall goal of this program is to increase understanding of important issues affecting food security, profitability of agronomic crops, and environmental protection and provide actionable management recommendations for a diverse range of problems affecting these groups.Results from the following objectives will be disseminated through Extension presentations, programs, conferences, websites, publications, and in realtime using social media and radio interviews.Objective 1: Statewide agronomic insect pest surveyA moth-trapping program will provide real-time, management-focused updates on the density and timing of pests including black cutworm and true armyworm through a network of cooperators who will place and monitor traps. The survey also serves as an early detection system for potential new pests in the state (soybean gall midge) and provides information on emerging pests such as Dectes stem borer or brown marmorated stink bug.Objective 2: Field crop insect management demonstrations and monitoring workshops We will conduct a field training workshop of insect control tactics at field evaluation locations focused on pest species such as western and northern corn rootworm, corn earworm, bean leaf beetle, stink bugs, and other, occasional pests.Objective 3: Corn rootworm Bt resistance monitoring Western and northern corn rootworm populations primarily selected from the 5 Illinois crop reporting districts where corn rootworm is most problematic will be collected and tested for Bt resistance.Objective 4: Field crop insect management handbook for IllinoisWe will develop the Illinois Field Crop Insect Management Guide. This guide will include recommendations for monitoring, action thresholds, and control tactics for major insect pests on corn, soybean, and other field and forage crops, including a detailed accounting of the scouting guidelines and action thresholds for each pest, along with a wallet-sized "cheat sheet" with action threshold recommendations for major pests in each of the major field crops.Objective 5: Fusarium Head Blight training We will develop an extensive training program focusing on understanding the importance of FHB and its disease cycle, enhancing skills in field scouting, assessing disease severity, implementing sampling protocols, understanding mycotoxin acceptance ranges, and remaining updated on integrated management strategies for controlling FHB. We will develop a detailed guide on how to effectively scout for, identify, and monitor FHB in the field, along with thresholds and management recommendations, including pocket-sized pictorial guide.Objective 6: Evaluate wheat mycotoxin levels We will test wheat samples submitted by growers and researchers for the presence and concentration of mycotoxins. Individual results will be reported to clients along with timely updates of mycotoxins identified to county level and an annual fact sheet. Information about the importance of mycotoxins, thresholds, and management recommendations for reducing their production in-field and during storage will be included.Objective 7: Wheat root and soil sample testing for nematodesWe will perform a statewide survey for pathogenic nematodes on wheat. Results will be disseminated as for the previous objective.Objective 8: Training to monitor for Swede midge We will create fact sheets to illustrate common damage symptoms and scouting recommendations and produce a webinar for the Master Urban Farmer Training Program. We will train growers to monitor for the pest and symptoms of damage. Monitoring traps will be distributed to growers with training about how to deploy them in their production fields. Growers will monitor the traps weekly and and report updates.Objective 9: Expand the Illinois Pollinators WebsiteWe will add 150 new plants species and 60 new pollinator species to the current website and information on long-term management of pollinator gardens. We will develop a section of the website focused on threatened and endangered pollinator species in Illinois.Objective 10: Increase website accessibility New features will be added to export individual plant and insect pages into PDF formats with additional accessibility features including formatting for screen readers. We include Spanish language translations of web content including translating all existing habitat designs.Objective 11: Support for the University of Illinois Plant Clinic The University of Illinois Plant Clinic provides unbiased diagnoses of routine, unusual, and exotic plant problems. IPM-based management recommendations are included with all diagnostic sample reports. Additional plant health information is provided via telephone and email. Plant Clinic staff participate in a wide variety of educational events, including field crop days, youth scouting competition, agronomic and specialty crop production presentations, and ornamental and arboricultural professional conferences. The Plant Clinic cooperates regularly with USDA-APHIS-PPQ and Department of Agriculture officials.Objective 12: Survey field soil samples for uncommon nematodes We will screen soybean field soil samples from Illinois for root knot nematode, reniform, and other plant parasitic nematodes. Maps showing the distribution of nematodes and an annual fact sheet summarizing the year's results. A fact sheet about vermiform nematodes on soybeans will be produced, including information about symptoms, sampling instructions, distribution, and IPM management recommendations.Objective 13: Increase tick knowledgeEducational materials to increase knowledge about ticks: life cycles and hosts, habitats, identification, species present and movement in Illinois, invasive species, tickborne diseases (human, pet, and livestock), bite symptoms and signs, bite prevention, proper removal, risk factors for bites, and passive collection will be created and presented via in-person programs and online videos. Tick knowledge materials will be developed and taught to Illinois Extension 4-H Educators and Master Gardener and Naturalist volunteers using a train-the-trainer framework. Presentations will also be provided to enrollees of Extension programs. Visual aids, demonstrations, and handouts will be provided at annual meetings. MN and MG volunteers will be trained to present tick educational materials and visual aids.Objective 14: Passive tick monitoring for invasive species Illinois citizens will be recruited to report tick bites and submit ticks. Extension's statewide network of offices and staff will promote the program and provide tick educational materials and information about tick submission. Submitted samples will be shipped to the Illinois Natural History Survey Medical Entomology Lab. Ticks will then be identified to species using standard taxonomic keys, enumerated by life stage, and archived in the biorepository.Objective 15: Specialized monitoring Participating licensed wildlife rehabilitation facilities, animal shelters, and veterinarians will be provided materials necessary for tick collection. Samples will be identified as described in the previous goal, and data from this survey will be reported as described for the previous goal.
Project Methods
Objective 1: Cooperators will be trained via a written manual and field demonstrations in how to deploy and monitor traps, and how to report data to the regional network. If problems arise, they can contact the lead for this program.Objective 2: Field training workshop of pest injury to agronomic crops to train participants to identify damage, pests, and thresholds, along with assessing overall crop quality. Evaluations will consist of an anonymous pre- and post- workshop knowledge survey, with data and feedback used to inform the next workshop.Objective 3: Western and northern corn rootworm adults from different populations will be collected during their annual peak in oviposition activity from multiple locations throughout Illinois each year. Populations will be primarily selected from the 5 Illinois crop reporting districts where corn rootworm is most problematic. Each population will be maintained in the laboratory, and the eggs collected. Groups of larvae will be inoculated in pairs of a Bt-traited corn hybrid and its non-Bt isoline, representing the major groups of Bt modes of action (Cry34/35Ab1 and the "Cry3" toxins (Cry3Bb1, mCry3A, and eCry3.1Ab)). Resistance will be determined by comparison of the mortality of these field-collected populations to mortality of Bt susceptible "control" populations obtained from the USDA.Objective 4: The Illinois Field Crop Insect Management Guide, a comprehensive, research-based guide to insect management in corn, soybean, and other field and forage crops, will be published annually and include recommendations for monitoring, action thresholds, and control tactics for major insect pests. Digital copies of the guide will be distributed through the Illinois Extension website and print copies will be available, along with a wallet-sized "cheat sheet" with action threshold recommendations for major pests in each of the major field crops.Objective 5: This training will focus on identification, scouting, and IPM strategies for FHB, making it accessible to growers and Extension specialists and training them how to use the available tools. The training will consist of recorded presentations and in-person presentations at Commercial Agriculture team meetings and Extension conferences. We will develop a detailed guide on how to effectively scout for, identify, and monitor FHB in the field, along with thresholds and management recommendations. The guide will be available online through Illinois Extension's website and through print copies at research centers and at presentations. This will include a pocket-sized pictorial guide. Evaluations including pre- and post-workshop knowledge will be collected.Objective 6: Testing for DON and ZEN will be done using space and equipment at the University of Illinois Plant Clinic using commercial immunoassay kits. Individual results will be reported to clients using the Plant Clinic diagnostic system. Timely updates of mycotoxins identified to county level will be regularly circulated throughout the season on CropCentral, the Plant Clinic, and/or the IPM website to help growers make informed decisions based on the previous history of mycotoxins in their area. An annual fact sheet will be published as part of the Annual Applied Research Report, and at Crop Management Conferences and Commercial Agriculture team meetings.Objective 7: Vermiform and cyst nematode identification will be performed following Plant Clinic protocols. Several methods can be used to extract nematodes from soil and root samples. The primary method is direct extraction from the soil by sieving with nested sieves, either by hand or with the semi-automatic elutriator. A sucrose flotation and centrifugation is then used to collect all nematodes, including motile and non-motile or quiescent, dead or alive, that have been extracted from the soil. This method is suitable for both enumeration and identification of all nematodes extracted. A second method is the use of the Baermann funnel technique, which involves placing soil or root tissue directly into a funnel clamped shut at the bottom and keeping soil moist. The clamp is removed and the liquid containing the mobile nematodes is collected. The Baermann funnel method can also facilitate the hatching of Meloidogyne sp. eggs present in the soil sample. Identification and enumeration of plant parasitic nematodes in the vermiform stage is performed through observation with an inverted microscope. For identification of Meloidogyne to species, J2 individuals will be collected to cultivate females on tomato or other susceptible host for extraction from the root and then used to perform PCR, or used to observe perineal patterns for species ID.Objective 8: Fact sheets to illustrate common damage symptoms and scouting recommendations will be produced and distributed via digital copies on the Illinois Extension and/or Illinois IPM websites and physical copies conferences and Extension offices. A webinar for the Master Urban Farmer Training Program allowing us to target the most likely growers dealing with this invasive pest will be made available through Illinois Extension's website and/or YouTube channel. We will train growers to monitor for both the pest and symptoms of damage through field demonstrations, and provide traps and a method of reporting results.Objective 9: In response to user feedback, we will add 150 new plants species and 60 new pollinator species to the current Illinois Pollinators website along with information on long-term management of pollinator gardens and a section about the Endangered Species Act and Threatened and Endangered species. We will continue to use similar user surveys to what has been done so far to evaluate the website and its impact.Objective 10: New features will be added to export individual plant and insect pages into PDF formats with additional accessibility features including formatting for screen readers. We will include Spanish language translations of web content including translating all existing habitat designs.Objective 11: Field days, youth crop scouting competitions, open houses, tours, presentations, workshops, and presentations focused on plant health management will be prepared and presented by Plant Clinic staff in cooperation with Extension and Departmental programs. Pre- and post- activity evaluations are used when appropriate (during a training or workshop, for example). Individual client reports including diagnoses and IPM-based management recommendations are provided for all samples submitted.Objective 12: Same as Objective 7.Objective 13: Educational materials to increase knowledge about ticks: life cycles and hosts, habitats, identification, species present and movement in Illinois, invasive species, tickborne diseases (human, pet, and livestock), bite symptoms and signs, bite prevention, proper removal, risk factors for bites, and passive collection will be created and presented via in-person programs and online videos. Tick knowledge materials will be developed and taught to Illinois Extension 4-H Educators and Master Gardener and Naturalist volunteers using a train-the-trainer framework. Presentations will also be provided to enrollees of Extension programs. Visual aids, demonstrations, and handouts will be provided at annual meetings. MN and MG volunteers will be trained to present tick educational materials and visual aids. Pre- and post-presentation evaluations will be used.Objective 14: Extension's statewide network of offices and staff will promote the program asking for the general public to submit ticks and reports of tick bites. Information about this program will be provided to county offices and promoted on state-wide Extension websites, along with being included in presentations to target audiences. Objective 15: Participating licensed wildlife rehabilitation facilities, animal shelters, and veterinarians will be provided materials necessary for tick collection.