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College Awards IPM Grants - January 2005
January 4, 2005
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA -- Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences Extension IPM Program recently awarded three grants under its IPM mini-grants program.
Integrated Pest Management, or IPM, aims to manage pests -- such as insects, diseases, weeds and animals -- by combining physical, biological and chemical tactics that are safe, profitable and environmentally compatible.
The IPM mini-grants program annually selects a number of proposed projects that develop and promote practical, locally-based IPM programs. Each of the successful proposals can receive up to $5,000. The recipients for 2005 are:
Monitoring Lepidopteran Pests in Pennsylvania Fruit Orchards - A Multi-County Orchard IPM Demonstration - Project leaders Greg Krawczyk, Penn State Extension Tree Fruit Entomologist; John Esslinger, Luzerne County Cooperative Extension; Mena Hautau, Berks County Cooperative Extension; Jeff Mizer, Snyder County Cooperative Extension; Andy Muza, Erie County Cooperative Extension; Eric Oesterling, Westmoreland County Cooperative Extension.
The project proposes to utilize the pheromone monitoring practices and equipment for orchard pest monitoring, provide hands-on and on-farm experience for growers in practical implementing basic IPM practices, and evaluate the economic benefit of IPM practices to the grower. Results of this statewide monitoring network are posted on the Internet for the benefit of all fruit growers in the state.
Integration of Alternative and Conventional Strategies for Management of Grape Berry Moth in Severe Risk Vineyards - Project leaders Andy Muza, Erie County Cooperative Extension; Tim Weigle, IPM Senior Extension Educator, Cornell Vineyard Laboratory; John Mason, Mason Farms; Bill and Ted Byham, Byham Farms.
The project proposes the development of a new grape berry moth management program for severe and high-risk vineyards and promotes the adoption of alternative strategies resulting in a reduction in the use of conventional insecticides in the Lake Erie Grape Belt.
Establishment of a Grape Berry Moth Pheromone Trapping Network - Project leaders Andy Muza, Erie County Cooperative Extension; Tim Weigle, IPM Senior Extension Educator, Cornell Vineyard Laboratory.
The project proposes continuing a grape berry moth (GBM) pheromone trapping network that provides weekly information to Pennsylvania and New York grape growers on GBM flight periods and egg laying through use of trapping stations and vineyard scouting.
For the past three years, Penn State's Extension IPM Program has funded projects that facilitate the adoption of environmentally-sound pest management practices by Pennsylvania farmers, rural and urban pest managers, and homeowners/renters. The program is supported through USDA-CSREES formula funds earmarked for IPM program development.
The Pennsylvania IPM program is a collaboration between the Pennsylvania State University and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture aimed at promoting integrated pest management in both agricultural and nonagricultural situations. For more information, contact the program at (814) 865-2839, or Web site http://paipm.cas.psu.edu/. To view our archived news releases, see Web site http://paipm.cas.psu.edu/10.htm.