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Penn State Researchers Win Grant to Study New Biological Control Tool - February 2003

February 12, 2003

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA - A group of researchers from Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences was recently awarded a three-year, $162,000 grant through the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Agriculture research program, to study a new class of biopesticides for use in greenhouse tomato production.

Pennsylvania is among the top 5 states in greenhouse tomato production with approximately 200 acres and production numbers increasing each year. A serious challenge facing greenhouse tomato producers is management of insects and mites while many of the traditional pesticides are being phased out as part of the Food Quality Protection Act. Increasingly, growers are turning to integrated pest management programs, or IPM.

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. Biopesticides one of the tools used in an IPM program.

The study proposes to evaluate the use of biopesticides and natural enemies (predators and parasitoids), both individually and in combination, for control of major greenhouse pests, emphasizing control of whiteflies, spider mites and powdery mildew.

"The biopesticides, called plant elicitors, are unique compounds that send a message to the plant to mobilize its defense mechanisms against pests. These biopesticides offer a distinct advantage over traditional pesticides because they are naturally occurring, are active at very low doses and have no direct toxicity to natural enemies or other non-target organism," says Cathy Thomas, a project leader and project associate in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences. "They are just another effective biocontrol tool that can be used in place of pesticides," she explains.

The researchers will focus on four EPA-registered elicitors used in greenhouse tomato production. Thomas says they are hoping the results will be adaptable to other greenhouse ornamental and vegetable crops, and even field crops. "We are especially interested in adapting our findings to plants that are known to be inducible using elicitors including peppers, eggplants and potatoes," says Thomas.

Phase I of the project will take place in a greenhouse at the Penn State University Park campus and will involve inoculating plants with white flies or spider mites to screen elicitors for effectiveness in controlling key pests in a greenhouse setting. The elicitors will be tested both individually and in combination with natural enemies.

Phase II of the project will evaluate the most effective combination of elicitors and biocontrol agents for their ability to control natural occurring infestations in greenhouses. Co-project leaders Kelli Hoover, assistant professor and Gary Felton, professor and head of Penn State's Department of Entomology, will be overseeing these phases of the project.

In the final phase, the ability of the biorationals will be evaluated in a commercial greenhouse setting at Mertz Greenhouses in Northumberland, Pa. Thomas remarks that she feels this is the most exciting part of the project. "We'll be introducing new technology in a real-world setting, and the fruit that the project yields can be sold as pesticide-free," says Thomas. She will be overseeing the biological control aspect of the project at Mertz Greenhouses.

In addition, Felton will lend his expertise on resistance and interactions. He says this is the first time they've submitted a grant to study plant elicitors, and felt that the time was right for further research. "Fifteen years ago very little was known about plant elicitors," Felton explains. "Great strides have been made in the field and now elicitors are available commercially to growers at comparable costs to traditional pesticides." Felton says that while the field is lacking clear demonstrations in the field and greenhouses, there is great potential for plant elicitors. "The biggest advantage is that plant elicitors are non-toxic, natural products, and the amounts needed to control insect pests are pretty low."

To find out more about plant elicitors, contact Penn State's Department of Entomology at (814) 865-1895.

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/.