Expanding Texas’ integrated pest management teachings

Pest management outreach to both rural and urban audiences in Texas will be expanded and improved thanks to a federal grant awarded to the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.

The funding will help integrated pest management, IPM, experts educate thousands of Texas farmers about the latest pest management technologies and teach urban audiences about pollinator-friendly plants that promote bee and butterfly conservation.

The $812,348 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture will support improvements in educational programming to meet the demands of the diverse state.

“This grant will certainly allow us to enhance our current integrated pest management program statewide and make these efforts much bigger and more far-reaching,” said David Kerns, Ph.D., integrated pest management coordinator and AgriLife Extension entomologist, Bryan-College Station.

The USDA-NIFA Crop Protection and Pest Management Program, CPPM, supports projects that will increase food security and respond effectively to other major societal challenges with comprehensive IPM approaches that are economically viable, ecologically prudent and safe for human health. The CPPM program addresses pest management challenges with new and emerging technologies. The outcomes of the CPPM program are effective, affordable and environmentally sound IPM practices and strategies supporting more vital communities.

This aligns with Texas A&M AgriLife’s efforts to identify potential methods to reduce pesticide use and associated risks in urban landscapes using IPM principles. Main focus areas for IPM in communities include:

Management of tawny crazy ant and red imported fire ant.

Garden pollinator promotion and conservation.

Integrated pest management of crape myrtle bark scale.

The grant will help train pesticide applicators and introduce new Bacillus thuringiensis traits and other crop technologies. Bt are bacterial genes that are genetically engineered into cotton and other crops to control common pests.

“This really changes how we will manage those pests in cotton with the new Bt technology,” Kerns said.