Vegetable IPM Program Joseph Ingerson-Mahar Vegetable IPM Coordinator Kris Holmstrom IPM Program Associate Sally Walker IPM Program Associate

Program Areas IPM Services –Insect Traps –Scouting Program –Disease Forecasting Research Educational Outreach

IPM Services: Insect Traps Blacklight Trap Network: ~ 80 traps, + some pheromone traps Grower/industry funded: $300/trap Twice a week monitoring, May - Oct Delivered directly to grower; summarized weekly for Plant & Pest Advisory Crops impacted: sweet corn, peppers, tomatoes, snap & lima beans, lettuce, white potatoes

GPS map of blacklight trap catches of European corn borer (ECB) as it appears on the internet. B&W version of ECB and CEW maps are in the RCE Plant and Pest Advisory newsletter. Pest Population Maps

Offshoots of Trap Network Regional pest mapping project/web site NJDA exotic insect survey Private industry support - Seabrook Bros. & Sons, consultants, other agribusiness (chem dealers) Two posters (National ESA Mtg; International Congress of Entomology), one journal article (Hort Tech) Historical database

Shelby's Sweet Corn Pest Alert Network A cooperative project by Growers, Extension, Federal and State Goverment. Maryland Department of Agriculture New York State IPM Program Penn State Rutgers Vegetable IPM Program University of Delaware University of Maryland USDA, Northeast IPM Program Corn Earworm Regional Participating Farm Trap Catch Summary Map Average Daily Trap Catches for the week ending: 9/9/2000

IPM Services: Scouting Program RCE Scouting Program –$300 + per acre fee/crop –Sweet Corn, Tomatoes, Peppers, Eggplant, Cole Crops, Potatoes, Pumpkins for 2000 Collaboration with Garden State Pest Management company Private Consultant, grower training, other tech support

Availability of Field Scouting Services

IPM Services: Disease Forecasting Programs South: cooperative effort w/specialist Potato IPM Fax - late blight, also tag on insect trap data (25 subscribers) TomCast Fax - early blight forecasts for processing tomato growers (2 processors forward info to ~12 growers North: Skybit available for tomato growers

Research Emphasis: –IPM strategies for new crops –Revising methods for current programs –Grower/industry requests, grants Funding: grants, industry, internal Advisory groups: –RCE Vegetable IPM Working Group –Pepper Grower Advisory group –White Potato Research committee

2000 Research Projects Development of an IPM poster for farm markets Effect of ECB infestation on white potato yield. Sampling and identification of soil insects on white and sweet potatoes. Development of a comprehensive pumpkin IPM program. Beneficial insect sampling in vegetable crops. Identification of stinkbugs responsible for injury to tomato fruit. Sampling pest populations with pheromone traps

Grant funded project Educational poster targeting farm market clientele IPM Poster

Displayed at 10 farm markets in 2000 Fact sheets and a consumer questionnaire provided with posters

Educational Outreach On-farm programs RCE Plant and Pest Advisory newsletter Field scout training: individual and group sessions Various grower meetings (Twilight Mtgs, Atlantic City, Tomato School) Other scientific outlets (conferences, journal and proceedings articles) Annual report: long and short versions

Scout Training Sessions Target audience: private scouts, consultants, growers Individual and group sessions 2000, 2 group sessions: (Introduction to Field Scouting, Mid-season vegetable scouting)

Tomato ICM School Grant funded Fresh market growers - 56 south, 31 north Follow-up field training sessions to be held this summer

Annual Report Long version - RCE administrators, Veg Working Group Short version - vegetable growers, legislators, general public

Future Plans IPM Services Add pumpkin scouting; delivery program in the north, demonstration project in south Expand use of blacklight trap network to other commodities? Research Depends on grant/industry funding Continue to respond to grower advisory groups

Future Plans Educational Outreach Continue scout training sessions - add more crop-specific field and off-season training sessions Produce crop-specific scout training manuals/notebooks, IPM Fact Sheets Market/promote IPM Poster