We promote and fund integrated pest management for environmental, human health, and economic benefits.
We promote and fund integrated pest management for environmental, human health, and economic benefits.
Penn State adapts early warning system for key pests, new crops. Pest forecasting models are a powerful tool, but high-tech early-warning systems require significant investment and expertise. To save costs, PA IPM researchers have adapted an existing online system.
Fresh ideas and strong relationships keep farm vibrant. Family farmer Don Dzen is convinced that expanding his use of IPM was a smart decision: “Each year there’s been something that paid for itself, something we were missing before.”
Five years ago, bacterial canker was a growing threat to New Jersey’s $28 million fresh market tomato industry. IPM researchers have introduced growers to a seed heat treatment that eliminates seed as the primary inoculum source.
Can these natural enemies slow the invasion? IPM programs in the Northeast have enlisted the help of two beetle species to slow the spread of purple loosestrife, and they find that these insects can significantly inhibit the weed’s growth.