New York IPM Report, 2021

NEERA meeting: April 23, 2021

Prepared by Alejandro A. Calixto, NYS IPM Program

Situation

New Yorkers are exposed to risks from pests and the methods used to control them.

Response

The NYS IPM Program is reducing environmental, health and economic risk by teaching, demonstrating and researching IPM practices. We conduct programs in agricultural crops—fruits, vegetables, ornamentals, field crops and livestock; and community settings—schools, homes, municipalities, parks, and golf courses.

Results/Impact

Funding: In 2020 we received these core funds:

  • NYS via NYS Dept of Ag and Markets: Agricultural IPM, $1,000,000
  • NYS via NYS Dept of Environmental Conservation: Community IPM, $550,000
  • Federal USDA-NIFA, CPPM-EIP, $275,000

In addition, our staff directly leveraged nearly a half million dollars in outside grants that came to our program, Cornell faculty and staff, and other partners. We were also critical collaborators on additional grants totaling $246,000 coming into Cornell and Cornell Cooperative Extension.

2019–2020 Annual Report, our NYSIPM Annual Reports are excellent tools for communicating NYSIPM to stakeholders. In our most recent report, we featured biopesticide efforts, on farm demonstration in peppers, pesticide alternatives to control Douglas-fir needlecast, intensive apple IPM workshop, surveys of soybean cyst nematode, tick and tick-borne diseases surveillance, cover crops to prevent weeds and farewell to Director Jennifer Grant and Extension Educator Lynn Braband. This report shows NYSIPM’s positive impact on New Yorkers and their environment and are excellent outreach tools for our program. The latest report is available here.

2020 Virtual NYSIPM Conference: School IPM: Where We’ve Been and What’s Next. August 2020. This conference focused on bringing together a wide range of speakers to address and discuss the status of School IPM adoption and where we need to go in the future. Attended by approximately 70 school staff, educators, scientists, regulators and policy makers.

NEWA – Network for Environment and Weather Applications: The Network for Environment and Weather Applications (NEWA) delivered over 40 insect, plant disease, crop management, degree day, and weather summary models to locations across 28 US states. 2,741 total online contact hours were achieved in 2020, a result of both new and ongoing outreach efforts across the network.. Total weather stations increased to 717, up 6% from 2018 (676). Major components of a new website platform are complete. Ten insect models have been recoded, tested and finalized. Migration of remaining disease and apple management models is ongoing with targeted completion of Spring 2021.

Resources produced

Highlights by Commodity

Community (Schools, homes, parks, golf courses, municipalities, etc.)

  • Before COVID-19, the Community IPM Team provided 1,482 contact hours of in-person presentations and workshops. From mid-March on, the team provided over 1,600 contact hours of live, virtual workshops and webinars. Many of these presentations were recorded, captioned, and made available through the NYSIPM YouTube channel.
  • Surveillance and outreach on tick and tick borne diseases in NY.
  • Long Island Pesticide Pollution Prevention Project (LIPPP) – A title for the campaign was created “Our Land, Our Water” and set the foundation of the outreach campaign.
  • 2020 Virtual NYS IPM Conference – “School IPM: Where We’ve Been and What’s next”
  • NYS Community IPM is a partner in the Northeast Regional Center of Excellence in Vector Borne Disease, funded by CDC and housed at Cornell University.
  • Continued long-term partnership with NYS Park Golf Courses on reduced chemical golf course management.

Vegetables

  • Surveys of potential insect and disease pests of hemp were conducted in several farms.
  • Coordinate statewide efforts for the NY Sweet Corn Pherome Trap Network (SCPTN).
  • Tested and demonstrated cultivation for weed management in sweet corn, snap beans, and beets; and are testing a weed zapper.
  • Coordinate statewide efforts for surveillance of Soybean Cyst Nematode in dry beans.

Fruits

  • Coordinate the Apple IPM Intensive Workshop during the Empire Producer’s Expo.
  • Coordinate surveys for virus complex in apple orchards.
  • Conduct NY grape commodity survey for insect pests and pathogens.
  • Revision of the NEWA website apple IPM tools.
  • Coordinate a survey for five exotic pests and virus complex in apples in 18 apple orchards in 11 counties. Pest surveyed were the Summer fruit tortrix moth,
  • Participated in NYS’s Incident Command Structure for spotted lanternfly; created ID and awareness resources; surveyed the preferred host, Ailanthus altissima, tree of heaven; developed webinars and distance courses; created insecticide guides; and held a regional SLF conference.
  • Organized statewide trapping network for spotted wing drosophila.
  • Tested hummingbirds as biocontrols in raspberries.
  • Worked with NYSDAM and USDA to stop spread and help management of European Cherry Fruit Fly
  • Evaluation of methods for management of bindweed in New York vineyards.

Ornamentals

  • Evaluation of deer repellents for reducing deer damage to Christmas trees.
  • Continue research on beneficial arthropods and pollinator habitat plots adjacent to Christmas trees at Cornell AgriTech.
  • Researched reduced-fungicide usage for Christmas tree production to reduce risk to pollinators
  • Continue working with growers to evaluate use of GDD based insect models for conifer pests

Livestock and Field Crops

  • Documenting and expanding biological control of the cereal leaf beetle in small grains with a parasitic wasp.
  • In Season weekly calls to improving Field Crop Extension connectivity and outreach.
  • Evaluations of seed treatments alternatives for managing early season pests of corn.
  • Training and education for advanced and beginner Certified Crop Advisors in the Northeast
  • Coordinate statewide efforts for surveillance of Soybean Cyst Nematode in soybeans.
  • Western bean cutworm and true armyworm Pheromone trapping network
  • Tested and demonstrated various traps for fly management on dairy farms.
  • Field crops weekly pest report and evaluation.
  • Preliminary surveys of dung beetles associated with pastures and their potential role as competitors of face and hon flies impacting livestock.
  • Effective waterhemp control programs and compatibility with interseeding in corn.
  • Controlling herbicide resistant waterhemp in soybeans.

Web and Social Media Presence

Social media and other internet-based outreach were expanded throughout 2020, including starting the updates of the website “Biological Control: A Guide to Natural Enemies in North America”

To reach diverse audiences in New York State, including those in various age groups, program staff continued to promote the IPM Image Gallery on Flickr, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, as well as adding an Instagram account. This table presents the data on the number of visitors, subscribers and followers in our different sites and media channels.

Visitors, Subscribers and Followers

  2020 2019 % Increase
nysipm.cornell.edu 329,316 318,845 +3.1
eCommons downloads 697,966 516,969 +25.9
ThinkIPM Blog 140 128 +8.6
YouTube 978 687 +29.8
Flickr 55 52 +5.4
Twitter 1,556 1,433 +7.9
Facebook 1,254 1,024 +18.3
Instagram 158 0 —