Agricultural pests (arthropods, pathogens, weeds, nematodes and other pests) cause billions of dollars in direct crop yield losses, and indirectly through the cost of management programs and loss of produce in storage and transportation annually in the United States.
Pests adapt to the management tactics including chemicals and host resistance, moreover, prophylactic chemical applications lead to environmental contamination and pesticide resistance development. Integrated Pest management (IPM) is a sustainable, science -based approach that combines several management tools including biological, cultural, physical, and chemical tools integrated with the pest ecology science to identify, manage, and reduce the risk from pests and pest management tools (National IPM Road Map).
The Applied Research and Development Program (ARDP) is one of the three program areas under the Crop Protection and Pests Management Program (CPPM) that supports IPM research and extension projects. ARDP supported projects develop new IPM tactics, technologies, practices, and strategies through research (single function), research-led (at least 20% of the funds must be spent on extension activities), or extension-led (at least 20% of the funds must be spent on the research activities) projects.
As part of the CPPM, the ARDP addresses overall IPM needs through:
- Plant Protection Tools and Tactics – the discovery, development, and introduction of new pest management tools for use in IPM systems.
- Diversified IPM Systems – long-term sustainable solutions to pest management problems on a regional or national scale.
- Enhancing Agricultural Biosecurity - to develop and maintain key information systems, networks, and decision support tools that provide the knowledge infrastructure needed for early detection and the application of science-based IPM systems for invasive, emerging and high-consequence pests that threaten U.S. agriculture (e.g., early warning and decision support systems such as the Pest Information Platform for Extension and Education (ipmPIPE) have a direct effect on biosecurity).
The desired outcomes for new IPM tools and practices include reduced initial pest populations, lowering the carrying capacity of the ecosystem for pests, increasing tolerance of hosts to pest injury, and/or providing tools for making management decisions, such as monitoring methods and action thresholds.
Request For Applications (RFA) for FY 2023 is currently open with a closing date February 13, 2023!!
FY 2023 Technical Assistance Webinar Recording
