Pest Management Research Grants Awarded 2023
Back to Funded Pest Management Research Grants (2013 - present)
Project Summaries
Can the Sterile Insect Technique Provide an Alternative to Pesticides for Controlling the Spread of a Major Pest of Citrus, the Asian Citrus Psyllid, in California?
Sponsor: University of California - Riverside
Principal Investigator: Dr. Paul Rugman-Jones
Funding Total: $567,775
The Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) spreads Huanglongbing (HLB), a devastating bacterial disease of citrus. There is no cure for HLB, and it has reduced citrus production in Florida by 80% and is established in parts of Southern California. Quarantine zones throughout California have helped to reduce the spread of ACP and HLB and prevent the establishment of HLB in commercial groves, but this remains a serious threat to the citrus industry. Currently, grove perimeter spraying with insecticide is the most common strategy to combat ACP's spread.
This project will evaluate an attractive alternative control strategy, the sterile insect technique (SIT). SIT is a non-pesticidal approach in which large numbers of a pest are reared, sterilized by exposure to radiation, and then released into the field where they compete with wild individuals for mating. Mating with an SIT individual results in no offspring, leading to suppression of the wild population. Previous work focused on laboratory and greenhouse evaluations of the SIT strategy; this project will evaluate the SIT under a more challenging environment in secure outdoor field cages which will allow the determination of the optimal release rates and radiation dose needed for effective suppression of ACP under field conditions.
This project contributes to DPR's mission to protect human health and the environment, and supports California's transition to safer, more sustainable pest management, by adding a new pesticide-free tool that could potentially eradicate new infestations of ACP, be used as a preventive release to protect areas near commercial citrus production, and provide sustainable methods for long-term management of ACP in commercial and urban areas.
Media Contact: Jules Bernstein, Senior Public Relations Officer, jules.bernstein@ucr.edu
Reducing Current and Future Fungicide Use in California Crops by Providing Decision Support and Rotation Tools for Managing the Emerging, Highly Damaging Fusarium falciforme Pathosystem
Sponsor: University of California – Davis
Principal Investigator: Dr. Cassandra Swett
Funding Total: $598,497
The Fusarium falciforme species complex is a category of fungal pathogens that cause disease in a broad set of California crops including tomato, pistachio, muskmelon, watermelon, potato, garlic, hemp, and cowpea. These pathogens have also been recovered from several other crop plants in which its ability to cause disease is currently unknown, including sweet potato, garbanzo, cilantro, turmeric, pepper, and leek. Symptoms across crops include root rot, stem rot, and plant death. These symptoms often appear very similar to those caused by related pathogens, making identification particularly difficult. Given that integrated pest management (IPM) approaches rely on accurate identification of the pathogen to properly select control methods, it is vital to characterize the different pathogen groups within the F. falciforme species complex.
To alleviate misdiagnoses and allow for informed IPM approaches, this project will develop guides for end users for managing F. falciforme pathogens in affected crops. Specifically, the project will conduct a series of experiments that will provide information on pathogen diversity based on genetic relationships and host ranges, develop new diagnostic tools from this research to enable end users to determine which pathogen(s) are present and require management, and develop crop rotation guidelines.
This project contributes to DPR's mission to protect human health and the environment, and supports California's transition to safer, more sustainable pest management, by enhancing IPM knowledge concerning management of pathogens in the F. falciforme complex and reducing reliance on pest control methods such as fumigants.
Media Contact: Amy Quinton, News and Media Relation Specialist, amquinton@ucdavis.edu
Canine Detection of Invasive Vine Mealybugs and Leafroll Virus (GLRaV-3) in California Vineyards
Sponsor: Lodi Winegrape Commission
Principal Investigator: Dr. Stephanie Bolton
Funding Total: $428,118
California's 600,000 acres of vineyards are threatened by grapevine leafroll virus which is spread by vine mealybug. Identifying newly infected grapevines before the virus has been spread to nearby vines is critical to stopping the disease. However, eliminating localized infestations of vine mealybug from vineyards is difficult without treating entire vineyards with insecticide because the insect can be very hard to detect at low population levels and does not become apparent until about two years after establishment in a vineyard. Imidacloprid, a neonicotinoid insecticide, is the main pesticide used to control vine mealybug.
This project will investigate whether detection dogs, which have been successfully used for detecting similar diseases and insects such as Asian citrus psyllid in citrus orchards, can be used to detect grapevine leafroll virus and vine mealybug, and if so, if it is economically feasible for the winegrape industry. To accomplish this, the project will train dogs to detect the scents of the virus and the mealybug individually, test their skill under controlled conditions, and then test their skill under field conditions.
This project contributes to DPR's mission to protect human health and the environment, and supports California's transition to safer, more sustainable pest management by determining if canine detection is a viable component of an integrated pest management (IPM) strategy. IPM relies on early and effective detection of pest management challenges, and detector dogs could provide vital data that allow for interventions that reduce or eliminate the need for pesticide applications. In addition, pest management costs are much lower when infestations can be controlled earlier in their progression, leading to adoption of more economically-sustainable pest management practices with fewer human and environmental impacts.
Media Contact: Stephanie Bolton, Research & Education Director, stephanie@lodiwine.com
Formulation and Field Testing of RNA-based Biological Control Product for Grapevine Powdery Mildew
Sponsor: University of California – Berkeley
Principal Investigator: Dr. Mary Wildermuth
Funding Total: $465,422
Powdery mildews (PM) are widespread fungal pathogens that infect and cause heavy damage in California grape. The vast majority of California grapevine acreage is treated with sulfur and synthetic fungicides to limit the grape PM damage. However, PM are becoming increasingly resistant to the most used synthetic fungicides, making these fungicides less reliable and necessitating additional applications, and sulfur alone is not sufficient to control PM.
This project seeks to develop a ribonucleic acid (RNA)-based biological fungicide for powdery mildew control of grapevine. RNA interference (RNAi) pesticides, a new class of crop protection tools, are highly effective, highly specific biological materials with reduced environmental and human health risks. Recent advances have shown that RNAi pesticides can be effectively applied through topical sprays. Upon application of RNAi pesticides, the RNA molecules move into the pathogen and prevents the pathogen from causing damage to the plant. Several novel PM genes have been identified as targets for RNAi and have demonstrated efficacy in controlling PM infection in grapevine in both greenhouse and field environments. Furthermore, due to their mode of action and the variety of targeted powdery mildew genes, the likelihood of powdery mildew evolved resistance is low. In addition to exploring the efficacy of RNAi against PM, an economic analysis of this pest management approach will be conducted. With increased understanding of production bottlenecks and RNAi efficacy, costs per acre for use of RNAi to combat PM will be assessed and incorporated into integrated pest management (IPM) plans.
This project contributes to DPR's mission to protect human health and the environment, and supports California's transition to safer, more sustainable pest management by optimizing efficacy of RNAi fungicide in PM control and providing California grape growers with more sustainable PM options that have greatly reduced environmental and health risks.
Media Contact: Julie Gipple, Communications Director, julie_gipple@berkeley.edu
Controlling Grape Pierce's Disease and Citrus HLB and their Transmission Vectors Using a Stable Plant-Derived Antimicrobial Peptide
Sponsor: University of California – Riverside
Principal Investigator: Dr. Hailing Jin
Funding Total: $276,736
Pierce's Disease (PD) is a lethal vector-transmitted disease of grapevines caused by the bacterial pathogen, Xylella fastidiosa (Xf), and spread by the sap-feeding insect glassy-winged sharpshooter (GWSS). Disease control of PD relies primarily on vector management via insecticides including neonicotinoids. Similarly, citrus Huanglongbing disease (HLB) is caused by a bacterial pathogen, Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas). CLas is vectored by Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) and is also managed mainly through controlling ACP via insecticides. For both diseases, this control strategy may harm beneficial insects, including pollinators.
Stable antimicrobial peptides (SAMPs) are a class of compounds that have recently been shown to effectively control a variety of pathogens, including CLas in citrus trees. SAMPs are naturally occurring and are typically highly specific to the organism they control. This project will assess candidate SAMPs from finger limes that show some preliminary ability to effectively control CLas within the ACP vector. The project will test these SAMPs in greenhouse conditions for their ability to control Xf in grapevines and in its GWSS vector, in addition to validating the suppressive effects of SAMPs in controlling CLas in its ACP vector. The experiments will assess both protective treatments on healthy plants and insects, as well as curative treatments on already-infected plants and insects.
Once these effects have been studied, the project will interview grape growers to compare current management methods to management using SAMPs. Project outcomes and conclusions will be disseminated through presentations at grower meetings and in peer-reviewed journals.
This project contributes to DPR's mission to protect human health and the environment, and supports California's transition to safer, more sustainable pest management by determining if low-impact, highly specific SAMPs can be effectively used in integrated pest management (IPM) approaches to controlling Pierce's Disease and Huanglongbing disease.
Media Contact: Jules Bernstein, Senior Public Relations Officer, jules.bernstein@ucr.edu
Development of an Automatic Nozzle Selector for Increased Productivity and Reduced Operator Exposure to Pesticides
Sponsor: University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources
Principal Investigator: Dr. Peter Larbi
Funding Total: $345,919
Airblast sprayer operators often need to manually reconfigure spray nozzles when transitioning between areas or materials. This increases both pesticide handling and exposure time, as well as the time it takes to complete a job. Because of this time pressure, operators sometimes forego best practices such as using slower travel speeds; in turn, these deviations cause other unintended impacts, including off-target sprays. Pest control effectiveness typically decreases as well when best practices are not adhered to, and follow up treatments are required at shorter intervals, which results in increased pesticide use and further operator exposure. These effects are partially responsible for field workers' disproportionately higher rates of exposure to pesticides.
This project attempts to mitigate this problem by developing an automatic nozzle selector that can be retrofitted to existing airblast sprayers, thereby enabling an operator to remotely select nozzle configurations to match different canopy sizes and profiles. Four variations of the automatic nozzle selector will be developed and paired with an existing airblast sprayer for field testing to determine functionality, safety, and economic viability. The successful completion of this project would allow operators to remain inside the tractor while automatically reconfiguring nozzles, minimizing their exposure to pesticides while also increasing spray efficacy and therefore reducing the need for additional pesticide applications.
This project contributes to DPR's mission to protect human health and the environment, and supports California's transition to safer, more sustainable pest management by reducing operator's risk of exposure and reducing operation downtime to promote adherence of best practices. Further, development of this automatic nozzle selector is intended to increase the precision of airblast sprayer pesticide applications to reduce pesticide drift and ground deposition. This technology can also be used just as effectively with safer pest management materials that continue to be developed.
Media Contact: Pamela Kan-Rice, Assistant Director - News and Information Outreach, pam.kanrice@ucanr.edu
Soil Suppressiveness Against Root Lesion Nematode, Pratylenchus vulnus, One of the Key Foes of Almond Production
Sponsor: University of California - Riverside
Principal Investigator: Dr. Andreas Westphal
Funding Total: $562,673
Plant-parasitic nematodes damage the root systems of high-value California nut and fruit tree crops including almond. One of the most widespread and problematic species is Pratylenchus vulnus, the root lesion nematode (RLN). Growers often combat RLN with preplant soil fumigation including 1,3-dichloropropene (1,3-D), sometimes in mixes with chloropicrin. These materials have the potential to affect human health and impact many off-target organisms.
This project will build upon prior research and observations from a survey of nematode populations in almond orchards following whole orchard recycling, where several sites displayed indicators of nematode suppression. Currently, the bacterial or fungal species that causes this suppression is unknown. This project will confirm the suppression of RLN in whole orchard recycling experiment sites and attempt to identify and test the causative effects of candidate RLN-suppressive bacterial and fungal species. Finally, the project will extend information gained to growers and interested stakeholders.
This project contributes to DPR's mission to protect human health and the environment, and supports California's transition to safer, more sustainable pest management by providing valuable knowledge concerning the agents of soil suppressiveness to RLN in almond orchards and generating baseline information on this biological phenomenon to possibly harness it as a component of an integrated pest management system and an alternative to fumigants.
Media Contact: Jules Bernstein, Senior Public Relations Officer, jules.bernstein@ucr.edu
For content questions, contact DPR's Grants Program at IPMGrants@cdpr.ca.gov