The primary purpose of this agreement is to safeguard nursery production through the development of integrated management tools that will minimize the incidence, severity and spread of box tree moth…

The primary purpose of this agreement is to safeguard nursery production through the development of integrated management tools that will minimize the incidence, severity and spread of box tree moth (BTM) on boxwood plants. Specifically, activities under this project will focus in receiving technical advice on insecticide options, selecting adjuvants, insecticides and rates, reviewing test sites and data collection, and coordinating studies with aphis and cooperating staff. Activities to be performed: technical support will be provided to cooperators & USDA cooperative projects to evaluate box tree moth insecticide field studies in simulated nursery environments in western NY and in containment lab rearing. The technical support will be time devote to trial setup, selecting insecticide treatments of systemic materials and adjuvant combinations to enhance coverage and efficacy of foliar sprays and drench applications, rates, and data collection/evaluation. Deliverables and expected outcomes: a list of viable insecticide and adjuvant products combinations suggested for use on boxwoods that target BTM. Recommendations in the form of presentations, written reports, and publications to industry, state and federal agricultural officials. Intended beneficiary(IES): the beneficiaries of this information will be for the boxwood producers, and professionals (e.g. federal, state, and extension) that intend to manage the box tree moth. Subrecipient activities, if known or specified at the time of award: there will be no sub awards under this agreement.