Conduct survey activities to determine the presence/absence of plant pests that can be used for regulatory and pest management purposes

The University of Hawaii at Manoa received a $102,151 cooperative agreement award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) under the Plant and Animal Disease, Pest Control, and Animal Care program (CFDA 10.025), effective July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026. The agreement funds comprehensive agricultural pest surveillance activities conducted in Hawaii, combining palm commodity, citrus commodity, and tropical host commodity surveys to detect the presence or absence of 15 specified plant pests, including red ring nematode, palm lethal yellows, red palm weevil, Panama disease TR4, and laurel wilt, among others. Survey activities will follow Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey (CAPS) approved methodologies where available and will be executed without sub-awardees.

The deliverables from this cooperative agreement consist of presence/absence data on targeted pests that will inform regulatory and pest management decisions. Positive findings will trigger rapid response, mitigation, and eradication efforts, while negative results will support establishment of "apparently free of" quarantine status. All survey results, regardless of outcome, will be entered into the National Agricultural Pest Information System (NAPIS) for federal tracking and analysis. The intended beneficiaries include field crop farmers, citrus and specialty crop growers, nurseries, and the general public in Hawaii.

Purpose

The purpose of this agreement is to conduct survey activities to determine the presence/absence of plant pests that can be used for regulatory and pest management purposes.

Activities

A combined survey consisting of a palm commodity survey, a citrus commodity survey, and a tropical host commodity survey will be conducted targeting red ring nematode, palm lethal yellows, south american palm borer, red palm weevil, south american palm weevil, japanese wax scale, castor capsule borer, christmas berry webworm, cucurbit beetle, old world bollworm, false codling moth, citrus root-knot nematode, avocado seed moth, panama disease TR4, and laurel wilt. Surveys will be conducted according to cooperative agricultural pest survey (CAPS) approved methods, when available. Deliverables and expected outcomes: the surveys will provide data on presence/absence of the targeted pests. Presence would trigger rapid response/mitigation/eradication, and absence could be used to help establish "apparently free of" status for quarantine(S). Results, both positive and negative, will be entered into the national agricultural pest information system (NAPIS). Intended beneficiary(IES): field crop farmers, citrus and specialty crop growers, nurseries, and the general public. Subrecipient activities, if known or specified at the time of award: no subawards.