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THE CURRENT UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS STATE-BASED INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT (IPM) PROGRAM TEAM PROVIDES A ROBUST DIVERSITY OF DISCIPLINES WITH AN AGRICULTURAL ENTOMOLOGIST (MS. ESTES), PLANT PATHOLOGISTS (DR. MAHECHA AND MS. PLEWA), EXTENSION ANIMAL SPECIALIST (MS. STECKLER), MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGIST (DR. STONE), AND VECTOR ECOLOGIST (DR. TUTEN). THE TEAM IS SUPPORTED BY A NUMBER OF OTHER PROFESSIONALS, INCLUDING A NEMATOLOGIST (DR. COLGROVE), OTHER AGRICULTURAL AND SPECIALTY CROP ENTOMOLOGISTS (DRS. ATHEY, SIETER, AND SPENCER), AND AN EXTENSION EDUCATOR WITH A FOCUS ON URBAN POLLINATORS (MR. PANKAU). THE IPM PROGRAM ROUTINELY WORKS WITH WEED SCIENCE PROFESSORS, FRUIT AND VEGETABLE PATHOLOGY PROFESSOR, THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS PESTICIDE SAFETY EDUCATION TEAM, AND OTHER FACULTY AND SPECIALISTS. THE PROPOSED PROGRAMS FOCUS ON A WIDE VARIETY OF SITUATIONS INCLUDING AGRONOMIC AND SPECIALTY FIELD CROP PRODUCTION, ANIMAL PRODUCTION, HORTICULTURE AND ORNAMENTAL PLANT PRODUCTION, AND PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SPACES. THE PROGRAMS ADDRESS PLANT PRODUCTION, FOOD SECURITY, POLLINATOR PROTECTION, AND ANIMAL AND HUMAN HEALTH CONCERNS. THESE PROGRAMS HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED BASED ON STAKEHOLDER NEEDS ALONG WITH ADDRESSING NCERA-222 OBJECTIVES AND NORTH CENTRAL IPM CENTER PRIORITIES AND SIGNATURE PROGRAMS (HTTPS://WWW.NCIPMC.ORG/ABOUT/STAKEHOLDER-PRIORITIES/).ILLINOIS IS A MAJOR PRODUCER OF CORN AND SOYBEANS, PRODUCING 2.28 BILLION BUSHELS OF CORN AND 649 MILLION BUSHELS OF SOYBEANS IN 2023 WITH A PRODUCTION VALUE OF OVER $11 BILLION AND $8.6 BILLION RESPECTIVELY. ILLINOIS PRODUCED 67.9 MILLION BUSHELS OF WINTER WHEAT IN 2023, AN INCREASE OF 53% COMPARED TO THE PREVIOUS YEAR. THIS REPRESENTS A VALUE OF $406 MILLION TO THE STATE. THE PROGRAMS PROPOSED UNDER THE AGRONOMIC AND SPECIALTY CROP COMPONENT INCLUDE STATE-WIDE MONITORING FOR AGRONOMICALLY IMPORTANT PESTS; SCOUTING AND THRESHOLD DETERMINATION FIELD DEMONSTRATIONS; AND WHEAT DISEASE AND TOXIN TESTING. THE INSECT SCOUTING PROGRAMS WILL REPORT RESULTS DURING THE SEASON TO PROVIDE UPDATED INSECT PEST PRESSURES, AND ALL OF THESE PROGRAMS WILL PRODUCE SUMMARY FACTSHEETS OR REPORTS AND WILL BE INCLUDED IN EXTENSION PRESENTATIONS.TWO STATE-WIDE POLLINATOR PROGRAMS, INCLUDING THE ILLINOIS POLLINATOR WEBSITE, WERE DEVELOPED WITH SUPPORT FROM PREVIOUS GRANTS FROM THIS PROGRAM. SINCE THE WEBSITE LAUNCHED IN MAY 2023 OVER 6,000 INDIVIDUAL USERS HAVE VIEWED PAGES OVER 40,000 TIMES WITH USERS FROM 49 COUNTRIES. PRIOR TO ITS FULL LAUNCH IN MAY OF 2023, THE WEBSITE WAS SUBMITTED TO ALL ILLINOIS MASTER GARDENERS AND MASTER NATURALISTS AND FEEDBACK WAS COLLECTED VIA SURVEY INSTRUMENT. IT WAS ALSO SENT TO A LARGE LIST OF PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS, UNIVERSITY EXPERTS, AND INDUSTRY CONTACTS FOR A PEER REVIEW. IN RESPONSE TO FEEDBACK, ARE ADDING 150 NEW PLANTS SPECIES AND 60 NEW POLLINATOR SPECIES ALONG WITH INFORMATION ON LONG-TERM MANAGEMENT OF POLLINATOR GARDENS AND A SECTION DEVOTED TO THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT AND THREATENED AND ENDANGERED,POLLINATOR SPECIES IN ILLINOIS. TO INCREASE THE ACCESSIBILITY OF THE ILLINOIS POLLINATORS WEBSITE, NEW FEATURES WILL BE ADDED TO EXPORT INDIVIDUAL PLANT AND INSECT PAGES INTO PDF FORMATS WITH ADDITIONAL ACCESSIBILITY FEATURES INCLUDING FORMATTING FOR SCREEN READERS. THE PDFS WILL SERVE AS STAND-ALONE DOCUMENTS FEATURING INDIVIDUAL INSECTS OR PLANTS FROM THE WEBSITE. IN ADDITION, WE WILL PROVIDE SPANISH LANGUAGE TRANSLATION OF ADDITIONAL WEB CONTENT INCLUDING ALL EXISTING HABITAT DESIGNS, AND MARKETING AND OUTREACH MATERIALS FOR THE ILLINOIS POLLINATORS WEBSITE INTO SPANISH WHICH WILL BE PROVIDED TO ALL EXTENSION OFFICES ACROSS ILLINOIS.THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS PLANT CLINIC SERVES AS THE NATIONAL PLANT DIAGNOSTIC NETWORK LABORATORY FOR ILLINOIS HOUSED IN THE NORTH CENTRAL REGION AND PROVIDES THOUSANDS OF UNBIASED DIAGNOSES AND MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS EACH YEAR THAT ARE BASED ON SOUND IPM PRACTICES TO REDUCE BOTH RISK TO HUMAN HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT. THROUGH BOTH DIAGNOSTICS AND OUTREACH (INCLUDING WORKSHOPS, SEMINARS, LECTURES TOURS, ELECTRONIC OUTREACH, DEMONSTRATIONS, SOCIAL MEDIA, NEWSLETTERS, FACTSHEETS, AND REFEREED PUBLICATIONS) THE PLANT CLINIC ADDRESSES PEST CONCERNS, INCLUDING INVASIVE SPECIES, IN PRODUCTION AGRICULTURE, AND CONSERVATION AND RESIDENTIAL AREAS. THE PLANT CLINIC WILL CONTINUE TO OFFER DIAGNOSES AND IPM RECOMMENDATIONS TO INDIVIDUAL GROWERS AND CLIENTS, AND TEST ILLINOIS SOIL SAMPLES TO DETERMINE THE DISTRIBUTION OF ROOT KNOT NEMATODES (MELOIDOGYNE SP.), RENIFORM NEMATODES (ROTYLENCHULUS SP.), AND OTHER PLANT PARASITIC NEMATODES IN ILLINOIS SOYBEAN FIELDS.A NUMBER OF TICKS OF PUBLIC AND VETERINARY HEALTH IMPORTANCE HAVE BEEN EXPANDING THEIR GEOGRAPHIC RANGES IN RECENT DECADES LARGELY DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE, CHANGES IN LAND USE, AND INCREASES IN RESERVOIR HOST POPULATIONS AND TICK POPULATIONS. AS A RESULT OF THESE POPULATION INCREASES, RANGE EXPANSIONS, AND INCREASED PROXIMITY BETWEEN TICKS AND RESERVOIR HOSTS, THE PREVALENCE OF PATHOGEN-INFECTED TICKS HAS INCREASED. TICKS CAN TRANSMIT A WIDE VARIETY OF PATHOGENS. EVEN UNINFECTED TICK BITES CAN CAUSE SUBSTANTIAL BLOOD LOSS (LEADING TO DECREASED PRODUCTION IN LIVESTOCK), ALLERGIES, SEVERE TOXIC REACTIONS AND EVEN DEATH DUE TO TICK PARALYSIS. THIS ULTIMATELY PRESENTS NEW AND INCREASING SEVERE HEALTH THREATS TO HUMANS, LIVESTOCK, AND COMPANION ANIMALS. THE PROPOSED PROJECTS WILL IMPACT PRIVATE LANDOWNERS, FARM WORKERS, AND NATURAL RESOURCE PROFESSIONALS, ALONG WITH LIVESTOCK AND COMPANION ANIMALS, BY PROVIDING TRAINING TO INCREASE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT TICK LIFE CYCLES AND HOSTS, HABITATS AND PRESENCE/LOCATION IN ILLINOIS, TICKBORNE DISEASES, TICK BITE PREVENTION, PROPER TICK REMOVAL, AND PASSIVE TICK COLLECTION (COLLECTIVELY REFERRED TO AS TICK KNOWLEDGE HEREAFTER). THESE PROJECTS FOCUS ON HUMAN AND ANIMAL HEALTH WHICH AFFECT COMPANION, WILD, AND LIVESTOCK ANIMALS. TICK KNOWLEDGE MATERIALS WILL BE DEVELOPED AND TAUGHT TO ILLINOIS EXTENSION MASTER GARDENERS (MG) AND MASTER NAT,URALISTS (MN) VOLUNTEERS AND 4-H EDUCATORS USING A TRAIN-THE-TRAINER FRAMEWORK TO INCREASE TICK KNOWLEDGE OF ILLINOIS CITIZENS. TICK KNOWLEDGE PROGRAMS WILL BE PRESENTED AS PART OF EXTENSION PROGRAMS. VISUAL AIDS, DEMONSTRATIONS, AND HANDOUTS WILL BE PROVIDED AT ANNUAL MEETINGS HELD IN ILLINOIS AND TICK KNOWLEDGE PROGRAMS WILL BE PRESENTED AS PART OF EXTENSION PROGRAMS. TO HELP MONITOR RANGE EXPANSIONS OF TICK SPECIES AND FOR THE POSSIBLE PRESENCE OF THE ASIAN LONGHORN TICK IN ILLINOIS, A CURRENT PASSIVE SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM WILL BE EXPANDED ON. ILLINOIS CITIZENS WILL BE RECRUITED TO REPORT TICK BITES AND SUBMIT TICKS. EXTENSION'S STATEWIDE NETWORK OF OFFICES AND STAFF WILL PROMOTE THE PROGRAM AND PROVIDE TICK EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS AND INFORMATION ABOUT TICK SUBMISSION. PARTICIPATING LICENSED WILDLIFE REHABILITATION FACILITIES, ANIMAL SHELTERS, AND VETERINARIANS WILL BE PROVIDED MATERIALS NECESSARY FOR TICK COLLECTION. SUBMITTED SAMPLES WILL BE SHIPPED TO THE ILLINOIS NATURAL HISTORY SURVEY MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY LAB (INHS-MEL) AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS URBANA-CHAMPAIGN CAMPUS. TICKS WILL THEN BE IDENTIFIED TO SPECIES USING STANDARD TAXONOMIC KEYS, ENUMERATED BY LIFE STAGE, AND ARCHIVED IN THE BIOREPOSITORY AT INHS-MEL.
$210.0k 8/14/24