The overall objective is to increase knowledge of IPM practices in west virginia growers, pesticide applicators and homeowners using the existent wvues outreach programs

The West Virginia University was awarded a $130,000 Project Grant from the Environmental Protection Agency Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention under the Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program (PESP) Grants.

The grant will support increased education and outreach on integrated pest management (IPM) practices for fruit and vegetable growers, pesticide applicators, and homeowners in West Virginia from September 1, 2022 to August 31, 2024. Specific services include conducting educational meetings and workshops on IPM and pesticide safety; demonstrating IPM harvest bin placement strategies to reduce codling moth populations; providing a grower message network for pest and disease updates; and creating online training videos offering pesticide applicator continuing education credits. The goal is to expand knowledge of sustainable pest control methods to encourage reduced-risk pesticide use and adoption of IPM approaches.

Our specific objectives are as follows: (1) present topics about IPM pesticide safety to fruit growers, vegetable growers and master gardeners. (2) provide educational support and give presentations to commercial and private pesticide applicators about IPM and pesticide safety. (3) increase the outreach to spanish growers and agricultural workers.activities:activities: 1. Applicant proposes to conduct a total of four fruit meetings per year in the hampshire county area to increase knowledge about pest biology and control of insect pest. We anticipate about 12 growers per meeting who have an area of approximately 700 acres of fruit trees. Meetings will be focused in IPM related topics for fruit growers. The following are examples of topics that will be covered on meetings: biology, identification and control of insect pests in orchard (including codling moth, oriental fruit moth, SAN jose scale, and peachtree borer). Insect thresholds, monitoring traps, and record keeping biology of identification of beneficial insects (predators, parasitoids and pollinators) effects of reduced risk VS broad spectrum pesticides on pests and beneficial insects biology, identification, control and reporting of spotted lanternfly in addition, the disease, weed and wildlife management specialists from WVU will be invited to these meetings to cover other topics (non-arthropod pest management). By increasing fruit grower knowledge, we expect that eventually fruit farmers will prefer to use reduced risk pesticide over broad spectrum pesticides and will adopt IPM approaches, such as use of pest thresholds, which will result in the reduction of pesticide applications. In addition, these meetings help foster the relationship between growers and WVU extension professionals. 2. Applicant proposes conducting a field day for apple growers to demonstrate to how apple harvest bins are contributing to the overwintering first-generation codling moth population. Currently, WVU are monitoring two farms to incentivize orchardists to adopt IPM practices in their production system that includes harvest BIN placement strategies. Applicant proposes to placing pheromone traps at different distances from harvest bins to show how codling moth populations vary. Traps will be placed to the nearest apple orchard edge from harvest bins and then every two hundred feet, up to 1600 FT. 3. Apple growers message network system that will allow growers to call in or receive email updates on current season insect and disease biology. Many apple pests and diseases have models that predict when insects are most vulnerable to control methods or when infection periods have occurred. Understanding these models is crucial for implementing IPM practices. However, these models run off weather data and are hosted on online platforms, and in parts of rural west virginia many growers do not have reliable internet access. 4. Applicant proposes to conduct a total of three vegetable workshops per year in west virginia's eastern panhandle. WVU anticipates around 25 growers per meeting. Biology, identification and IPM control of insect pests in vegetable plots will be discussed with attention to controlling these pests in a high tunnel environment. 5. Applicant proposes working with WVU extension master gardener program to educate members/public on topics related to IPM and pesticide safety to prepare new and experienced master gardeners approaching the growing seasons. 6. Applicant proposes creating digital videos for use as educational training aids. Videos will last for about 2.5 hours to provide 5 pesticide credits per year and will be focused on IPM, the environment, and human protection from pesticides. Videos will offer pesticide credits for the following categories: agricultural PL