Project Grant PE979798010

This Project Grant award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture under the Alfalfa Seed and Alfalfa Forage Systems Program (CFDA 10.330) will provide $880,275 to the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) to test alternative pesticides and non-pesticide control methods to manage the Lygus bug, a major insect pest of alfalfa grown for seed production. The goal is to provide alfalfa seed growers with effective Lygus control recommendations that increase...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) awarded a $8,005,000 Cooperative Agreement under the Plant and Animal Disease, Pest Control, and Animal Care program (CFDA 10.025) to the Texas Boll Weevil Eradication Foundation, Inc. The purpose of the agreement is to eradicate the boll weevil from commercial cotton grown in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas, the last remaining U.S. area where the pest still exists. The funds will support the purchase of...

This Cooperative Agreement award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) under CFDA 10.025 - Plant and Animal Disease, Pest Control, and Animal Care program aims to develop a biological control strategy to combat the potential establishment of the invasive Old World Cotton Bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera) in North America. The $201,208 award supports research by Lepidext, Inc. to assess the efficacy of a sterilizing nudivirus (HZNV2 isolate...

This $117,047 cooperative agreement awarded by 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) will support host-specificity testing of the biological control agent Dolichogenidea gelechiidivoris. This parasitic wasp is being evaluated as a potential long-term control option for the South American tomato pinworm, an invasive pest that poses a significant threat to...

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...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) awarded a $749,936 Project Grant under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) to the University of Wisconsin System to develop statistical tools and predictive models for pesticide resistance in the Colorado potato beetle. The purpose is to generate landscape-level risk maps that can guide targeted pest management strategies, addressing USDA priorities in agricultural production systems and the 2018 Farm Bill goal of developing advanced...

This cooperative agreement from the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service provides $602,652 to Bioprodex, Inc. to gather data for the registration of Verticillium nonalfalfae as a bioherbicide to control tree-of-heaven weed (Ailanthus altissima), a key host plant for the regulated pest spotted lanternfly. The award period is from May 1, 2022 through October 31, 2023. The work supports the agency's Plant and Animal Disease, Pest Control, and Animal...

This $205,175 federal Project Grant awarded by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (CFDA 10.329 Crop Protection and Pest Management Competitive Grants Program) supports an integrated pest management (IPM) program led by Auburn University. The project, titled "The Alabama (AL) EIP Project", provides critical IPM support and training to state extension specialists, regional agents, diagnosticians, and students in Alabama. Key objectives include improving cost-benefit...

This Cooperative Agreement award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)-Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) program provides $520,000 to North Carolina State University (NC State) to support an early-warning system for exotic plant pests. The project, titled PESTLENS, collects and distributes information on emerging plant pests not yet established in the U.S. and provides a platform for PPQ to document pest-related safeguarding...

This cooperative agreement between the University of Florida and the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will support the development of generic irradiation doses for mealybugs and thrips pests. The $108,404 award began on August 1, 2022 and will run through July 31, 2023. Under the Plant and Animal Disease, Pest Control, and Animal Care federal grant program, the University will collect local pest specimens and conduct dose-response studies to...