Project Overview

Reports

Commodities

Target Pests

Practices

Cantaloupes, honeydews, and mixed melons (muskmelons; henceforth “melons”) are an important crop for farmers in the United States Southwest. The transition to sustainable reduced-impact pest management tools on melon farms has been guided over the past decade by the Pest Management Strategic Plan (PMSP) for Cantaloupe, Honeydew and Mixed Melon Production in California. That document was last revised in 2016 and has reached its intended sunset date. Since that revision, there have been substantial changes in pesticide regulations and the introduction of several new insect-transmitted viruses. Those factors further suggest that a new revision of the PMSP is needed to ensure that plan can guide the melon industry’s pest management strategy over the next decade (2027-2037). The objectives of this project are: (1) To revise the PMSP to reflect recent changes in melon production and pest management practices and to develop an updated research, regulatory, and education strategy for the next decade (2027-2037). (2) To broaden the scope of the revised PMSP to include Organic-certified growers, small growers (<50 acres), and growers and other melon industry stakeholders who operate in Arizona.

To gather data that can support the PMSP revision, we have already completed substantial preliminary work including a series of farm visits, focus groups, and distribution of a survey focused on pest management issues and control tactics to stakeholders in the melon industry. In the next phases of this project, we will continue efforts to distribute the survey, targeting a 35% industry-wide participation rate. We will then perform final analysis of the survey data, with insights also informed by the focus groups, farm visits, and the expertise of the project team. That data will be used to write a first draft of the PMSP revision. We will assemble a diverse group of melon industry stakeholders and experts who will serve as the PMSP strategic review team and will attend the PMSP work group. The draft PMSP will be provided to the strategic review team in December 2026. A PMSP work group will be held in January 2027 to discuss the draft PMSP and finalize the melon industry’s pest management strategy for 2027-2037. The PMSP will then be provided to the Western IPM Center for inclusion in the

The outputs of this project will be the revised PMSP, the PMSP meeting bringing together melon industry stakeholders, an academic publication, presentations at a conference and at extension meetings, a Masters of Public Policy Capstone project and a Ph.D. dissertation chapter. This project substantially contributes to Western IPM Center regional priorities: “Invasive Species”, “IPM in New Places”, and “IPM Culture and Capacity.” This project will support the continued adoption of reduced risk pest management tactics in the U.S. melon industry, and will provide stakeholders, researchers, regulators, and the public with up-to-date, authoritative stakeholder-derived information on melon pest management practices and priorities.

Objective 1. Revise the PMSP for Cantaloupe, Honeydew and Mixed Melon Production in California to reflect changes in melon production and pest management practices that have occurred over the past decade (since 2016), and to outline an updated research, regulatory, and education strategy for the next decade (2027-2037).

There have been substantial changes in melon pest management over the past decade, most importantly: new invasive insects and diseases, de-registerations of pesticides, and the introduction of new pesticide chemistries. The 2016 PMSP is outdated and is in need of updating. Objective 1 will be to update the plan to reflect changes in management practices and industry priorities. Objective 1 specifically addresses the Western IPM Center regional priorities “Invasive Species” and “IPM Culture and Capacity”.

Objective 2. Broaden the scope of the revised PMSP to include the perspectives of a wider group of melon industry stakeholders including growers and PCAs who operate in Arizona, Organic-certified growers, and small growers (<50 acres). The new document will be the “Pest Management Strategic Plan for Cantaloupe, Honeydew, and Mixed Melon Production in the United States Southwest 2027-2037”).

Arizona produces about 34% of US melons and Arizona growers face many similar pest challenges to growers in low-desert production regions of California (Imperial, Blythe). No PMSP exists for Arizona melon production. While including the different regulatory regimes between California and Arizona will add some complexity in the PMSP findings, incorporating Arizona perspectives will provide researchers and regulators with a more complete picture of the US melon industry. Further, Organic-certified and smaller-scale growers are a critical part of the IPM landscape as these producers are often open to considering sustainable practices, while also having fewer resources to respond to pest pressures. Including these stakeholders will help to ensure the revised PMSP benefits the whole melon industry. Objective 2 specifically addresses the Western IPM Center regional priorities “IPM Culture and Capacity” and “IPM in New Places”.