Project Overview

Reports

Commodities

• Additional Plants: herbs, ornamentals

• Fruits: melons, small fruit, stone fruit

• Vegetables: beans, brassicas, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbages, eggplant, greens (leafy), greens (lettuces), peppers, tomatoes

Target Pests

Practices

• Pest Management: biological control, chemical control, cultural control, disease vectors, eradication, exclusion, forecasting, genetic resistance, host resistance, pesticide application timing, pesticide resistance management, pesticides, prevention, sanitation, soil solarization, trap crops, weather monitoring

In 38 communities, Missouri is home to over 9,000 Amish and Mennonites. Due to their restricted access to resources regarding agricultural techniques and plant health, the majority of them work as small-scale farmers and face a variety of difficulties. Problems with plant diseases are a major danger to their horticultural and agricultural output. Nonetheless, a lot of farmers resort to chemical fungicides and herbicides when their crops fail, which regrettably harms the ecosystem by harming beneficial insects and microorganisms and chelating soil nutrients, which lowers net plant health. A reliable approach based on accurate diagnosis can help to avoid these effects. In this project, we propose to send the field specialists to their communities and build an on-site diagnostic booth that is open and free to all underserved individuals, rather than letting them struggle to contact MU Extension for aid. Plant samples will be gathered and forwarded to the MU Plant Diagnostic Clinic for free diagnostic services if more testing is required to confirm the disease's causal agents. Through close collaboration with the communities, the field specialists and the clinic will guarantee that the disease diagnosis is completed on-site, or that the disease reports are delivered on time. To better understand which diseases are the most common and should be prevented in the upcoming year, a quick overview of the disease survey will be prepared based on the diseases that the clinic found throughout the growing season and disseminated to their communities.

In an effort to foster a relationship of trust and sustainability between MU Extension and the surrounding communities, MU Extension will organize two field day events and four talks. Their lifestyle won't change because of this study, but their knowledge of sustainable plant disease control methods and sound agricultural and horticultural practices will. Their produce will yield more and quality will improve, and the expense of applying needless chemicals will go down. Their perspective of MU Extension will shift, and their standard of living will rise. Furthermore, the public's perception of them will change as a result of this project's publicity spreading throughout the state, enabling the development of further aid initiatives along similar lines.

Objective 1 Expansion of on-site plant disease diagnostic services.

Drs. Ramon Arancibia and Dhruba Dhakal will visit Amish and Mennonite communities in March 2024. During the week, they will set up a booth on auction days in several counties in central and southwest Missouri (Audrain and Morgan Counties), offering free diagnostic consultation services to growers with inquiries about plant health issues. When required, particularly in response to certain requests, they will also pay them a visit to gather samples and conduct on-site diagnostic work. In this process, they will provide them with paper copies of agricultural information, best practices, and other services offered by MU Extension. These actions will strengthen the bonds between their communities and MU and may help to ensure the two groups’ continued cooperation. Their approach will enhance the influence of MU Extension among Missouri’s underserved populations by including many counties.

Objective 2 Free services by MU Plant Diagnostic Clinic.

The samples will be collected, packaged, and delivered to the MU Plant Diagnostic Clinic in Columbia, Missouri if additional testing is required to determine the causal factor once they are received by the on-site diagnostic booth. Further testing, such as molecular or serological tests, will be chosen based on the preliminary diagnosis. Drs. Ramon Arancibia and Dhruba Dhakal will be informed of the results, which will be generated in 5 business days. He will give the reports to the growers or distribute them to them on the day of the next auction, depending on how urgent the problems are. The DEIA grant will cover the shipping and diagnostic cost. As a result, the effectiveness of communication between the clinic and the surrounding community will rise due to the free services and the active participation and engagement of field professionals. Growers can quickly implement the plans and limit the progress of the diseases by receiving timely, accurate, and informative diagnostic reports in addition to a useful, customized plan for controlling the disease based on their agricultural settings, environmental factors, and weather conditions. They will be informed and advised to act right once to reduce the detrimental effects on production, even in cases where diseases are brought on by herbicide damage or root rot.

Objective 3 Dissemination of new information of prevalent plant disease and corresponding disease management strategies.

The Plant Diagnostic Clinic will produce a list of the most common diseases found in the communities based on the results of disease diagnosis throughout the growing seasons. They will also publish disease factsheets that emphasize disease management and prevention to control the disease for a longer amount of time. In order to improve awareness, adoption, and sustainability, Drs. Dhruba Dhakal, Ramon Arancibia, and Peng Tian will also conduct field day events where they will present to the communities and give them firsthand experience in diagnosing and controlling these diseases within the Amish and Mennonite communities. Meanwhile, newsletters highlighting the outreach and extension initiatives through printed/mailed publications by the MO Produce Growers Bulletin (https://ipm.missouri.edu/MPG/) will be distributed to 400 Mennonite/Amish growers and the progress presentations will be given at growers meetings including the Great Plains Growers Conference (GPGC). This will serve to raise awareness and facilitate the development of additional programs that will be tailored to their specific needs.