Project Overview
Mapping the Occurrence and Distribution of Hemp Pests in the South
Commodities
- Additional Plants: hemp
Target Pests
Practices
Proposal abstract:
Nearly 10 years after reintroduction, hemp (Cannabis sativa, THC <0.3%) is settling into its intended markets: food, feed, and fiber. While the recent increase in acreage and cultivation can be a positive indicator for the US hemp industry, various challenges (e.g., diseases and pest problems) need to be addressed in order to preserve the positive trajectory of this relatively new industry. Currently, advanced disease management tools such as resistant cultivars, prediction models, and synthetic fungicides are either limited or nonexistent. Further, distribution of pests in the South is still not clearly understood. Growers also need information on how to manage these pests with currently available, albeit limited, resources. This project aims to 1) coordinate efforts to map the occurrence and distribution of diseases and arthropods pests on hemp in the southern states using Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System (EDDmapS); 2) develop educational materials (on-demand webinars) on common and priority pests documented by the Southern IPM Hemp Working Group.
The map of the occurrence and distribution of disease and arthropod pests will be generated using EDDmapS. Data collected will include pest, method for verification, person reporting, crop type, description of site, incidence/severity, location, and images. Data from a nationwide hemp pest survey will be inputted into the platform as baseline data in developing the platform, and new respondents will continually be sought through program promotion. Verification systems by experts will be put in place to verify report/data input through EDDmapS. The output of this project is a database that not only provides a centralized site for occurrence and distribution of hemp pest data and its visualization (map), but also a reporting platform that can be continually used by groups in the South and other regions beyond the project year.
Prioritization of topics to be highlighted in the on-demand webinar series will be given to pests included in the top 10 most reported pests and diseases in the Southern Region based on the priority list created by the Southern IPM Hemp Working Group in 2022. In each video, experts including pathologists, entomologists, and Extension specialists will be interviewed to present on current pest management strategies. Videos will be disseminated through individual university hemp working group websites, social media sites, and Extension networks.
Project objectives from proposal:
| Planned Outputs
What you plan on doing or making |
Anticipated Outcomes
What changes are expected to occur as an effect of the outputs |
Problem or Priority Targeted
What situation you are addressing |
| Objective 1. Coordinate effort to map the occurrence and distributions of diseases and arthropods pests on hemp in the southern states using verified self-reported platform EDDmapS | ||
| Coordination meetings with J. LaForest at S-IPM Centers. | Begin development of mapping platform | Technical details on mapping (Objective 1) |
| Development of instructional materials/tutorials for data input/reporting (handouts, flyers, video tutorials) as well as promotional materials for the mapping program (handout, flyer, poster) | Understanding of technical details of EDDmapS, data input and visualization by diagnosticians, Extension specialists, researchers, and industry partners | Technical details on mapping (Objective 1) |
| Promotion/announcement of the mapping program through currently established networks (network used for nationwide survey, S-IPM Hemp Working Group, S-1084 listserv) and extended network (professional association meetings [SPDN, SD-APS, ESA-S]) | Update and expand the communication network; multi-state and multi-disciplinary makeup | Coordination of future activities (Objective 1) |
| Identify potential respondents
(e.g., diagnosticians, extension agents, Extension specialists, government agencies, and private industries) |
Coordination of future activities (Objective 1)
List of respondents (listserv contacts) Lists of disease and arthropods pest for mapping (Objective 1) |
|
| Extended communication network; focused discipline-specific communication (pathology and entomology) | ||
| Coordinate specialized teams for survey or data input (pathology, entomology) | ||
| Distribution of instructional (tutorial) materials for data input and solicitation of responses | Increase understanding of data input through EDDmapS platform; data collection | Database of occurrence and distribution of diseases and arthropod pests of hemp (Objective 1) |
| Launch of the EDDmapS platform (webpage)
|
Provide a centralized site for survey data | Database of pests of hemp in the south and its distribution (map)
(Objective 1) |
| Provide centralized site and map of pests on hemp | ||
| Objective 2. Development of extension educational materials | ||
| Educational materials (On-demand webinar series) | Increase in grower knowledge on current status of pests of hemp and potential practices to manage and prevent their spread | On-demand webinar series on common and important hemp pests in the South and potential management strategies to manage it.
(Objective 2) |
