Project Overview

Reports

Commodities

• Vegetables: brassicas, cucurbits, peppers, tomatoes

Target Pests

• Target Pests: aphids, bacterial diseases, flea beetles, fungus, insects, nematodes, other, powdery mildew, various, weeds

Practices

Problem. Diseases (pathogens), insects, and weeds threaten vegetable production throughout the United States, including the Southeast. These pests cause negative economic impacts directly through crop damage and indirectly through expenses associated with pest management. Additionally, integrated pest management (IPM) strategies are constantly evolving due to emergence of pesticide resistance and the development of resistant cultivars and improved cultural management strategies, and stakeholders need to continually be informed on the most up-to-date, relevant, and effective IPM methods. Numerous resources and decision-making tools, such as printed publications and mobile applications, that address the needs of stakeholders are available for IPM in commercial vegetable production, but each resource has limitations. Increasing production costs have limited the in-print availability of the Southeastern U.S. Vegetable Crop Handbook (the Handbook), a comprehensive vegetable horticulture and pest management guide, and threatened its future availability, even as a downloadable electronic document (e.g., PDF). The MyIPM for Vegetables app, launched in December 2023, is a mobile-friendly resource that expands on the content available in the Handbook, but it is not yet comprehensive for all pests and vegetable crops. Furthermore, Extension vegetable specialists in the Southeast are dwindling in number, have limited time, and must choose their activities and areas of focus, which may limit educational opportunities on certain topics for stakeholders. Approach. Extension specialists in the Southeast, many of whom are members of the Southeast Vegetable Extension Workers (SEVEW) and who contribute to annual updates of the Handbook, will meet to develop an action plan for SEVEW moving forward to expand the educational opportunities and secure funding to support the production of these key IPM resources for stakeholders. Funding will be used to support editing and/or designing expenses to ensure production of the 2026 Handbook. MyIPM for Vegetables collaborators will build on the content available in the app by creating new pest profiles for existing (cucurbits and tomatoes) and new (brassicas and peppers) crops. SEVEW will also begin hosting webinars on key production and pest management topics for stakeholders. Online evaluation tools will be used to measure the success of activities and document changes in stakeholder IPM knowledge and use. Impact. The sustained availability and expansion, of existing IPM resources for commercial vegetable stakeholders, including producers, crop consultants, and agricultural educators, in the Southeast will provide valuable decision-making tools that stakeholders have come to rely on (e.g., the Handbook) for daily use in their farming operations and educational or consulting services as well as additional educational opportunities for stakeholders. The creation of new educational opportunities (e.g., webinars) will help teach stakeholders to more effectively use the Handbook and MyIPM for Vegetables to make IPM decisions and will leverage existing knowledge and expertise among Extension vegetable specialists to increase information distribution and enhance support for stakeholder needs. Webinars will also provide an additional format (e.g., audio/video) for stakeholder learning and information exchange. These resources will enable stakeholders to identify pest issues within their crops more quickly, learn available management strategies and practices for identified pests, make informed decisions or recommendations on the most effective management strategies and practices in their operations, and improve the use of IPM in their operations. In doing so, producers will not only be able to improve management of pests that threaten and damage their crops but also increase product yield, improve product quality, and increase profitability. In addition, the use of IPM will help to prevent the potential over-reliance on the use of pesticides, which will help to sustain product availability and reduce negative impacts on the environment.

1. Identify pathways for the Southeastern Vegetable Extension Workers to sustain production of current educational integrated pest management (IPM) resources for stakeholders and to increase educational opportunities for stakeholders
2. Develop and publish IPM content for diseases and insects of brassicas and peppers to expand the MyIPM for Vegetables app
3. Develop and publish additional IPM content for diseases and insects of cucurbits and tomatoes to expand the MyIPM for Vegetables app and the 2026 Southeastern U.S. Vegetable Crop Handbook
4. Host educational webinars on key disease or insect issues and use IPM decision-making tools for pest management